Nora introduced our speaker, Erika Giles, who is a Writers’ Mill member and author of Becoming Hungarian, a Memoir. Amazon described this book as “a fascinating story of resilience and discovery that will inspire anyone who has struggled with their identity and tried to come to terms with the past.”
Why Write?
Erika described how she decided to write her family’s story after she had denied her Hungarian heritage for so many years. Her family were Hungarian refugees from Soviet takeover in the 1940s. While Erika was born in Hungary, she became a refugee with her family, to Billings, Montana, at two months of age. She said that the trauma of 9/11 made her realize how time is fickle and fleeting. “If not now, when?” (Hillel the Elder) so she decided to embrace her heritage and write her family’s history that had mostly been kept secret. Her father, at age 91, helped her begin the journey with a letter he wrote to Erika in 2001, relating events that took place in 1948.
Submissions
She not only wanted to write the story as historically and true to her family’s experience as possible, but she wanted it to be done correctly. Her memoir began as individual articles and excerpts that were submitted to journals and, in many cases, published. Eventually, with 50 or so rejections to her name and a non-fiction prize, she decided to combine the writing into a book. Erika joined writing groups to gain critiques of her writing. She was encouraged to put more stories “out there,” and so began the seeds for Becoming Hungarian.
Research
Erika interviewed her parents and sister, along with doing research about the Hungarian siege by the Soviets. But she decided that trips to Hungary would be necessary to experience the history, culture, people, and places where her family had lived. She hadn’t been in Hungary since she was an infant, but knowing the language helped her access information and connections when she visited Hungary in 2006 and 2010.
Publishing
The first draft of her memoir was completed in 2012. From there she contacted agents and publishers, with little success until 2017 when her book was accepted by a hybrid press. After a short try, Erika decided that working with a hybrid press was not helpful – she wanted more control over what she was doing. So, from there, she decided to self-publish, and Amazon’s KDP publishing arm fit her preferences.
Get Your Manuscript Ready for Self-Publishing
Before submitting the book to Amazon, Erika hired professionals, including a copy editor, book designer, and proof reader, to ensure her book was the best it could be. And she also welcomed feedback from her writing groups.
What about the book cover?
Self publishing gave her more control over the book cover. The cover designer asked what the main theme of the book was, and also asked lots of questions about the contents of the book. Cover designers won’t always read the book, but they should ask for this sort of information. The original design was brightly colored, but she asked to change it – self-publishing lets you do this.
Final Notes
After her presentation, Erika offered two copies of her memoir in two drawings. Matthew won a copy among the library group, and Judy won a copy from online.
Questions followed and further explained Erika’s determination and dedication to her book throughout numerous hurdles in her publishing journey, how revealing past history affected her family relationships, and some of her travel experiences in Hungary. She encouraged us to stay determined, believe in our writing, and do it right.
Erika said that group members may contact her for further information by email at erikagiles @ comcast . net and through her website www.erikagiles.com.