MY PUBLISHING JOURNEY: Author Barbara Carlton

Have you ever wondered how authors get their start?

How do they get agents?

How do they get published?

Is it luck? Talent? Drive?

This segment is an attempt to answer the one question: How did your book become a book?

Today's Featured Author:

BARBARA CARLTON

Home | Barbara T Carlton Author Website

Author of

The Well-Tempered Violinist

What has been your experience with literary agents and/or traditional publishing? Is that a path you explored?

Zero and no. Everything I know about agents and the traditional publishing world comes from fellow authors who have tried that route. Without exception, every story sounded like a complete nightmare. Real life samples:

😘We love it, but it's not really in our wheelhouse.

😉We love it, and it's right in our wheelhouse, but we published a similar story last year, so we can't take another story in the same vein so soon. Check back in three years.

🤣We love it. We'll take it! Oh, no, just kidding, we changed our minds.

😫We love it, with just a few changes, e.g., change the ending.

🤔🙄We love it, but you're telling two stories at once and you can only tell one story. Keep the memoir of your childhood and take out all the context.

🥹We love it and our editor's going to get back to you very soon. (Crickets.)

😖We love it, but you're too old. We only want authors we can make bank on for the next several decades.

This last tale in particular, told to me by multiple people, made me decide not even to try the traditional path, even though the upfront cost would be lower, because I was 68 when I began the process, and I don't want to take years out of (and off of) my life beating my head against a wall for nothing.

When you started this journey, how many queries did you send? Or how long did it take you to find Acorn?

Believe it or not, Acorn was my first stop! I think I used up my beginner luck for the next couple of lifetimes.

How did you find Acorn Publishing?

I attended the San Diego Writers Festival for the first time in 2024. (I was supposed to attend in 2020, but then we had a pandemic.) I was late; I had a commitment in the morning. I got there, part way through a workshop on publishing. Holly was on the panel. Afterward I asked her a few questions to which I would have known the answers if I'd been on time, and she was very kind and followed up with an email and a phone call to talk about my project. She said it sounded like something they'd be interested in. I didn't know (and still don't) how selective Acorn is; I assumed she would encourage anyone whose project sounded remotely interesting. So, I finally pulled the thing together and submitted.

What made you decide to publish through Acorn Publishing?

I have friends who have published novels through another hybrid publisher, and they had good experiences, but this particular publisher had a firm 100,000-word limit, and three of the four books in my quadrilogy are over that. And I appreciated Holly's support: she emailed me periodically during the time I was trying to wrangle the MS into submittable form and cut a zillion or so words out of it, and was always warm and encouraging, as she has been ever since. And I liked that Acorn is a San Diego company, not that I've met many staffers in person.

What has been your favorite part of the publishing journey?

The feeling of accomplishment as each step has been completed, especially the editing. Working with Laura Taylor was so different from what I had heard about the ruthless ways and power trips of editors. I've also always felt that Acorn's work is a team effort to make this story the best it can be.

Perhaps most of all, I've appreciated the respect shown to me as an author. I've heard so many friends say, well, I wasn't wild about the cover. Or, I didn't feel like I got a lot of advice about this or that. Acorn really worked with me on the cover as my learning curve grew to where I knew my own mind better and could articulate my own intuitions. It took a while, and they were candid about delays, but they never attempted to rush me into a decision I wasn't comfortable with or take control away from me.

Was there anything about the process you didn't expect?

I didn't know anything about it - how complex it is and how many steps there are, so in a way everything has been unexpected. It is so incredibly complex! And, as I mentioned above, I've been an active voice every step of the way. It's mind-boggling to me now to look around in a bookstore or a library, where many books are older, and think of all the work that went into each and every one of them, the number of people and specialized skills. Just incredible.

Did you hit any snags along the way, and if so, how did you overcome them?

The cover was challenging, as I said, and getting to yes on the blurb was harder than I expected. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the issue of fonts in the formatting. It never even occurred to me that there might be an issue with the quantity and style of typefaces. Some were fine, and some were not. I wrote up my notes very carefully in a personal letter to the formatter, stressing the positives and thanking her for her hard work in making my story sing. And I explained as clearly as I could what was working and what wasn't. I didn't want to micromanage the process at this or any other stage, but as a reader, I know what I do and don't want to see on a page. We got there in the end, as we have at every stage.

After publication, what marketing tactics worked best for you?

I can answer that better several months from now, but so far, my intention is not to focus much on in-person events - beyond a well-deserved launch party! In-person events don't seem to be financially or emotionally cost-effective for the amount of effort involved and the uncertainty of attendance, particularly if travel is involved. The majority of people buy books online nowadays, so I am told, and so, much as I love and want to support independent bookstores, I plan to sink more effort, and yes, money, into online advertising.

Looking back, what lessons have you learned?

I've had a steep learning curve in every aspect of the process. I've learned more about my own sensibilities and tastes in areas like cover design, for one, and next time I will be more comfortable just saying no to an inappropriate design instead of trying to work with something that feels wrong. I will also not allow AI in the next cover design; I think it will save some headaches. It's a balancing act - no way do I want to come across as a prima donna! But I have learned to listen to my intuition, subject it to rigorous analysis, and trust the result, always with my mind open to new information.

If you could go back in time, what's one thing you would tell your earlier self about publishing?

I feel very fortunate indeed that I got lucky on my first try and found a company that was, first of all, legitimate. Because the hybrid industry does not, as far as I know, have any sort of regulatory body or reliable third-party rating system. I had no idea what questions to ask. I would advise myself to do more due diligence, both online and by contacting companies' authors and asking for their candid likes and dislikes about working with that company: Was the team supportive? Did they explain the process clearly? Did they answer all your questions? Did they respect your opinion? Did they complete their contract obligations? What was your relationship with your editor? Your project manager? How would you rate their consultants, e.g., cover designers? Did you have, or could you get, help with social media and advertising (assuming you needed it)? Things like that.

My weakest area is marketing and social media. I had zero online presence before this, and I would advise myself to stay a little more up to date, to be more conversant with that world. Probably related, I have special gifts with technology: I can make anything not work. So, every new step that requires making the internet function for me has been a challenge. Not sure what advice I could give myself for that problem, or what the cure for it is. Wine, but that only works afterward. 😉

Any advice for aspiring authors just starting to explore writing?

Don't do it to get rich. The only way to get rich publishing a book is if you simultaneously have a rich uncle die and leave you a fortune. Do it because the process of shaping ideas into words and sentences and paragraphs and stories fascinates you and makes you feel whole. Get basic training. I went through the Creative Writing program at Grossmont College. It is an excellent program and an excellent value. I recommend it to anyone. Try everything: short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, playwriting, essay, novel. Each strengthens and cross-fertilizes the others. Stick with it. Classes, prompt books, groups, journaling, whatever works for you. Every word counts.

Any advice for those about to begin the search for a publisher or an agent?

It depends on who you are and what you want. If you're young and want to make a career as a writer (don't quit your day job yet), the traditional route may work for you, but the big publishers, so I'm told, don't offer authors much support nowadays unless their names are Prince Harry or Michelle Obama. You'll most likely be on your own, hiring someone for marketing and publicity, which is very expensive. And it will be a long time before you see a penny above your advance, if you get one.

If you're older, or if you have one or two stories you want to contribute to the world, the traditional publishers may toy with you, but your chances of success will be higher if you stick to buying lottery tickets. Your chances, based on my anecdotal experience, are better with a hybrid publisher, but this is not without risks. One, it's expensive up front and favors authors who have spare cash lying around. This is an unfortunate drawback for a younger author. Two, as I mentioned above, the hybrid field does not appear to be regulated, and the internet is full of warnings about scams. Just be aware and do whatever due diligence you can.

Of self-publishing I know nothing, except that the process is so involved that even there, professional help in editing, design, and production seems essential. Self-publishing is also unregulated, and I've heard a horror story or two there also.

Are you currently working on any new projects? What are your goals moving forward?

The Gift is a quadrilogy. So while Book 1, The Well-Tempered Violinist is inching toward release, I'm working on getting Book II, No Path through the Forest, ready to submit. And while that's underway, it will be time for Book III, and so on. Someday all four will be finished. I have no idea (so far) what happens then.

But in these last few years I have come to think of myself as a writer. So I hope I won't be so exhausted that I don't want to do it anymore. I hope when there is some open real estate in my head a new idea will move into it, set up housekeeping, and demand that I tell its story.

What are a few of your favorite books?

I've been so obsessed with my own project in the last year or two that I've neglected my own reading, whether for pleasure or otherwise. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. When I do take a break from my own project, I sometimes re-read books I've loved in the past but that won't pull me into a mental state that gets in the way of my work- sort of comfort food for my brain. Currently, I'm re-visiting Dorothy Sayers, one of the great stylists of any age, just delicious.

I love non-fiction: history of all sorts, books that help me understand the world better and how we got to be who and where we are. And I've always enjoyed historical fiction for how it brings the past to life. Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies really stuck with me. I didn't read the third one in that trilogy because I didn't want to deal with Cromwell's downfall. Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow: every detail right from the beginning figured into the climactic action. I'd love to get testimonials from these authors!! And I loved the brilliant structure and language of Richard Powers's The Overstory, though its unrelenting darkness wore me down.

What was it like seeing your published book for the first time?

I don't know yet! Can't wait!

The Well-Tempered Violinist

Marthe Adler dreams of making history as a great violinist. But in 1905 Germany, tradition and deep-seated prejudice against women musicians stand in her way. To make matters worse, her beloved father’s sudden death shatters her family’s comfortable life, pushing them to the edge of poverty.

But the unique violin Marthe’s father left her is a constant reminder of the profound bond between them, and it gives her the strength to begin healing. When the Köln Conservatory offers her an unexpected scholarship, she seizes her chance to reach for the dream she thought she had lost for good.

Under the rigorous tutelage of Professorin Wolff, and subjected to predatory harassment by a fellow student determined to destroy both her self-worth and her chances of success, Marthe quickly learns she will need more than motivation and talent to rise to the top.

Filled with heart, wit, and music, The Well-Tempered Violinist is an enduring coming-of-age tale about an artist striving for greatness against enormous odds through the risky, difficult, and daring struggle of an artist in the making.

About the author

Barbara Carlton is a retired architect and author of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. She has always loved music; she studied piano for fourteen years, but is living proof that an art should never be left neglected too long. She volunteers for both San Diego Opera and the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in Washington.

She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, Barry, and is the mother of two grown children. The Well-Tempered Violinist, Book I of The Gift quadrilogy, is her first novel.

Coming November 2025