My
Interview with MATT
SNEE!
I
want to welcome you to my hot seat! It
is always a pleasure to meet authors and learn about their journey into the
literary world. Not only does it give
more insight to my readers, but it also helps writers – like me – learn more
about the industry as well!
1.
I always kick off my
interviews with the same question because I like knowing how people view
themselves. Therefore, please tell us how
you’d describe yourself?
I’d describe myself as quiet,
thoughtful, studious, a little bit of a recluse, and very passionate about my
work.
2.
I read an interview with you
where you said you were always a writer, but you made the conscious choice to
become a writer (as in career). I think
that is a fabulous way to describe what we do, and I’d like to focus the first
set of questions on this topic.
·
I
read you took the step into the literary industry about eight years ago. What made you decide to take the leap? Why was it important to you to publish your
work?
o
I wanted to make a living and support a family by writing books.
That is my goal. I don’t need to be famous. I just want to be able to put a
roof over my loved ones’ heads.
·
You’ve
said you were influences by writers such as Herman
Melville, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Sturgeon, and Bruce Sterling. What was it about these authors or their work
that captivated you? How did they make
an impact, not only on your writing, but on your choice to publish?
o
Melville inspires me with his themes, Flaubert with his style,
Sturgeon with his generosity and compassion, and Sterling with his wit. If I
can combine those four things, I would be very happy.
·
I
saw a quote by you in which you said, “I think it’s important to read the
classics.” Why do you believe this, and
how do you define ‘classic’?
o
Pretty much the cannon – not just the western cannon, but also
the canonical science fiction, fantasy, mystery, etc. for each genre.
Obviously, there are great books not included in these lists.
o
But as far as classics, I read something recently that it’s
important to read old books to see how people have been going through the same
problems for many thousands of generations.
·
In
addition to your novels, you also write poetry.
How’d you get interested in poetry and what style do you prefer, if
any? Do you have any published poems I
can direct my readers to?
o
I don’t know how I got started writing poetry, but I write quite
a bit of it nowadays. I guess I would say my poetry includes a narrative, which
as a storyteller I have a hard time avoiding.
o
Right now I have three poetry books submitted to contests, and I
am working on a fourth, HUGE poetry epic of about 200 pages that I hope to
complete soon.
o
I like poetry, but it’s hard for me to explain why. Poetry is
just… poetry, I guess.
My
first poetry book, Evil Summer, which I self-published, is on sale on Amazon
here, and that includes Kindle, paperback, but also an audiobook I recorded
doing the reading myself! J
3.
I want to explore your
writing experience and journey, if I may.
·
Have
you ever written fan fiction? If yes,
what kind, and where can my readers find your contributions?
o
Yes, I do, I love fan fiction. I have mostly written Batman and
Starwars stuff, but I’ve taken it offline.
Sometimes I get reviews on Goodreads for copies that are still floating
out there!
·
You
are a colleague of mine, having signed with our publisher, CREATIVIA in the summer of 2016. However, you said you’ve been actively
pursuing a writing career for longer. What
does this mean exactly; did you self-publish or had you gone the traditional
route, querying literary agents?
o
Yes, I self-published a few books kind of haphazardly.
o
I also queried agents, but I find that distasteful. I don’t like
the idea of there being “Gatekeepers” for art.
o
Just kind of by accident. It’s been very helpful, and I love Creativia. I’ve made a lot of
friends among the authors, and while my first book didn’t sell well, I am very
satisfied with what Miika
does.
·
Have
you had any revelations since you’ve published?
I mean, there are a lot of subtleties in the industry that you don’t
realize as a reader or reviewer. What
are the things that have surprised you most, and how has this changed your view
as a reader?
o
Mmmmm, I’ve certainly come to appreciate the importance of
writing reviews for books you like.
4.
What are your views on the
‘Indie’ vs ‘Traditional’ debate?
I like being indie. When I was young, I worked for a guy who ran
his own business and that was always my model for what I wanted to do for
writing. They’d have to offer me a lot
of money to get me to go traditional.
5.
Let’s talk about
reviews. My understanding has changed on
this topic since publishing, but it has also changed the longer I am in the
industry. I am curious to hear your
thoughts in this area.
·
Did
you ever read or write reviews from the standpoint of a reader? Has that changed since publishing, and if so,
how and why?
o
Never wrote them.
o
Always read them on Amazon. Always.
·
Do
you read your book reviews? If so, how
important do you think they are, how much do they influence your project
choices, and what platform do you prefer to view them on (i.e. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, GoodReads, etc.)
o
Yes, I’m afraid to admit.
·
Have
you gotten negative feedback via reviews, and if so, how have you dealt with it?
o
I understand why someone would dislike my books, but sometimes
people are just trolls. And other times,
people complain about stuff that is so out there and I’m like, “What?”
o
I don’t think people realize how hard it is to create something
and put it out there.
·
Is
there anything you’d like readers to know about reviews?
o
Just remember someone worked very hard to write their book, and
care about it very much.
6.
What can we expect to see
from you over the coming year?
Hopefully mainstream (university)
publishing of my poetry books, and a new novel from Creativia by the end of the
year.
·
Do
you maintain an annual writing strategy or do you “wing it”?
o
I’m a little moody for annual strategies. :p
·
What
about a promotion calendar? How involved
are you with your book promotions?
o
Very heavy, but Creativia and I work independently. They do
their thing and I do mine, but I am working very hard to promote and have a lot
of plans.
·
Please
tell us the name of your NEW
RELEASE?
Thank
you for talking with me today. I wish
you great success, my friend!
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
You can connect with Matt on his website at http://www.matthewsnee.com/
or on Facebook through his author page at www.facebook.com/literarypulp/
You can connect with Matt on his website at http://www.matthewsnee.com/
or on Facebook through his author page at www.facebook.com/literarypulp/
I am happy to say that Matt is a Creativia colleague, fellow author, and friend. I found this interview interesting and an insight into the creative process, also an invitation to view other authors' works in a kinder fashion. I am honored to have done a review for The Year I Slept and am anxiously awaiting its debut on Amazon. Matt is also an accomplished poet with a wild imagination as well as a writer of vivid prose. Thank you for this interesting interview.
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