Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Janice (LJ) Cohen.
Lisa Janice (LJ), can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t an avid reader, but I do remember the moment I wanted to be a writer: It was in elementary school and the librarian was reading THE LION, THE WITCH, and THE WARDROBE by CS Lewis to us in weekly installments.
I was already a fluid reader by that point and got frustrated by how slowly the class was getting the story, so I convinced my mom to borrow the book for me. Then I read it in one big gulp. I felt smug when library time came again and I knew the whole story, so instead of paying attention to the librarian, I watched the reactions of my classmates. I wanted to be able to create that special kind of magic – to hold a whole classroom of kids spellbound with words.
From that time on, I wrote stories. When we were given a list of vocabulary words in school, rather than simply write sentences with them, I wove them into a story. When I read a book or saw a movie I loved, I wrote stories about the characters, or inserted myself into the imaginary world. (I didn’t realize this was something a lot of writers do until many years later!)
It wasn’t until high school that I wrote my first wholly original fiction. Mostly short stories, though I did try to tackle several idea for novels. While I wanted to become a writer, I recognized the wisdom of my parents’ advice to find a professions that would be more stable and secure.
Ultimately, I earned a master’s degree in physical therapy and had a successful twenty-five year career as a clinician. Most of my writing in those years was scholarly in nature, though I did journal and write poetry.
I returned to writing stories when my own children were school aged and reading the kind of books I remember from my own childhood. In 2004, I decided to return to working on novels and spent a whole year drafting and revising my first. Looking back on it now, fourteen full novels later, I realize how poorly it was written. It’s buried somewhere on my hard drive, never to see the light of day. But it accomplished several important things: It taught me to finish what I start, to believe in the process, that discipline is as important (or maybe more so) than raw talent, and that I loved crafting novels.
I went on to write a book a year over the next decade-plus. Along the way, I was picked up by a literary agent, but despite working together for five years and shopping multiple projects, she was unable to sell any of my manuscripts. That’s when I learned just how much luck and timing is critical to publishing. My agent and I parted ways amicably, freeing me to investigate this nascent thing called ebooks and the Amazon marketplace.
Because I had had my own private physical therapy practice for over a decade, I was no stranger to being an entrepreneur. I understood how to put the pieces of a business together. And I also had long-standing geek cred: I had been mucking about with computers and programming as a hobby since the late 1970s.
I spent some time studying what I needed to know to put together a personal publishing company. There were roles and responsibilities I could easily fulfill. Others I was willing to learn. Still others I knew I’d need to outsource.
So in 2012, I published my first novel (my 5th written) under my own imprint: Interrobang Books. In mid-June, my eighth novel releases. Along the way, I have gathered a fantastic team, including my editor, Karen Conlin (who just won the prestigious Robinson Prize for editing), and cover artist Chris Howard. They, along with a team of beta readers (early readers who are willing to read drafts and offer feedback), help me bring books to the marketplace that compete alongside their genre fellows.
It’s not easy to wear ‘all the hats’ – I am writer and publisher and marketer. The first two I’m far better at than the last. But I do love the creative control and the direct access to readers and fans having my own imprint allows.
Along the way, I have sold enough copies of my titles to qualify for membership in SFWA (The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), a professional organization for SF&F writers and was among the earliest cohort of “indies” to do so.
With this next release (A STAR IN THE VOID), I will have completed Halcyone Space, a five book series of science fiction/space opera novels, each of which tells a full story and together tell an overarching one.
As of mid-June, I’ll have eight novels in the marketplace, available as ebook and as trade paperbacks. They are available at all online retailers (Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Google Books, and Kobo) and can be ordered by any bookstore via Ingram Spark. Each release brings me new opportunities and new readers, new connections with other writers, and new ideas.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Very few roads are smooth! Certainly not in publishing. I was picked up by my agent during the start of Amazon’s major disruption to the publishing industry. And during the time of extreme consolidation among the publishers. The largest of the houses had essentially already gobbled up all the smaller ones, and even the larger houses were merging. That left fewer and fewer avenues for a diversity of titles to enter the marketplace.
Publishers were becoming increasingly risk-averse even as they wanted the next blockbuster.
Not an auspicious time to be breaking in to publishing!
And no matter what route one takes to publishing, rejection is a constant companion. One of the hardest lessons to learn is that it’s not personal, even as each ‘no’ feels personal.
The learning curve for creating a publishing imprint is long and steep and littered with poorly written, poorly edited books with amateurish covers. What that means is the bar is high for an indie book to find its readership. (Though I’m not sure it’s any different in legacy publishing, to be honest.)
I also had to learn to create my own deadlines (and then stick to them!), since I was both writer and publisher. There was no one but me to hold my feet to the fire. And life brings a myriad of challenges. For me, that included a house fire, family illnesses, and the death of loved ones. There were months where I struggled to write at all, much less meet my deadlines.
It’s also a challenge to persevere and continue to believe in the work when a book launch doesn’t go well or you see other writers find success. That kind of envy can be significantly damaging to your creativity. It’s something I work hard to guard against.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with LJ Cohen – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Interrobang Books is the publishing imprint I created in 2012 to publish my own work. At the time, I had thought I might want to eventually become a full-on small press and acquire and publish other author’s work. I tried that ‘hat’ on for size publishing two short story anthologies and while I have the skills and knowledge to do so, what I discovered is that I could either be a small publisher or an author, but not really both.
So I focused on creating and publishing my novels to compete on a level playing field with anything produced by small or large presses.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Having wrapped up a five book series, spanning over half a million words, I am looking forward to future novels. My next project is a cyberpunk thriller I’m co-writing with author Rick Wayne. After that? I’m not sure, but one thing I do know is ideas spring from everywhere.
My typical routine includes starting a new book project by summer’s end and I’m confident the right idea and the right characters will find me.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ljcohen.net
- Email: lisa@ljcohen.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lj.cohen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LJCohen
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisajanicecohen
- Other: http://www.ljcohen.net/mailinglist/mail.cgi/list/bluemusings (newsletter)
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here
