“Media Angels, Inc. is a publishing company and home of quality non-fiction and fiction books for the Christian market. Felice Gerwitz is the President of Media Angels, and a seasoned author, consultant, publisher and conference speaker.” (Media Angels Website)
Felice Gerwitz began as an educator, teaching in Learning Disabilities and Special Education programs. Her writing career began after she left teaching to be a stay-at-home mom. She experimented with writing fiction for children, but discovered that she “had way too many words” for a children’s book,” and so she decided to learn the craft of writing, and signed up for classes. As it turned out, one of Felice’s children had a learning disability. With her background, homeschooling seemed like a natural choice, and in 1986 she discovered a niche in homeschooling curriculum that fit her talents – writing science-oriented curriculum materials. Later, Felice and her daughter co-authored a series of science-based fiction novels, and Felice wrote literature guides to accompany them. “I looked at a need, and I filled it,” she explains. From this beginning, she has built her publishing company and consulting business.
Felice advises aspiring writers to focus on developing a platform and a market base. She built her platform as a public speaker, but points out that social networking has created the possibility of building a virtual speaking platform. “Writers should do this before they write the first word,” she recommends. Felice says that writers should use social media such as Facebook and Linked In to establish themselves and to find out what’s going on in the world of publishing. Blogs, she says, are a great way to build up readership. “If you already have a blog with a million readers, someone will publish your book,” she points out. Subscribing to Publisher’s Weekly is another way to keep abreast of developments in publishing. She stresses the importance of knowing what is selling. Finding a publishing niche is extremely important.
Fiction writers face different requirements than those encountered by non-fiction writers, Felice says. Fiction needs to have a twist. There needs to be something fresh about the story that will engage the reader and keep the reader interested to the end. Classic literary themes are always effective, but they must be told in a way that is new and interesting. Children’s books must contain the same elements of good quality fiction that are necessary in books for adults. Finally, whatever the story and whomever the audience, the author must be willing and ready to talk it up.
Marketing is extremely important in making any book successful. Felice’s company does not do marketing. She specifies that she will only publish books for authors who present her with a marketing plan and who are willing to hire publicists to help them promote their work. Authors must be willing to promote themselves and their books both online and through public appearances.
What Felice offers new and aspiring authors is consulting. She provides them with a mentor who is willing to give them honest advice, based on first-hand experience. “I am not a coach,” she says. “A coach may make suggestions, but the coach’s role is primarily to help a client make his own decisions. I am a consultant. I tell my clients what they need to do in order to be successful.” She publishes work for the general market as well as writing that is specifically intended for Christian readers. Currently, she is looking for writers for her “In a Nutshell” series, which is for general readership.
Felice Gerwitz has generously provided Fiction Writers’ Platform with copies of her book, Writing and Publishing Information in a Nutshell, a free 30-minute consult, and a DVD of a writing seminar to use as prizes in our contests. She has also extended a special offer to our writers, who may purchase an initial consultation with Felice at one-half price. For only $100, she will read up to three chapters of a manuscript and give the author a one hour phone consultation. To take advantage of this special offer for personalized advice from a professional author, publisher, speaker, and consultant, contact Felice at Media Angels. To receive this special price, be sure to mention publishing with Fiction Writers Platform.
