Posted on January 31, 2023 at 9:00 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
Today we're interviewing Emily March, who writes women’s fiction, contemporary romance, and historical romance novels.
She is the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series.
Publishers Weekly calls March a "master of delightful banter," and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.
SADYE: Your novel Better Than A Box of Chocolates is an audio-first Audible release. How did that come about?
EMILY: I was invited to write my three Celebrate Eternity Springs novellas by an acquiring editor at Audible. She’d been my editor at St. Martin’s Press, and I loved working with her.
I jumped at the chance to work with her again with audio-first projects, and wrote The Christmas Pawdcast, Better Than A Box of Chocolates, and The Summer Melt.
They’re set in the small-town universe of my long-running Eternity Springs contemporary romance series.
SADYE: What were the most surprising, rewarding, and challenging parts of the audio-first storytelling process?
EMILY: The storytelling process itself wasn’t all that different. The challenge for me was writing short.
They wanted “meet cute” stories that hit the two- to three-hour listening mark. I’m accustomed to writing longer — my full-length books usually take eight to nine hours to narrate.
I think the most rewarding part for me was hearing two of the best narrators in the business bring my story to life.
Watching all three of the stories hit Audible’s bestseller list and hang there for quite a while wasn’t bad, either.
SADYE: What did your existing fan base seem to think of the decision and result?
EMILY: Well, they weren’t all happy about it, to be honest. Many of my readers don’t listen to audiobooks and they were impatient.
SADYE: Had you always intended to follow up with a text version?
EMILY: Yes, I did. Audible had a six-month exclusive and after that, I was free to publish in digital and print. I waited a little longer to release the other formats due to the holiday themes.
SADYE: Would you do it again?
EMILY: Sure! I loved working with Audible and I absolutely adore my editor.
SADYE: Any advice you would give to other authors regarding your experience?
EMILY: I guess I’d warn them to explain the exclusive part of the contract to their current fans from the beginning.
Some readers were annoyed, but once I explained that Audible had basically hired me to write specifically for them, fans understood.
SADYE: What’s next for you?
EMILY: The paperback version of my women’s fiction novel, The Getaway, releases in May.
The Summer Melt releases in print and digital on June 1.
The second book in the women’s fiction series, Balancing Act, comes out in trade paperback in November.
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Learn more about Emily March on her website, where her books can also be purchased; like her page on Facebook; and follow her on TikTok and Instagram.
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Categories: Behind the scenes