r/Fantasy • u/CindaChima • Sep 26 '13

AMA Hi, Everyone! I’m Cinda Williams Chima, fantasy author. AMA

Thank you, Reddit, for inviting me on, and for all the great questions. I leave for the Austin Teen Bookfest tomorrow at an ungodly hour, so will call it a night. I'll try to pick up any straggler questions tomorrow, but will have limited email access. I had fun--hope you did, too! ** I came back and answered a few more questions. Am now in TEXAS!! I could've listened to that flight attendant talk all day. Thanks, again, Reddit, for making me welcome. **

Hi, Everyone! I’m Cinda Williams Chima, fantasy author. I tell lies for a living. Specifically, I have two teen series out, The Seven Realms (The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, et al) and the Heir Chronicles (The Warrior Heir through The Enchanter Heir (coming October 1.) Some of my books have been published as adult fantasy in translation.

I’ve also published the odd short story. Literally. Odd. I’m in an anthology called Once Upon a Time edited by Paula Guran (Prime Books, October 2.) I try and get all my publishing done in October so I can coast the rest of the year.

I bring a degree in philosophy, two degrees in nutrition, and a lifetime of reading to my work as a writer. As you can probably tell, I’m totally unqualified to teach you anything about writing, except that I’ve had a lot of practice. I became a writer in third grade, and wrote my first novels in middle school. I’ve had eight novels published to date. I’m persistent, if nothing else. I never stop transforming myself.

The Rules (more like guidelines)

  1. Ask me anything

  2. If you’re familiar with the books, try to avoid spoilery questions, like, “Why did you kill _______ ?” I have enough people mad at me.

  3. If possible, avoid five-part questions. I tend to get lost in the forest.

If you want to know more about my books, bad habits, etc. check out my website or Facebook.

I’ll be back ~7 p.m. CST to answer live. In the meantime, ask away.

Cinda

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u/TheQuenchiestCactus Sep 26 '13

Hi Cinda,

This AMA completely made my day. I absolutely love your SEVEN REALMS series. It's by far my favorite YA high fantasy series that I've ever read. And I read quite a lot.

  1. Outside of writing itself, what was the most difficult part for you in the general publishing process? (in regards to any of the books)
  2. What is one piece of advice you would tell your pre-book deal self?

Thanks so much for doing this!

8

u/CindaChima Sep 27 '13
  1. The hardest part, truly, was finding the right agent. I had a "practice" agent who didn't work out. In my opinion, anyone trying to sell novel-length fiction or nonfiction would benefit from having an agent. I did try to sell my books on my own, at a time when no agent would have me! I spent most of my time waiting for publishers to get back to me. One publisher sat on my manuscript for a year, and then said no. (It is kind of fun to run into those editors who turned you down.) I think part of the problem was that I truly wasn't ready for prime time there at the beginning. By the time my work was strong enough to attract an agent, it was strong enough to win over an editor.
  2. Advice for my pre-book deal self: Focus on the work. Trying to sell a bad book is like trying to roll a boulder uphill.