We recently connected with Ingrid Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

Ingrid, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. The first dollar your business earns is always special and we’d love to hear how your brand made its first dollar of revenue.

I got my first client through my blog, experimentsinfiction.com. I had published an anthology before I launched my publishing business, so people knew my high standards and attention to detail, they new I could produce a quality product, and were interesting in publishing with me. Once I announced I was going into business as a publisher, my first client came to me very quickly and we had a contract in place within days. The business has really taken off from this point, and I never have to advertise for clients (which is great, as advertising is not my strong point!)

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I publish books on a variety of subjects: so far, it’s been mainly poetry and memoir, with some self-help and fiction mixed in. I got into this industry through my own writing. I love to write poetry, and I had an idea to make an anthology of poems on the climate crisis, The Anthropocene Hymnal. This was my first project, and I had to learn how to design and publish a book from scratch. It was such a success, and I enjoyed it so much, that I decided to go into business publishing books.

What sets me apart from some small publishers is that I am not a ‘vanity press:’ I have a submissions process, and only publish quality work. I work with clients to edit their books and make them the best they can possibly be before going to press. I am most proud of everything that I have learned along the way, and the number of quality titles (9 to date) I have published since first going to press, in 2021.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I started my business with nothing except a dream and a prayer! I had returned to my hometown after years living abroad. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to throw all of my creative energies into something I really wanted to do. I had a microscopic budget (less than $500), but my overheads were very small. I used my blogging network to make potential clients aware of my products and services, and this strategy worked very well. There have been times when money has been very tight, and I’ve had to have absolute faith in my vision in order to keep going. It is this resilience which has enabled me to grow my business and turn a profit even in the toughest of times!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My reputation was founded on the integrity of my own creative work, and the quality of the first title I produced. People were already coming to my blog because they enjoyed my poetry. When I turned my hand to making books, it turned out they also liked my work ethic: honesty, transparency and absolute dedication to the project in hand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://experimentsinfiction.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/experimentsinfiction/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Experimentsinfc
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@experimentsinfiction7516

Image Credits
Author photo © Nick Reeves, 2023