Testimonial - Quill & Flame Publishing House
Emily Bequette - Author of The Flameheart Chronicles
Hi! I’m Emily Bequette, a high school English teacher and YA Fantasy author. My husband and I have been writing together since we met as beta readers, which helped spark the novel that got us a pub deal! Fight scenes are my favorite to write, especially when they play out like a movie in my head. Lord of the Rings and Narnia have been major influences in my writing and worldbuilding. I’m also a bit of a PSL fiend.
You can also find us on our website and on Instagram as @authors.debequette.
What Is Your Book FlameHeart about?
Flameheart is a YA Fantasy where Narnia meets Inkheart. When a grieving writer unlocks her hereditary magic to travel into any story, she stumbles into a world rife with secret societies, power struggles, and murder. Rifts between reality and imagination are opening, and unless she confronts her insecurities, nightmares will destroy everything she loves—including the prince she imagined as her best friend. (And yes, there’s a slowburn friends-to-lovers trope in there!)
Why did you decide to publish your book(s) with Quill & Flame? How was your querying experience with them?
My husband and I had queried for four months to only agents. We got requests and personalized feedback on rejections, which showed us we were on the right path and had potential. We started querying small presses and loved what Quill & Flame stood for as a publishing house, as we prefer our romances “with heat, but without the scorch” so to speak. You won’t find any spice or open door scenes in these books. Romance doesn’t have to be the main plot, but it should be a strong subplot. They actually passed due to filling their fantasy slots, but loved our concept and writing duo that they invited us to pitch the following year if it was still available. We continued querying another six months with the same results, and when the new year started, we pitched them again. We got a full request after a month, and a month after that, we got the offer!
How has your publishing experience with Quill & Flame been (so far)?
It has been such a supportive, amazing ride. During the call, AJ Skelly (the owner) was transparent and enthusiastic about Flameheart. We could tell our book really resonated with her and it was one she was passionate about. That passion has extended to our developmental editor, who helped us expand the worldbuilding and refine the plot. It was a great collaboration! This stage took about a month and a half. Now, our manuscript is with a line editor, and we are awaiting that feedback. Following those revisions, we will have the formatting proof to review and it's time for marketing. Our book is slated for late 2025.
Would you recommend Quill & Flame to other writers?
Absolutely. The community of authors with Quill & Flame is very supportive. It is not just a business experience, but an educational one. There are included resources on marketing, revising, selling, getting endorsements, building a brand, etc. This is a publisher that wants to help you succeed. From a business standpoint, the contract is fair and the profit margins are competitive, which is important to note when looking at where/how to publish. We also were able to get a nice audiobook deal with Tantor Media thanks to our publisher, which we couldn’t have done without her. You can also rest assured that none of your content will be put into AI sources.
For you, what are some of the pros & cons of publishing with a small press/indie publisher?
Pros are definitely the sense of community and education. You’re not in this alone. The passion is also there, which I feel is more prominent with a smaller press than a big one. The cons? From a logistical standpoint, marketing reach is smaller but in all honesty, no matter who you publish with, most of the marketing is on the author.