Q&A with Jennifer Paz discussion

For a number of years I ran a Blog called Emerge - New Authors where I interviewed GoodReads authors in an on-line format. I would write all the questions in advance and the entire interview took place through email exchanges instead of over the phone. I was always pleased with the results, because the answers were always a surprise and the author being interviewed had enough time to calmly think about the answers.

For the first three questions of this Q & A, I will ask myself, and then please send me additional questions.

Q: Where are you from and where do you live now?

I was born in Princeton, New Jersey in the USA, but currently live in Sao Paulo, Brazil.


Q: When did you know you would be a writer?

A: I decided to become a writer in the second grade when a teacher graciously gave extra credit for short stories, that could be used to boost our grades in math. Probably, this is the real reason why I use a calculator always, but this experience ignited the writing drive in me, for sure. I prefer to write in English, but also have translated some of my short stories into Spanish and Portuguese.

Q: You decided to publish on Amazon and Kindle, why did you not pursue the traditional publishing route?

A: I think at this moment in time, the cards are stacked against Emerging Authors who pursue a traditional publishing route. Basically, I believe that traditional publishers are working with a broken business model. Editors are forced to pick, the next big hit, based on past trends, and have to invest in an advance for the author, have high costs associated with publishing and distribution, and often only have a budget of $500 to promote a new author. It's a recipe for failure. My manuscript made the rounds with New York publishers with two agents and even was shown to Hollywood producers, interested in film rights. But I wasn't able to find someone willing to take a risk with a new author who couldn't guarantee a minimum of sales. So I decided, since the book was finished and had been reviewed by both an editorial consultant and professional editing service, to follow my own path in publishing, and let readers decide. Plus, the book has a personal significance to me since it is about straddling two cultures in the USA and Brazil. With the World Cup and the Olympics soon to be hosted by Brazil, as well as its growing economy, Brazil is finally on the global radar, not only as a tourist destination, but as an emerging global powerhouse. I wanted to share some of my experiences in learning how to adapt to life in a culture that believes that the pursuit of happiness is always a person's number one prioity. So, I hope readers enjoy following Julia on her adventures in her adopted home and that I have written a book where the narrator becomes a friend.

Now, send me more questions, please!

Also, until July 1, 2012, I am sponsoring a GoodReads giveaway of 20 paperback copies of Becoming Brazilian. There is still time to request your free copy!