Saturday Spotlight | L. Diane Wolfe & Dancing Lemur Press

In addition to the usual blog posts every Monday and Wednesday about our travel adventures and day-to-day life living aboard a sailboat, I also occasionally post on Saturdays, focusing on things related to writing such as cover reveals, book launches, reviews, interviews with authors etc. So if you're a bit of a book nerd like I am, check in on Saturdays - you never know what might pop up.

I'm really excited to be featuring an interview with L. Diane Wolfe, owner of Dancing Lemur Press. I first got to know Diane through the monthly Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) blog hop. She always left supportive and encouraging comments on my blog and was one of the people who encouraged me to submit a story to the annual IWSG anthology contest.

When my short story was selected, I got to know Diane better in her role as the publisher of the anthology. No surprise, she continued to be supportive and encouraging, as well as teaching me a lot about the ins and outs of publishing along the way. I know some of the people who visit this blog are writers and aspire to publish their works, so I reached out to Diane to tell us a little bit about herself and what it's like to run a publishing company.

So sit back, scroll down, and find out what Diane has to say about publishing, penguins, and cookies.

Interview with Diane

1 - What inspired you to start a publishing company? Tell us a little bit about Dancing Lemur Press.
 
I began as an author, and if there’s a wrong way to publish, I can tell you! After studying the industry for a couple years, I decided to take the plunge and start my own publishing company. I knew I wanted to take on other authors and now, almost 11 years later, we have dozens of authors and almost 50 titles.

2 - What does a typical day look like for you in terms of running a publishing company?

First, there is no such thing as a typical day. Fortunately, chaos is my balance. There’s always social media on the list, but after that it’s either editing, research, marketing, formatting, design, emails, contacting, submissions, packaging and mailing, and anything else on the list. My husband says I am a great employee but the worst boss ever as I tend to spend my entire day working!

3 - When you're looking at fiction submissions, what's more important - character or plot?

Character always comes first. If I can’t identify with the main characters or care about them, or they have little personality, it doesn’t matter how great the plot or the writing.

With non-fiction, I’m looking for something unique and both helpful and relevant. Especially if it’s a self-help book, it’s GOT to stand out from the masses of self-help books out there. (And I’ve read hundreds of self-help, motivational, and leadership books, so you really have to wow me.)

Some of the books published by Dancing Lemur Press.

4 - What do you like best about being a publisher? What do you like the least?

What I like best is the joy of my authors. It fuels me. It might be their first book or a story no one else believed in, and I’m thrilled and honored to bring that book into the world. I do everything I possibly can to give each book its best shot at success. (Thus, the really long hours I work.)

In addition, when I did a lot of book signings (sometimes as many as 50 a year), I loved it, but now the new thrill is representing my authors at sci-fi conventions.

What I like least is it takes away my writing time. I almost never get to write anymore.

And for those who think publishers keep all of the money, giving little back to the author – ha! Expenses cut deep into anything Dancing Lemur Press makes. You don’t open a publishing company to get rich, that’s for sure. (You want to make money in the publishing industry, be an editor, ghost writer, or publicist – they are the ones who make money.)

A very cool Dancing Lemur display at the Fayetteville ComicCon!

5 - What's your favorite cookie? If you don't like cookies, what's wrong with you? Oops, sorry scratch that. My follow-up question was meant to be more polite - "Why don't you like cookies?"

I do like cookies, there are just so many of then I can’t eat because I’m a vegan and I don’t eat chocolate. But I do love a good oatmeal raisin cookie.

6 - A penguin walks through your front door wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why did he come visit you?

He says, “Feliz Navidad! I bring you greetings from Santa’s southern home.” He probably comes to see me knowing I like penguins and really miss Albuquerque, New Mexico.

7 - What else would you like us to know about you?

I’m a Type A kind of person and the Energizer Bunny in human form. I’m either operating at warp speed or I’m sleeping! There is no in between.

I also have a big Minion collection. Maybe a little too big.

What do you think? Too many Minions or too few?

Thanks so much for being on the blog today! I really enjoyed learning more about what's involved in running a publishing company. Oatmeal raisin cookies are delicious, especially for breakfast!

About Diane

Known as “Spunk On A Stick,” Wolfe is a member of the National Speakers Association. She conducts seminars on book publishing, promoting, leadership, and goal-setting, and she offers book formatting and author consultation. Wolfe is the senior editor at Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C. and contributes to the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

Connect with Diane and Dancing Lemur Press on Facebook, the Dancing Lemur website, and Diane's website & blog.



Are you a Minions fan? Have you been to a sci-fi convention? What else would you like to know about publishing companies?

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