Lulu and Tanner are.
Meet your matchmaker, Theodora Williams.
I met Theodora in summer 2024, when she posted to the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) looking for help. Turns out Theodora had written four, that’s right, 4, romance novels, and wanted, not to be published by someone else, but help self-publishing, creating her own romance publishing company, and getting her books out there.
Her debut novel, Just Friends, went live on Valentine’s Day!
We’re currently setting up an interview with Theodora, so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, I’d like to share a bit of the backstory, from my POV. All the tea, on Theodora and me.
I replied to Theodora’s EFA query, and we set up a Zoom to meet. If I remember correctly her camera was glitchy, so it was only me visible. I also remember we hit it off right away. Theodora works in a junior high school with kids who need a little extra structure and support. I had spent years working with people with developmental disabilities before transitioning into teaching college remedial courses, so we connected quickly around what schools try to provide for kids and young adults who need more than the system easily gives. I really enjoyed the conversation. Still, when it was over, I didn’t think I’d hear from her again. To be honest I thought cost was an issue, and maybe trust. I know how that goes. It’s tough to choose a service provider, whether it’s a plumber or a publisher, and know you’re doing the best you can do for yourself in terms of service and costs.
Some time passed.
Fall rolled around, and Theodora asked to connect again.
This time we got down to brass tacks, all that we (Dave and I) could help Theodora do, because there is a steep learning curve to doing all the things you need to do to when launching your own publishing business. She wanted to be in control of the books, the publishing, the imagery, the royalties, all of it, without having to learn how to become a publisher alone. There’s a steep learning curve to doing this carefully and correctly, and it’s always easier to learn a new game when someone teaches you how to play instead of just handing you an instruction sheet.
We both signed a publishing services agreement whereby Current Words would manage the book’s production while guiding Theodora on the do’s and don’ts of self-publishing.
We moved forward… slowly.
Along the way, life happened. There were celebrations, losses, and a few stretches of silence. But there was always something about Theodora, and about the fact that she’d written a novel on a dare from her coworkers, and then another, and then another, every summer for four summers, that made me unable to let the idea of these books disappearing sit quietly in my mind. In January 2025, I woke up from a dream where Theodora never published her books. I sent her an email of encouragement in the middle of the night.
Her debut novel dropped on Valentine’s Day, and I could not be more excited.
There are some things she needs to do still, like get her Amazon author page set up, and get the book released now in other venues. Amazon has to be first, for reasons anyone who works in publishing already understands (Amazon… eye roll!).
Oh, and she needs to celebrate! Her book is published!
Let me tell you, I’m not one to choose a romance novel, and I have now read two from Theodora, and they’re flawless, fun, and really just take you away from life’s worries. I can’t wait to get a chance to read her third and fourth novels.
You don’t have to wait to read the first one. It’s out, and you can even read a free excerpt.
Do you remember, as a kid, when you went back to school in the fall, there was always some teacher who would ask, “What did you do on your summer vacation?” I hated that question. I don’t know. Went to the beach, read a lot of books, not much. Well, Theodora wrote four novels.
Damn.
How about you? Have you written your book? Dave and I have often spoken at writing conferences around the country called “Don’t Die with Your Story.” Listen, Theodora is nowhere near close to death in age, and, hopefully, neither am I. LOL. But, so often, we see people who come to us when everything is done. Their work career is over. Their kids are grown. They finally have time. That’s great, and I love helping those people. AND, most of them were writing their books during their forties, fifties, and sixties, and just waiting to feel a sense of permission to focus on their projects.
You don’t have to wait. And it doesn’t have to happen rapidly. It can take a couple of years, like a certain romance novelist I know. You can move at comfortable pace.
An author who recently signed with us to help her produce her nonfiction book series asked if she was required to pay for our services all at once. That’s not our style. Rather, a down payment is required at the start of our collaboration, with subsequent payments aligned with milestones. Editing. Interior files. Cover approval. Proofreading. Book launch. We prefer this approach because publishing takes time, budgeting, and emotional energy, and we feel it’s important that our clients remain financially and mentally intact through the process. We check in to make sure you’re happy with the services during production. As your publisher or publishing services provider, we serve you, not ourselves. We work hard to keep costs low (our rates are around one-third of the cost of other partner publishers), and we encourage those who are interested in working with check with other partner businesses.
It’s not difficult to see how publishing fees have become inflated, and how often authors end up carrying costs that don’t meaningfully benefit their books or their readers. For example, some publishers structure their model around requiring authors to fund large print runs — sometimes in the range of $15,000 or more. In many cases, this leaves the author responsible for storing and managing inventory, even though the majority of book sales today happen online through retailers like Amazon rather than through brick-and-mortar bookstores.
If you’d like to have a conversation with me about your manuscript, just like Theodora and others have done, I’m happy to set up a meeting. time. (dianne at currentwords dot com). We’re not going to pester you with texts and emails to sign with us. We want you to go out, shop around, consider your needs and objectives, what you can afford (not just in terms of money, but in terms of hours of commitment). What would it mean to you to see your writing published, through one of our publishing imprints or your own? Are you up for the challenge of putting yourself out there? Do you have a story that people are waiting for? Would it do something for your soul, for your self-esteem, for your bucket list even, to get it into the hands of readers?
Many authors feel they need to be selected by Knopf, or Doubleday, or Scribner. The truth is, very few books are selected (about 1% of the all manuscripts submitted), because those publishers are making investment decisions, not artistic choices. Not being chosen does not mean you aren’t talented. It does not mean your story doesn’t matter. Don’t let strangers define the value of your work or the boundaries of your life. My copy of Theodora’s book arrives in a few days, ordered from Amazon as she is the publisher, and I can’t wait to read it again. Just Friends made me smile so much. It made me relax. It was funny. I loved it. Your book could mean a lot to someone, even if Knopf doesn’t think it will make them enough money.
Ah, I digressed. But, honestly, y’all wake me up in the middle of the night, just like Theodora did. Don’t give up on yourself, or your book. You can do it, and you deserve to do it too.
Congratulations Theodora! Let’s get that Amazon Author page set up this week. I am so proud of you for sticking with it, and for writing four books! You amaze me!