Porch Dog Press

Porch Dog Press is the publishing company Hero Hottie and I started to publish my writing. For years I had tried to follow the traditional path to being an author. I would submit my writing, wait months for a reply, and then do it all over again.

I have to admit though, the first short stories and manuscripts I sent out were okay but honestly they weren't great. That's why a writer, heck anyone trying to succeed, should never look at a rejection as a reason to stop. But as a reason to continue to grow and learn and hone their craft.

But it was frustrating. I was almost published in an edition of The Chicken Soup for the Soul, my submission cut during the final stage of editing. I was published in a local parenting magazine, that went belly up the next month. I won third in a local writing contest. I had an agent want more of my story, (a children's novel)- because they were really interested and then decide they didn't want it because it didn't have enough paranormal elements to it.

A few more rejections later, I had to really decide what I wanted. But a writer HAS to write.

If I had quit at any of those points, I wouldn't be here today, opening up my own publishing company and taking this very big leap of representing myself.

When I opened Porch Dog Press with the goal of publishing my romance stories, I knew I wanted to compete with the big boys. I wanted my writing to go through a rigorous process of professional editing, rewrites, and line edits. I hired The Editorial Department to polish my stories.

And apparently I learned quite a few things about myself as a writer.

1. I have no stinking idea how to use a semi-colon. First story I had edited I wasn't adding them when needed, so in the second story I went crazy the other way. Lucky for me my editor knows how to properly use them.

2. I still over explain myself. Lets just say I'm chatty. Two things have helped with this. First, was seeing the process of editing and how it could cut out the extra words or phases and not effect the meaning. Second, working for the newspaper this past year has really taught me how to write many ideas with few words.

3. Hiring an editor, someone who isn't afraid to tell you what's wrong with your story, your writing, your plot, is like putting yourself through literary boot camp. It will exhaust you, it will push you to view your writing with an honest and open eye, and it will kick your ass. But if you're willing to set pride aside, you will learn and grow as a writer.

Of course, I thought having a publishing company would be easy compared to writing. I laugh. This publishing thing is a beast. The learning curve is huge and I haven't found a book yet that explains in five easy steps how to open and operate a successful publishing company. So I am stumbling, scraping my knees, and learning as I go.

I think, perhaps working for a publishing company first, might have helped with this adventure. But it's a little late now and so I will figure out what makes this beast purr as I go.

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