Donn: Do you think you’ll head for self-publishing or more traditional publishing, or have you looked into anything like that yet?
Prettyman: I’m still pretty torn about it because I know both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I think I’ll start exploring the traditional publishing first to see what that’s like. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll try self-publishing.
Donn: I’ve heard that it’s better to go through an agent if you want to get published by one of the bigger names, since unsolicited works tend to go into a slush pile and not get looked at.
Prettyman: Yes, I have to learn the mystery of the agent. Whenever I talk to authors who have agents, I’m like, “How did you get one?” And they say, “It’s like a catch-22. It’s hard to do.”
Donn: Is there anything else you want to say?
Prettyman: I couldn’t have succeeded at my poetry without my church family. Everyone in my Sunday school group and my pastor has been really supportive and has really tried to help get my poetry out there. Some of my poems have been read at annual conferences and churches, and they’ve been shared on bulletins. They get around, sometimes more than I expect. I’m always amazed when I hear how far they’ve gotten. I just put them out there and people share them around. It’s exciting.