Hello, readers! My name is Amy Lynn Green, and Karen Witemeyer invited me to share with you to celebrate the release of my debut novel. Things We Didn’t Say follows Johanna Berglund, the witty and slightly blunt translator for a camp for German prisoners of war in Minnesota during WWII. And it’s an epistolary novel, meaning that it’s written entirely in letters, newspaper articles, telegrams, and other documents.
I’ve worked in publishing for eight years, so I thought I wouldn’t find many surprises when switching to the “other side of the desk.” I knew all of the fancy terms and acronyms, experienced most of the marketing process, and had even toured the printing press to pick up a book from the line while the binding glue was still warm to the touch. Nothing more to learn, right? Boy, was I ever wrong! Here are five new things I’ve learned already as an author.
One: Audiobook narrators know how to pronounce more words in a book than the author.
When Leah Horowitz, the narrator for the audiobook of Things We Didn’t Say, contacted me, I knew I had to interview her to learn more about the recording process. I’ll be sharing snippets of that interview on Instagram, but my favorite fun fact was that before recording, she reads the whole novel and makes a list of words she doesn’t know how to pronounce. Then, the audiobook’s research department digs in and sends her a list of phonetic pronunciations.
Because my book has occasional snippets of Japanese and German, she had a lot of work to do! I know I can’t say “Wo sich Fuchs und Hase gute Nacht sagen” correctly. (That means “where the fox and rabbit say good-night” in German, meaning the middle of nowhere. Isn’t that a lovely phrase?)
Two: Many books hit a snag in the cover creation process.
For mine, all of the marketing and editorial team members at the cover meeting loved a particular background option, but when the designer went back to her desk, somehow, in the half-hour meeting, another group had purchased exclusive rights to the image. Guess who? CANADA. (Okay, more specifically a Canadian tourism company, but I like to blame the whole country for dramatic effect.) The designer was able to find a similar image, and all was well in the end.
For other covers, designers have had to erase unexpected tattoos from a Regency lady’s arms or substitute the model’s straight hair for an employee’s curly hair when the author changed it during revisions. This supports my belief that designers have a special artistic magic. (I also host cover creation videos on Bethany House’s Instagram page about once a month—if you’re interested in learning more about the cover design process, you should take a look at them!)
Three: Designing the interior of a book is hard work.
We all notice the dramatic design work of covers, but have you ever thought that someone has to style all of the interior pages of a book too? Since Things We Didn’t Say is written entirely in letters, the Bethany House interior design team gave it the award of Most Time-Consuming
Fiction Book Ever. Why? Well, most novels have little flourishes between scenes and maybe a fancy font for chapter headings. Mine had: handwritten letters, crossed out text, telegrams, footnotes, censored sections, date headings, typewritten interview transcripts…and more. That’s a lot to keep straight!
Four: Writing 20th century historical fiction means you can talk to eyewitnesses.
It was a great experience to read dozens of actual letters from WWII, including several kept by family friends, but sometimes my research became even more hands-on. One of the fun surprises in researching this book was that Jerry Yoder, a director of the Camp Algona POW Museum in Algona, Iowa who gave me a tour, had actually met the German POWs who worked on his father’s farm during WWII. Talk about first-hand experience! And, even crazier, after the book released, my husband’s grandmother told me she had worked in a cannery with German POWs as a young woman—one I had researched and mentioned in my novel.
Five: Deciding who to dedicate a book to is hard.
This felt especially true for my debut novel. There’s so much pressure! After all, the dedication is right there on the first page of the book.
I ended up dedicating this novel to my parents, partly because they’ve supported and encouraged me in every way (personally, creatively, and spiritually), but also because Johanna in Things We Didn’t Say has two completely healthy and well-adjusted parents, which is pretty rare. I mean, think about the main characters in the last few books you’ve read. Probably not many of them had a caring mother and father who were both still alive at the start of the story. I figured, since I may never get this chance again in future books, it would be a good one to dedicate to Mom and Dad.
I hope a few of these facts surprised you too. It’s been a fun adventure so far! If you’d like to stay in touch with me, I’d recommend subscribing to my newsletter on my website. (I’ll soon be sending a bookish Christmas gift guide, packed with gems like literary sticky notes, Jane Austen tea, a subscription of watercolor-illustrated letters, and Shakespearean magnetic poetry.) Or, I’d love to have you join me on Facebook or Instagram, where I share book reviews, behind-the-scenes publishing facts, and pictures of absurdly early Minnesota snow.
Giveaway!
I’m also going to give away a copy of Things We Didn’t Say to a random commenter on this post. So here’s your chance—to enter, just comment with a question about my book or the book publishing process in general. I’ll show up to answer as many as I can!
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Having read the sample chapter online, this book is on my ‘definitely want to read’ list!
I’m delighted to hear that, Rob!
I am not familiar with the term epistolary. Does it also include books written as diary entries?
I would love to win your fascinating book. Thank you for entering my name in the contest.
Janice Garey
Hi Janice,
It was a new word to me too before I started writing this! It means a book written in documents…so that could be journal entries, letters, or a mix of different kinds like mine. Thanks for asking!
Wow! That is interesting about meeting someone who remembers POW’s working on his father’s farm! I moved to Ohio in 1982, and learned last year that there were nearby POW camps in Ohio! The men could earn $ & send it back to their families; they had food, clothing & shelter…and, then to read stories about how our troops were treated as POW’s is heart breaking…
I enjoy real books and audio books; I was listening to an audio book that was set in Holmes County, Ohio and the narrator pronounced the town of Berlin (Burr-lynn) as the Berlin of Germany. I’ve read some of the history of Holmes County, and apparently during WW II, the people of Berlin Ohio did not want to be associated w/ Germany, so they changed the pronunciation of their town! (How would a narrator KNOW about such a pronunciation change!???) Thank you for sharing your talents!
This is fascinating, Barb! I never knew that about Berlin, and I’ve driven through there before. And I agree, it’s hard sometimes to see how some countries didn’t abide by the Geneva Convention rules for treatment of POWs. Thanks for stopping by!
Fascinating concept for this book (heading off to all of your “places” now Insta, FB, website). 🙂
I’m so glad you think so, Colleen! It was a joy to research and write.
This is so interesting! Amy, have you always wanted to write a book, or did this desire come after your job?
Great question, Melissa! I’ve always been interested in writing, but I’ve done a lot of short-form nonfiction before this (articles, devotionals, etc.). Writing a novel is very different and took a lot of practice to get better. I think my job helped because I was able to see what readers responded to in some fantastic stories-Bethany House has some of the best!
I agree about Bethany House! I didnt really think much about different publishers until my cousin, Jaime Jo Wright, got a contract with them. Then I started noticing the different styles and designs. BH is amazing! Congrats! I can’t wait to read your book!
That was so interesting! And I can tell by your writing style that you’re an author I’m going to enjoy reading!
Delighted to hear that, Kathy. Thanks for stopping by!
Will your next book be written in the same style? Was that a difficult way to write a book?
Love that, Perrianne! The next book has a prologue, epilogue, and a few sections in the middle of letters, but most is written in a more traditional narrative style. I think everyone expects it to be harder to write in epistolary style, and it does have its limits…but I found it way easier than my second book. Partly because it was just the perfect story to tell via letters, though. Not every story would work for that!
Congrats, Amy! I’m so happy for you! What a fun peek into the publishing world. Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of your debut! <3
I’m so glad you enjoyed the fun facts, Linda!
I am excited to read your new book. My favorite genre is Historical Fiction and this is set in my home state! Congratulations on your debut novel!
Yay! I’m so glad you’re a fellow Minnesotan, Leanne! (I wasn’t born here, but I’ve lived her for eight years now.) Thanks for the congrats, too.
I really enjoyed reading your 5 Surprises–how interesting!Until I read Susan Meissner’s book The Last Year of the War, I was not even aware of POW camps in the United States during WWII. So, this aspect of American history is very new to me, and I’m interested in reading your novel.
I LOVE Susan Meissner. (A Library Journal review of Things We Didn’t Say compared my style to hers and Lisa Wingate’s, and I just about died.) And I’m so glad this forgotten aspect of history intrigues you, Suzanne!
So in addition to needing the phonetic pronunciations of words she didn’t know, did Leah have to practice speaking those German words with a proper German accent? I think that would be hard to do if you’ve never spoken German (or any foreign language)!
I didn’t ask Leah specifically about that, but I do know that she and other narrators have practice and training in various different accents. (I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook to hear them!) It’s such a cool skill…that I don’t have. Thanks for asking, Elizabeth!
Since you work in publishing did you have more of a say in your cover design?
Thanks for the opportunity to win your book. Becky Wade’s novella “Then Came You” was the first book I read that was written in epistolary form and I really liked it. Look forward reading yours.
Good question, Amy! No, I decided to “opt out” and not attend any of my cover meetings the way I would for Bethany House authors, so I got exactly the same amount of say as any of them. That meant giving a lot of ideas at the start of the process, then letting the team work on cover options. I didn’t see anything until the final cover! At that point, I could have raised objections or suggested changes, but I loved it, so I didn’t need to. Also, yay for “Then Came You”! Such a fun story.
Congratulations! Loved learning more about the publishing process. I didn’t realize that audio books were produced that early in the process. Maybe it’s not really that early. I mean, you’ve been working on this book for a long time! Best wishes!
So glad you enjoyed it, Angie! And I have, but it’s all the more exciting that publication day has arrived.
This was a fascinating blog to read! I love when a published author shares any inside information. This newbie writer still hopes it’s all a dream, and like Jo in Little Women, I can just tie up my manuscript and send it off to a publisher!
I am particularly interested in the whole design issue. Outside cover and now inside layout. Wow!
I do love the title of your novel. I am curious as to whether that was your original working title or did it have to be changed along the way?
Thanks for sharing!
Nice question! Things We Didn’t Say wasn’t my working title, but it was on the list of title options I sent to my team (all of which I liked). And I think it fits the story perfectly on many different levels. Keep on writing, Katherine!
Readers always comment about how difficult it is to write a good epistolary novel. As an author did you find it difficult to sustain the narrative in this form? What was the easiest part of telling the story?
So true, Brittaney. I feel kind of guilty, because I know I should say it was really hard, but I think the restriction of telling a story in letters–and this story specifically, which feels like it was just MEANT to be told in letters–was actually so fun and the easiest thing I’ve ever written. Maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot of epistolary novels and I’m a letter-writer in real life, so writing in each character’s distinct voice was a joy. The hard moments were making sure the reader had enough information to solve the various mysteries, but otherwise, I really enjoyed the process.
We are so blessed to have the internet so available to us. We Google pronunciations all the time, especially with other languages. It’s fascinating…and hilarious as it’s translated so robotically. What’s your favorite genre to write? Does it coincide with your favorite to read?
Love this question, Becky! I’ve only written adult historical fiction, so that’s my favorite. While I love reading it as well, I also love reading so many other genres, including mystery, nonfiction, and fantasy. I’m all over the map!
I am from Minnesota and we had one of those camps near our town. I am so excited to read your book!
That’s so neat, Margaret! I love that you have a local connection.
Hi Amy! I’m curious… what did your coworkers say when they found out you were the author of this book? I know it was kept quiet in the initial phases. (No need to enter me into the giveaway as I purchased a copy and can’t wait to read it!)
Joy! So fun to see you here. Noelle, my supervisor, had figured it out. Some of our VPs thought my editor was joking when he announced it. And my fellow marketing department descended on my office with squeals and accusations of keeping secrets. 🙂 Everyone has been so delightfully supportive.
Congrats on your first book! And thanks for the behind the scenes look.
Thanks so much, Myra! I’m very excited.
Do you plan to keep working in the publishing industry and to write books?
That’s the plan for right now, Patty! We’ll see where God leads. I love both my job and my writing.
I can’t wait to read your book. It sounds so interesting. Congratulations on your first novel!
That’s so kind, Christy! Thank you!
Since the cover is sometimes what attracts a person to a book first, I am wondering how you come up with ideas for the cover ‘photo’.
wfnren at aol dot com
Good question, Wendy! I gave the design team some ideas after looking at covers on historical WWII fiction that I liked. I really wanted an element like a stamp or postmark (love the one in the corner!) and also a person, but seen from behind. Everything else was the marketing team and Jenny, the designer!
This is defintely on my must read list
So very glad to hear it!
Hi Amy,
Congratulations on the publication of your debut novel! I would love to win a copy of this book. I have listened to the audiobook of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society several times (LOVE IT!) and imagine your book is on a par with it. I would love to read it! Thank you for throwing my name in the hat.
Blessings!
I LOVE THAT BOOK! (Ahem. I’m calm now.) Guernsey is one of the books that inspired me to write this one. It’s just so lovely and bookish. Thanks, Joyce.
Wow!! Loved reading so many inside details about Amy’s debut novel! It makes it all the more interesting to read when you know what’s behind… And I definitely want to read this book!! WWII is one of my favorite genres!
I was wondering, about those real letters you read and researched… Were they mostly love letters? To their girlfriends, wives, parents?
Thanks for sharing your book with us! It sounds awesome!!❤️❤️
Love this, Paty! The letters were often to or from soldiers, but some were from war workers back to their family or others involved on the home front. And some were clearly love letters in the sense that they had a romantic touch, but most were relating daily life since long distance phone calls were expensive and rare. Some of the writers were such storytellers!
Thank you!! That’s so interesting!! I love getting to know how life really was for those who lived the WWII, soldiers, families, everyone… Can’t wait to read your book!
Congrats on your debut novel Amy! This sounds like an awesome book! (And I love that it is so different in that it is completely written in letters and telegrams, etc. How exciting!) I can’t wait to read it!
ps. Have you ever worked at Bethany House as a fiction publicist? I was in contact with an Amy Green when I won “A Very Merry Jane Austen Christmas Tea” prize a couple of years ago and since you mentioned Bethany House in the interior designing complications of your novel it just made me wonder if it was the same Amy Green. (Hopefully I’m not being too nosey.) If it is the same person, how does it feel to be publicizing your own novel after doing that for so many others (or have they assigned that job to somebody else)? And if is or isn’t the same Amy Green, do you feel like pinching yourself every day that your dream of getting published is a reality? How many years has this process taken you? Again congratulations! I’m so excited for you!
Hi Candi! Yes, I’m the same Amy Green. And it’s a fun and exciting thing being involved in marketing at Bethany House and also being a writer. I pass along some of the tasks for my books to coworkers, but it’s also nice know some marketing tips and tricks along the way. Thanks for celebrating with me.
Sounds like a great read! What led you to “the other side of the desk” to begin with? Did you edit as you wrote or did you rough draft first and edit later?
Great questions, Marcie! I’d always been a writer (often short nonfiction like articles or devotionals), but I had to write a lot of bad fiction (I think about five novels that will never see the light of day) before I was ready to show this one to the world. As for editing, a bit of both. I’d make changes to chapters as I went, but I also had to make many passes through the completed manuscript after it was drafted.
Amy, Congratulations on your debut! How did you come to be a part of amazing team at Bethany House?
Thanks, Caryl! After I graduated college, I applied for the fiction publicist at Bethany House. Because I had a background and skills they were looking for (especially PR experience and a portfolio of marketing-related writing) and loved fiction, it was a perfect fit, and I’ve been here ever since!
Congratulations Amy! I found this interesting. Thank you for sharing. I have this on my want to read list. Blessings
How fun! I hope you enjoy it when you get to reading it!
I am so excited to read this book! I’m hoping it will be one of my next reads. 😀
Hooray! I’m excited for you to read it, Erin, and I hope you enjoy it.
I can’t wait to read your book! What made you decide to write it entirely in letters? I’ve seen other books that incorporate letters, but I think yours is the first one that I’ve seen in only letters.
Thanks, Hannah! I had read several books written in letters that I really enjoyed (Gilead and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are two of them), and I thought it would be fun to try my hand at it. (It was!)
Hi Amy! I found your information really interesting. I have talked to other authors who have enlightened us librarians on other tidbits, too – like being able to choose or not the readers for their books, content requests from publishers that they and the authors disagree on, etc. The whole publishing/writing process is quite fascinating and yet daunting! Can’t wait to read your new book! We’ve had Linda McCann speak at our NW IA library about the POW camps in IA and is was amazing to hear about this part of history.
Hi Kari! Thanks so much for supporting authors and readers with your important work. I love libraries with all my heart! I’m glad you found the POW history interesting.
Congratulations on your debut novel. I am looking forward to reading Things We Didn’t Say. I have had your book on my “want to read” list for a few weeks now.
Thank you for sharing a look behind the scenes in the publishing business. There are so many decisions to be made to make sure a book makes a great first impression! I love the cover of your book. Perhaps we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but a great cover does make a potential reader take a closer look at the book.
Thank you, Ruby! And I give all the credit for the lovely cover to Jenny, who designed it, and also the publishing team that gave feedback on it to get it to where it is now. I’m a big fan of it myself!
Historical fiction is my favorite thing to read! My reading is 99% audio books. When recording an audio book does the author have a say in who the reader is or is it up to the publisher? Sometimes it seems to me that the voice doesn’t fit the book in some way. I am adding this book to my ‘want to read’ list!
Great question, Sherry! Most of the time, the author doesn’t get to choose the audiobook narrator (especially because at Bethany House, we don’t record them ourselves but license them to an audio company to record). I’ve seen a lot of nonfiction recently where the author reads the book, which is so fun…and I’d never want to try it!
What sort of input you have in choosing the narrator of your book? If you were going to turn this book into a series, what character’s story would you want to explore?
Hi Sonnetta! I didn’t decide the narrator for the audiobook, but I think Leah did a fantastic job. Love it! And hmm…probably Christopher Wright, one of the guards at the camp. I’d love to learn more about his backstory.
I would love to read this book.
So glad to hear it, Una!
Super information in this post! I love your book cover videos. You have such a talented team at Bethany House! I love learning about the research behind books.
My sister has a notebook with the letters and envelopes that my father sent to my grandparents during WWII. He was in China, India and Burma. He told about the culture and driving a supply truck. He was also a cook. But there was a lot of “I can’t tell you”.
Can’t wait to read your book.
Hi Paula! I’m so glad you enjoy those cover videos. I have fun making them! And I love your personal connection to documents from WWII. What wonderful stories they contain!
Love this idea for a book. How did you come up with it?
Hi Ola! The idea for the story started when I saw a display at a Minnesota history museum talking about German POW camps around the state and how not all of the locals wanted them there. It made me wonder if there might be a story there…
What in intriguing story. Were there particular details in your research that you found you just had to include and pass on in your story. It would seem to be a bit overwhelming putting it all together. I can’t wait to read this and so loved that you included beautiful suggestions for “happy mail” in your newsletter sign-up. Thank you and the BEST of wishes.
What made you decide to write a book? You do covers for books right? How many people are working in the process of picking out the cover?
My husband has written a non-fiction book with a target audience of Christian pastors and other church leaders and he recently submitted it to a well-known agent that had over 300 submissions in one month. His wasn’t accepted. I want to find out which would be the best publishers to next submit it? Any recommendations?
I look forward to reading your book! I’ve seen your name on so many things related to Bethany House so it will be fun to read the book. And Congrats on getting published!!
Congratulations on your debut novel! The cover is lovely and the book sounds very interesting. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. 🙂
My Dad was in WWII & I still have his letters to my Mom. They fell in love through letters during the war. Most of them are in her original scrapbook which is unfortunately falling apart & very fragile. (Sadly, hers to him were lost somewhere during the war). Of the letters that you read, I would like to know how were these preserved? I have been afraid to keep opening the scrapbook because it is very delicate. Thanks