This week's video is an interview with Joanna Penn, who has been the biggest inspiration in my choice to self-publish. She has self-published two novels and three non-fiction books as well as created various courses and products to help others avoid the mistakes she's made during her time as an author. It seems I introduce everyone as my special guest, and that is true because I'm truly honored that my guests give me their time to be interviewed. But, Joanna is extra special to me because essentially everything I do is based on studying her website and podcasts closely.
by my friend Kendall Grey. I joined Kendall on one of Lynn's Twitter Parties at hashtag #Rushed. She holds fun contests and I won a copy of her latest book Violet Midnight. Since I'm the type of girl who's never satisfied I decided to take it one step further and ask for an interview!
Christina McKnight published her first novel, Only in Her Dreams last month. I invited her for an interview to get the perspective of an author who has just made the transition into authorhood.
I'm so excited for you to hear what she has to say about her journey thus far. It comes down to just getting your name out there and getting exposure!
I've said many times on this blog that my publishing role-model is Joanna Penn. And, through Joanna's interviews and guest posts I've been introduced to a number of terrific writers who are making a splash in the self-publishing industry.
Shannon Mayer started her publishing journey back in September of 2011. Since then she has released a total of eight books, which is pretty impressive by anyone's standards. I am very glad to have had the chance to interview her, and you'll love what she has to say about her publishing experience.
Today's Special Guest is a brand-new indie author, Elizabeth Aloe. I learned about Elizabeth on Tarryn Fisher's Facebook wall a few weeks ago. Tarryn announced The Next Class of Indie Authors who would be BIG. After reading about Elizabeth and her book The Reunion I immediately contacted her for an interview. I'm all about the Next Big Thing!
Bethany Lopez is one of those authors who I try not to go more than a day without chatting with. She's always supportive to all her friends, whether published or not, and is always there with a kind word to push through those tough spots. Her latest release, Ciao- Book 3 in the Stories About Melissa series, releases today, August 15. I am thrilled to help her spread the word and share some of her wisdom with you! What We Talked About:
Writing books she was able to share with her daughters
Querying agents and getting rejections before hearing about self-publishing via Amazon
Learned all she could about publishing through Kindle and B&N, etc.
Marketing strategies- Social Networking, Blog Tours, Paid Advertising and plain old Word of Mouth.
Thinking outside the Box with promotion-- Holding Book Signings in Malls and Book Festivals (Orange County Book Festival)
Networking at Conferences and the energy and excitement of being with other writers.
If she could do it all over, she would make sure her books were completely ready before publishing, not jumping the gun.
Different methods of publishing: choosing between self and traditional publishing and going book by book.
Contests and prizes for her current release of Ciao including copies of books and some handmade necklaces from Etsy.
Contacting the librarian from the town where the stories are set to feature the books.
Bethany will be all over the place for her Release Day Bonanza and Blog Tour! Check out her blog for details and to find out how to win some incredible prizes!
While reading one of my favorite blogs Alexis Grant's The Traveling Writer, I ran across an interview with author Lisa McKay. After reading about her self-published book, a memoir about how she met her husband Mike, Love at the Speed of Email, I decided to invite her to do an interview on my blog.
Once I delved deeper into the subject, I saw Toby all over the Self-Publishing world doing guest posts and on Twitter.
When an author has their hand in several things, you begin to recognize their name and picture. My respect for Toby grew as I began following her. Now, I've read her book, Blood Orchids and I am a full-fledged fan.
I love this cycle: Recognition-->Respect-->Trust. I've seen it referred to as the ISYOT factor: I've Seen You Out There.
Some of the things we talked about:
Started writing at an early age- went to school for journalism/creative writing.
Got serious about writing when her kids were in high school.
Moved by a tragedy in her community where she was part of the Grief Response Unit.
Worked through her own grief by writing an anonymous blog about the death of two teen girls.
So inspired that she started a novel based on the tragedy, with her own twists.
Querying loads of agents, before signing with first agent.
Completely rewrote Blood Orchids at least once, meeting current editor during process.
Her agent retired before selling Blood Orchids to a publisher- prompting her to self-publish.
The amount of time and work involved in the self-publishing process.
How important it is to have a high-quality production team behind you.
Platform is essential for all authors self-published or traditional-published.
Ashley Barron was one of the first people I followed on Twitter, and to this day I continue to learn so much from her.
Her blog is a favorite among self-publishers, and she really lays out the steps for blogging (successfully) as she's learned through the past 12 months.
In May she published her first full-length novel, Ava.
Some of the things we talked about:
Always been a voracious reader, three years ago the story of Ava came to her. Put writing aside and took a year to learn the business of publishing and marketing. Using Twitter as a marketing tool, tweeting blog posts and making friends. Make your blog posts accessible to newcomers, different info is relevant at different times. Publishing Ava through all e-retailers by the end of summer. Using beta readers to find errors, lessons learned about editing.
Keeping the story arcs and character bios straight for a 26 book series
Changes to her marketing plan to include time to write & stay informed- Community News
Ava, the first book in the Priyas series, is now available on Amazon. Look for it soon on iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords.
Tweet with Ashley or if you haven't been to her blog, make sure to visit today and learn how she mastered blogging and social media for authors, you won't regret it!
Like my interviews? Let me know in the comments and Please share with your friends on Twitter!
You've made friends on Twitter, right? So you know what I mean when I say I'm so lucky to have met the lovely Maryanne Wells on my Twitter stream. Maryanne and I recently got together for a chat on self-publishing her novel, Matriculated Death.
Some of the things we talked about: How she came up with the idea for Matriculated Death during law school Writing a blog-story for friends from law school Using beta readers and a well-trusted friend for editing, and needing brutal honesty when editing Marketing strategies and how they'll change between pre-publishing and post-publishing Reasons for self-publishing, particularly freedom to release books on your own schedule Why Twitter has been a pleasant surprise in her marketing plan Putting pieces of ourselves into our fictional characters Writing under a Pen Name
Matriculated Death, Book One of The Undead Bar Association, is available from Amazon in either e-format or paperback. It sounds like a fantastic romp with all the creatures of the night, and I can't wait to read it!
Sometimes when you least expect it, life throws you a bone that is just so awesome, and this interview is one of those times. I saw a video interview done by Laura at 30 Day Books featuring Lauren Clark. I just loved listening to her talking about her story, and actually put her on my interview list of "Authors to Contact Someday". Meanwhile, I followed her on Twitter. I don't remember if I tweeted her to tell her I thought the video was great or not. Doesn't really matter. Because- Lauren Clark actually contacted ME! She sent me an email inviting me to read her book and review it on my blog. MY BLOG! I know! Lauren is the award-winning author of Stay Tuned and Dancing Naked in Dixie.
Things we talked about:
Lauren's background as a journalism major and news anchor.
Her learning process finishing several manuscripts before deciding to publish Stay Tuned.
Publishers showed interest but nobody gave her a contract.
Kendall Grey is the author of Inhale- released May 1, Exhale- released June 1 and the soon to be released Just Breathe.
I have to tell you- I think this is my best interview yet! I hardly made any mistakes, and despite the fact that the video aspect didn't record Kendall and I had a great time!
Things we talked about:
Writing a full length novel, how many words are enough/too much?
Pulling your passions together to create a great story- in Kendall's case Whales and Science, Australian Folklore, and Sexy Australian Rock Stars :)
The correct way to say Gloucester
Kendall's roller coaster ride of Querying and Submitting
Her ultimate decision to "Choose Herself" and Self-Publish
Delegating cover design and editing
How sales have been since her release
Coming up with a Marketing Plan
Paying for reviews, Google ads and Goodreads ads
Building a back list and a LONG TAIL
The cause Kendall supports- a group that teaches kids about whales
I highly encourage you to follow Kendall on Twitter, she's a hoot! Also, check out her Facebook page, fair warning: You Will Be Entertained!
On today's interview, my guest is author entrepreneur Beth Barany.
Beth started her career helping writers get there message out into the world. As a certified Creativity Coach, she has a passion for helping authors build successful careers. She teaches through speaking, coaching and consulting with authors. Her non-fiction includes a book for authors- The Writers Adventure Guide.
Beth also loves creating strong female characters who empower women and girls to be the heroes in their own lives. Her fantasy novel Henrietta the Dragon Slayer is available now, with Book 2 coming out this summer.
Some of the topics we discuss in the interview:
Her beliefs in strong marketing practices online and offline as well.
Every author needs to have a home on the internet, whether they are involved in Social Media or not.
An author website or blog plus a newsletter are important tools for all authors.
No matter where you go, carry a copy of your best work.
Nobody wants to be sold to- develop real relationships and people will naturally be interested in what you do.
Speaking, coaching and consulting engagements are great ways of meeting new people while providing multiple income streams, nobody needs to be a starving artist anymore.
Some exciting new speaking opportunities she has coming: How to Pitch to Agents and Editors with her husband, author Ezra Barany;The Women's Fiction Festival in Italy; Creativity Pays keynote speech.
While she has self-published her books, she has partnered with a publisher to distribute some index cards to accompany her Writers Adventure Guide. The publisher can put her product in places she might not be able to reach on her own.
Beth is a strong advocate of writing and critique groups. It's important to have accountability and feeback from other writers.
If you're an author, chances are you've spent some time researching marketing. You've probably been working on building that coveted author platform. That's what you're supposed to do, isn't it?
Well, when I asked author Suzan Tisdale what her secret to selling nearly 20,000 copies of her book since December, she laughed and said, "I really don't know!"
Of course, I had to interview her. Authors are supposed to do all of these things to be successful. So, how much of the success factor is good planning, and how much is pure chance?
Things we talk about:
Her book Laiden's Daughter , and how she came to write it. I'm reading it right now, and I'll tell you she has just the right amount of action and sweet romance to keep you turning the page.
Authors who have inspired her: Laurin Wittig, Julie Garwood, Carmen Caine.
Why she decided to publish it through Amazon KDP.
Her marketing efforts, or lack thereof. How she played with the pricing and the effect on her sales.
What she plans on doing next. Findley's Lass Book 2 of Clan MacDougall series is due out in December 2012.
Now, I want to know how you feel about the hit or miss world of publishing.
What are steps you're taking to build your platform, and why do you think some authors just hit it right?
Today I'd like to share a special interview I did with a friend of mine, Melissa Agnes. Melissa is a social media crisis manager who offers specialized consultation and training services to both businesses and agencies.
From reading her blog, I've discovered that as authors, we are susceptible to all kinds of trouble involving our online reputation, or brand. I wanted to hear what Melissa had to say in regards to dealing with negative reviews and with the internet trolls known as sockpuppets. I was thrilled with the information she shared, and her tips for handling yourself in these situations are invaluable. Take a listen and leave a comment, because this is so important and I'd love to discuss your opinions.
Today I have an impromptu video chat that I'd like to share with you. While going through my usual blog circuit a few days ago, I came across a post on Rachel Thompson's blog regarding a young man by the name of Joshua who was diagnosed with Leukemia during Christmas break.
Imagine being 21 years old with your life in front of you- and being told you had cancer. To have just been given 3 years of freedom only to have it taken away in a breath.
The independent author community is small, but strong. Maxwell Cynn is an author, but he's also a father and a husband. His fellow authors have come together to support his family during this horrible time. As many of us know, medical expenses are incredibly high. IndiesUnite4Joshua is a fund set up to help with costs of Josh's treatments.
The goal is $10,000, and at this time $8,600+ have been raised. There are 13 days left, and they can use your support. Watch the video and hear what Rachel has to say!
Book tours can get expensive, with booking venues and all the driving. Add that to the time away if you have family or a day job and it can really be a problem.
When I saw that Ali Luke was taking her book, Lycopolis on a virtual blog tour, I thought it sounded like a great idea. It's the best of both worlds: you get people interested in reading your book and visiting your own blog, plus you can do it all from your own home.
I've been wanting to try a video interview for a while now, so I asked Ali if she'd be game, and luckily for me she agreed. Imagine getting to chat with a writer in the UK in real time-what a treat!
If you haven't heard about Ali, she has a fantastic blog and also frequently posts on some of the top blogs in the writing industry like Problogger, Copyblogger and Write to Done.
In the interview we talk about:
Her book Lycopolis and writing what you know. She has a background in the roleplaying community and it inspired her to write the story of a group on online roleplayers.
The virtual book tour she's done throughout April and May and the benefits of touring from your home by writing guest posts and doing interviews for other bloggers.
Some tips on coming up with new ideas for blog posts. With the constantly changing publishing industry, she always has a long list of ideas for blog posts such as ebooks and the digital publishing world. If you haven't already, I recommend visiting her blog for excellent tips on the writing craft.
The many publishing options available for the independent author. Ali has Lycopolis on Amazon, and also Smashwords which distributes it to other vendors (Barnes & Noble, Kobo etc.) She also used CreateSpace for the Print on Demand version. Since she's in the UK, the shipping rates for UK customers were too high, so for those readers it's also available from Lulu.
Posts
