We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jillian Forsberg. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jillian below.

Jillian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you have any key partners or vendors – if so, how’d you find them and start working with them?

In 2020, I was struck by a piece of rare history. A rhino named Clara, who toured 18th century Europe, dazzling peasants and queens and everyone in between. I was absolutely enamored with the story and sought a novel…but there wasn’t one. So I decided to write it.

But when you write a book, and you want to get it published, you’re often dealt the cruel hand of rejection over and over again. In my journey, I received over 60 rejections from literary agents. But while attending a conference, I met the owner of a small publishing company. That publisher is History Through Fiction.

He kindly listened to my book premise and asked me to submit to him. I did, and after a month, I got the most fantastic email. He loved the book and what I was doing on social media to spread the word about how rejection is part of life. You see, every time I got a rejection, instead of letting it absolutely crush me, I decided to flip it.

Inspired by my therapist, I grabbed a piece of white picket fence from an antique mall and began painting flowers for every “no” I got. The flowers forced me out of my sadness, and so did taking a five-minute pause to reflect on my journey. The fence is now completely covered, and it’s beautiful. I turned rejection into art.

When History Through Fiction sent my offer over, I painted an acceptance butterfly.

Jillian, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

By profession, I own a bridal store. I’m used to being told no in a sales position, and know how sweet it can be when a bride says yes. This translated over to the querying part of my publishing career. A bride can try on 100 gowns, but only chooses one. An author might submit to 100 publishers or agents, but must choose which one to go with if they get a yes.

I started in bridal back in 2007, when I was in college in McPherson, Kansas. I needed a part-time gig to get me through school and when I graduated and moved to Wichita, Kansas, for grad school, I needed the same thing. I applied at every bridal store in town and only one got back to me. That place was Dress Gallery, and now, 17 years after taking my first bride, I own the store.

I have a master’s degree in public history, and tried my hand at being a museum director and educator. But I never quit my bridal job on the weekends. That connection with people and creating history pulled me into the bridal industry, but I never lost my passion for history.

When I got inspired to write my first novel, I felt like my world was finally balanced: using my history degrees while still working in the industry I love.

Dress Gallery is in Wichita, Kansas, and we’ve helped thousands of brides and grooms find their special garments. It’s truly a delight to be part of such incredible moments with people who are starting a new chapter of their lives. I often think of what will happen after this marriage, and how the garments I have helped people find will be talked about in future generations: “These are my grandparents, look at them!” Being part of those family-creating moments is spectacular.

As an author, I focus on true stories of obscure people and animals. I’ve written my second novel and my third is in the drafting phase. Every morning before work, I write. The balance of both careers is what keeps me going.

How did you build your audience on social media?

When I was facing all of the rejection for my novel, I started posting about it. Many of our favorite artists get rejected constantly, and we never know about it.

I was told to be careful. That people might think the book isn’t any good, or that showing the rejection side of thing will diminish my reputation.

But the reality was that people connected with me. NYT Bestsellers, new writers, agents, publishers, people who had no clue that writing a book doesn’t mean you’ll get it published…all of them learned something from my rejection fence.

By sharing the journey, I allowed people to think differently about rejection and what it means in their own lives. I’ve even seen people making their own projects now, and being credited for helping with a mental health journey has been really tremendous.

So, for social media, being authentic is huge. Sharing parts of your journey that might seem faux pas or strange can often lead to people connecting with you in new and unexpected ways. In fact, if I hadn’t been posting about my rejection fence, I don’t know if my publisher would have seen my perseverance and known what kind of character I have.

Be real, be authentic, and most importantly, post frequently.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is that I get to disappear into another world every morning. It’s wild to sit in front of a screen, keys clacking, and my mind can transport me back to the 1700s. It’s the same while I’m reading, but in this case, I get to create the world and let my characters lead the way.

I think many writers agree that one of the best parts is when your imagination takes you from point a to point b. We get to go on an unexpected journey, and it’s one that’s so private at first.

I can go anywhere in place or time just with words. And if I need help, I can simply pull up a photo of the place in history or a painting or Google Earth, and boom! I see it right there, and can make that photo translate into words. It’s a really rewarding time to be a writer as the research aspect is so much easier than in the past.

But the other rewarding thing is when a reader emails me or DM’s me that they loved part of my book. It’s always a delight.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jillianforsberg.com
• Instagram: jillianforsberg
• Facebook: jaforsberg
• Twitter: forsbergjillian
• Other: @shopdressgallery for my store

Image Credits

Headshot: Kay & Bee Photography