Launching Argent Hedgehog Press Coaching and Consulting
I want to introduce you to the new Argent Hedgehog Press.
When I started writing, long ago now, I dreamed about getting published. After finishing the first book of my Source Chronicles fantasy series, I made a concerted effort to go the traditional publishing route.
I queried many, many agents. For a time, I had one, but he proved to be wrong for my genre (nice guy, but not the right fit). Then, I hired my first professional editor.
She proved to be invaluable. Worth every penny, she didn’t just edit my book. She taught me new perspectives, new approaches, better style, and how to use my own critical eye. It was so much more than just editing; she made me a far better and more skilled writer. I also learned how to be an editor to assist others and their writing.
Over the next several years, with a much higher-quality product, I took more stabs at getting an agent to go the traditional publishing route. These all met the same indifference, with nary a form rejection, let alone any other response. It became disheartening.
But times changed. Self-publishing became easier. Then it got less stigmatized and more normalized. Reading the writing on the wall (and, more often, on social media and other websites), I shifted my focus and tried my hand at self-publishing.
Rather than use Amazon or, at the time, CreateSpace, or use my own name, I invented an imprint. Argent Hedgehog Press was born.
Why did I name it Argent Hedgehog Press?
Way, way back in the early 1990s, I started playing in a medieval reenactment society. To this day, it’s still a major part of my life.
As part of this organization, you can develop a medieval persona. When I did, and I started to get more deeply involved, I created a coat of arms. That includes a rampant white hedgehog. White, in heraldic terms, is argent.
Having this coat of arms, and the rampant argent hedgehog my friend Mike drew for me around 1997 or so, I thought it would be a good business name and logo.
Why the hedgehog? Ok, so, long ago and way back when, in my 20s, my hair was really spiky. Also, I can’t deny that I might have had a mullet going (hey, it was the early 1990s – mullets were cool). Additionally, according to my first fencing teacher, I tended to duck low in my stance, and it made me appear hedgehog-like. I embraced the silly and made that my coat of arms.
I’ve now published all my books under the Argent Hedgehog Press imprint. Recently, I took it a step further and made it into my business name. Now, I’m expanding what I’m doing with that venture.
My new coaching and consulting venture
As I continue to write and publish books under the Argent Hedgehog Press imprint (and will be sharing more about the next series – The Gentleman Space Pirate – soon), I realize that I have a lot to offer other writers and would-be writers looking to do more regular work and self-publish.
While it’s obvious to me that I could turn my Argent Hedgehog Press venture into a small-press publishing house, I think I can do something more personal and impactful with it. As such, I’m sharing with you my new venture.
First – consulting. For a writer attempting to take the next step and self-publish, it can be pretty daunting. Do you publish just to Amazon or wide? Digital and/or paperback? What about formatting? How does it work, where do you go, what do you need to do?
This is where Argent Hedgehog Press Publishing services come in. I can guide the writer in all the steps they need to take, as well as assist with formatting and walking them through the self-publishing process. Since I have been doing this for over 13 years now, I can help others so they don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Second – coaching. Would-be writers, part-time writers, and even full-time writers come across lots of different struggles. There are tons of books out there, but they don’t necessarily provide answers to challenges like time management, word counts, marketing, and the rest. Also, nothing is One Size Fits All.
This is where Argent Hedgehog Press Author Coaching comes in. I offer several options for regular conversations and check-ins to help get and keep a writer on track to do the work. I can serve as a guide, a cheerleader, and leverage my experience to help others go through the process with unbiased help.
What makes me and Argent Hedgehog Press worthy of this?
I began writing when I was 9 years old. For the next 3 decades, I wrote in fits and spurts. Yes, I got books done, but with very little consistency. How could I possibly do this as my full-time job if I didn’t take this venture to the next level?
When the pandemic hit, I had an opportunity to write more. I found a discipline I didn’t know I had in me, and before long, I found I was writing not just faster, but more consistently and with greater clarity. Since 2020, I’ve written and published more than a dozen books and have 5 new books in the works (1 with an editor, 1 awaiting beta readers, 1 being edited by me, 1 being written, and 1 plotted to be written next). I’m also exploring 2 future series, returning to fantasy and maybe taking a stab at romantasy.
My knowledge and experience are shared in my blogs with a wide audience. Anyone can access and read these. But what if there are specific questions you have about the process that I never cover? This is where I can make use of my experience and expand Argent Hedgehog Press into a broader, more helpful venture.
This is part of being an authorpreneur. I wear a lot of hats as an indie-author and self-publisher, so why not see if others could be helped with my know-how? That’s always been what most lights me up, and if I can be of service to others, that’s ideal.
Hence, this new consulting and coaching venture. I’ve got a lot of helpful information I think could do good for others, and this is how I can share it. Feel free to check it out here!
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: