We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Gehring recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jamie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I love talking about craft! I wasn’t a writer prior to my debut memoir, “Madman in the Woods: Life Next Door to the Unabomber.” In fact, I was in finance for years prior to becoming a writer. My former neighbor was arrested when I was only sixteen and from that point forward I knew I wanted to write a book about this experience. But at nearly forty, I was finally brave enough to commit to this emotional, yet rewarding project. And after winning many awards and touching the hearts of readers worldwide, I am so grateful that I finally took the leap. But it took more than determination to write this book, I not only needed to learn how to write in scene but to braid multiple storylines together. Learning how to do this took many classes on craft, reading comparable titles and craft-focused books, finding a writers’ group, and a writing community. I even worked with a book coach for a short time. After I built a solid foundation of knowledge it took me writing and revising my book to truly find my voice. And as a writer, I believe that is where the magic happens.
Knowing what I know now, I don’t think there is anything I could have done to speed up the process of getting this story out into the world. Between learning the craft, the research that was required for the book, and then finding my agent and publisher, the project took exactly as long as it needed to. It was a long five years of dedication.
The skills that were most essential were definitely the ability to commit wholeheartedly to the creative process and time management. I wrote a lot of this book during a pandemic with three children. My days in finance definitely helped me with strict time management.
My advice to writers that are new to the industry would be to explore all their options in publishing, advocate for themselves, make friends that are professional writers, and find an agent they can really trust. There are many obstacles to overcome in the publishing world and it takes a village of support. It’s one of the reasons I now mentor many new writers.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

A career in finance presented many challenges professionally. Especially because I was working in mortgage during the 2008 crash. However, the most difficult accomplishment in my professional life has been publishing my book. From writing and pitching to navigating the publishing industry and marketing, it’s the hardest thing I have ever done. But my focus on the craft allowed me to publish something that I am incredibly proud of. And my understanding of the publishing industry has equipped me to help other writers on their journeys to publication.
I love sharing my story with others, which has led to many speaking engagements and podcast interviews. It’s been a wild ride that I am incredibly grateful for.
If you are working on your book proposal, need manuscript inspiration, or publishing guidance, please reach out. And if you have a podcast or pub and want to share with your audience what it looks like and feels like to grow up next to a serial killer, then I would love to chat.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My original pitch was rejected around thirty times. I even had one literary agent email me a rejection that said, “You have failed to interest me.” Especially because this project was so close to my heart, this part of the process was demoralizing. Instead of giving up, I took a hard look at how I was telling my story. I decided to stop pitching my story with a query letter and to get serious with a book proposal. At that point, I started writing a proposal that included data on my ideal readers, the true crime market, sample chapters, books that were comparable in the marketplace, and what my own marketing plan included.
Once I focused on the business aspect of my creative project and developed my proposal I had two offers for representation within days of sending my new and much-improved pitch.
It wasn’t my story that was getting rejected, I simply wasn’t communicating it properly.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The best decision I made very early on was to hire an outside PR company for the launch of my book. I chose a small publisher with a tiny marketing department. They didn’t have the time or resources to commit to pitching my title so that it would get noticed in the way I wanted it to. When I found the PR Company, Books Forward, I knew that it was worth the investment for me personally. I had just learned to write a book, I didn’t have the energy to learn to pitch it to the media as well!

My first big interview was with Elle Magazine. Then my PR rep secured coverage with Slate, A & E True Crime, Oxygen, The New York Post, and many others. At the same time, I was invited onto podcasts such as The Last Podcast on the Left, Once Upon a Crime, Mind Over Murder, and True Crime Garage, just to name a few.
It was the best possible way for me to reach my potential readers and build my reputation as a debut author.
Since then I have learned to pitch my own media and was recently in The Huffington Post and on the podcast, Wicked Words (an Exactly Right Production). In addition, my book has won many awards, and as a new writer that has helped establish me in the field.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jamiegehring.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jamiegehringauthor
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamiegehringauthor
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamiegehring
• Other: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/unabomber-ted-kaczynski-death-neighbor_n_6489c7d3e4b0756ff8618863

Image Credits
Headshot, Rebecca Sloan Photography The other photos are personal images.