5 Q's with Jennifer Hollowell

This week's 5 Q's is writer/artist Jennifer Hollowell, who is the submissions editor at Brady Magazine and a weekly contributor to Suite101.com's Mixed Media Art. Here's what Jennifer had to say... Urban Muse: Tell us about your "book a month" project.
Jenn: This was part of my list of resolutions for 2007. I wanted to create an art piece daily and I also wanted to earn from the art I've created throughout the year. As a way of coupling both of those goals, I decided to put a selection of art journal pages into book form at the end of each month.
This has been a challenge because, now that I've made the commitment and posted this goal in numerous places, I have to follow through. That's a huge motivation for me to keep creativity flowing. At first, I was worried I'd be stifling myself or taking on too much. Learning new organizational methods and prioritizing has helped, though, and prevented the dreaded artists block from invading. You can see the books here.UM: Since you've helped other self-published authors with their marketing campaigns, do you have any tips could you share with us?
J: Yes, if you choose to self publish your work, you have to grasp firmly the understanding that it's a business in itself. I've worked with numerous self publishers who produce their content, but feel it's finished once it's off the press. This isn't the case. Without taking the proper steps in terms of distribution, marketing, promotion and contacting stores this project could crumble before it's even started.
There's a bounty of information online stepping those who choose to self publish through every step of the process, including what can be expected if the wrong choices are made. A resource the I've continuously pointed out to those who have already produced their content is Publicize Your Book! by Jacqueline Deval.UM: As submissions editor for Brady Magazine, what are the most common mistakes you see in submissions? J: Proofreading, submitting content that doesn't fit the scope of the site and repeated requests for a response on material that's been submitted. Above all, proofreading work has been the biggest problem. It surprises me to receive articles that are one solid paragraph and riddled with spelling errors. When this has happened, I've tried contacting these writers with links teaching them proper submission practices. In this business, rejections are received more than acceptances. How often do those rejections really help the writers improve their craft, though. That's where I've been trying to bridge the gap.
UM: How do you stay focused working from home and raising three kids?
J: It's EXTREMELY difficult, I won't lie. There's opportunity to work while they're at school (two of them get off their bus at 10:45am and my oldest gets off the bus at 2:45pm), but there are days when I wish I had more quiet time. I work while they're home, too, and engaged in an activity. I've found what works best is to involve them in an art or writing project right next to me. While I'm working on various projects, they're working steadily and feeling important because they can be in "Mommy's work space."
It's interesting because, when I encourage game or toy play, they don't stay "busy" as long and are frequently asking for new suggestions. However, when they're working on something that appears to be similar to what I'm doing, they're engaged almost the entire time I need to accomplish something. They're a five year old boy, a six year old girl and seven year old boy, so I have to plan the activities to be in fifteen minute increments so they're not too tired and to prevent possible frustrations.
UM: You used to be assistant manager for a bookstore. What other authors could you recommend?
J: I loved this job, which was about nine years ago. Back then, I read everything I could get my hands on (both new and classic works) because the atmosphere was so inspiring. So, to narrow it down to just one author is difficult.
My tastes range from the chic-lit genre (like Bridget Jones's Diary) to anything Stephen King to self-help books. Right now, I've been focusing on books by SARK and Sabrina Ward Harrison - and, ironically, I just purchased a book (Danny Gregory's Creative License) that was recommended by the both of them!Thanks, Jenn!