We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Froelich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

Because of the consolidation of the big six powerful publishers in New York, there’s a lack of organic diversity in fiction that is exacerbated by the tight deadlines authors are held to in order to turn a profit. The result is that many books share repeated themes, tropes and formulas, and usually only offer shades of the same political and social thinking. At the same time, talented authors with story concepts that are genuinely interesting are often rushed to churn out novels quickly rather than being given the time needed to fully flesh out engaging plots and characters..

Jennifer, 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?

I have been writing fiction for more than a decade and have four published novels: two in the suspense genre for adults, Dream of Me and A Place Between Breaths, and two dystopian novels for young adults, Stealing Liberty and Weeping Justice. My fifth novel, Chasing Freedom, will complete the Stealing Liberty trilogy, and should be published soon.

I am a slow writer, and since I also work as a corporate writer and editor in the semiconductor industry, my fiction writing takes many years to accomplish. I wish I had the stamina and talent to write my novels more quickly, but it is increasingly difficult to make a living as a novelist in a world where literally hundreds of books are published every day on Amazon. I’m grateful that my readers are patient with me, and that they understand I have to earn a living as well.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The only way to build readers is one at a time. Books are advertised everywhere on social media, on Amazon and various book sites like Goodreads or Bookbub — but even then, readers must choose my book and then read it before deciding they like it well enough to recommend it to a friend. So, it’s a slow business and I’ve learned there really are no shortcuts. Instead, I’ve learned that creating quality content is the best way to build my brand and reputation as an author. I would rather sell one book that is thoroughly enjoyed than 100 that are cast aside because I was more motivated by profit than good storytelling.

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

I wrote the first draft of my first novel when my son was an infant. It took me several years to rewrite and edit to the point I believed it was ready for publication. That’s when I started looking for a literary agent, but I was rejected well more than 100 times before I was offered a contract with a small publisher. It felt like a dream come true until they went out of business just before the book was set to get printed. After that, I decided to self publish, which has a whole different set of challenges. I finally published it when my son was 13 years old. A few days later, I received my first Amazon review — 5 stars from a perfect stranger who wrote such a kind and detailed review, including the wish that my novel could be made into a movie. Imposter syndrome never completely goes away, but that was a watershed moment for me. I wrote a book that people beyond my family and friends loved to read! That was motivation enough to keep writing.

Contact Info:

• Website: JenniferFroelich.com
• Instagram: @Authorjenniferfroelich
• Facebook: Jennifer Froelich, author
• Twitter: @jenfroelich