J.M. NORTHUP's BLOG

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Who's In My Hot Seat? MATT SNEE!!!!

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. 
·        What lead you to CREATIVIA, and what has signing with a small press done for your writing career? 
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?
o THE YEAR I SLEPT.  It is available for pre-order now!
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/


I was honored to be interviewed by Matthew for his blog.
CLICK HERE TO READ INTERVIEW



1 comment:

  1. 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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