The BookLife Prize: Checking in with Krys Batts
We touch base with last year's finalist from the romance/erotica category to talk literary agents and believing in yourself.This article is the second in a series that catches up with the finalists from last year’s BookLife Prize.
Krys Batts is no stranger to self-publishing. She's released three novels via her Real Ideal imprint, but it was her second book, the contemporary romance Not Flowers, but Love, that made her a finalist in last year’s BookLife Prize.
The novel—about a woman who has given up on true love and marriage, but comes to question her resolve when her long-distance fling moves to her hometown—was praised by guest judge and author Courtney Milan, who said: “Batts shows love in all its nuances, from first blush to moving on. This is a romance for every woman who has ever given up on love."
BookLife caught up with Batts via email to see what she’s up to now and what advice she has for aspiring indie authors.
What has happened as a result of you being a finalist in the 2016 BookLife Prize?
To my great delight, I was contacted by a reputable literary agent, who has now partnered with me to build on the honor of being a finalist.
What’s one tip that you have for other indie authors?
Consider the reality that many publishing professionals will read your work and fail to see its potential in the marketplace. I like to think of J.K. Rowling’s plight, the countless number of rejections that she weathered before someone finally said yes to her first Harry Potter manuscript. As with Rowling’s experience, rejection is commonplace for aspiring writers, but it doesn’t necessarily denote your failure as an author. So don’t allow the 'nos' to stop you if you believe in your creation. And, equally as important, don’t internalize the idea that there’s a perfect formula that unerringly predicts which stories the public is ready and waiting to devour.
