I
always appreciate authors and readers taking time out of their lives for me,
especially during the holiday season when it’s so hectic. That being said, I wanted to begin by
thanking you, Sahara. It’s always a pleasure!
1.
I always kick off my
interviews with the same question.
Therefore, please tell us how you’d describe yourself?
I’m
an introvert who suddenly found myself having to ‘put herself out there’ in the
social media world. Scary!! I don’t consider myself smart or intelligent,
but everyone around me always tells me I am.
Boy, do I have them fooled.
2.
Each writer has a unique trek
into the world of publishing. I am
curious to hear more about your particular story.
·
What
encouraged you to write in the first place?
o
I have always been an avid reader since I was old enough to read
and understand, but I never thought about writing a book. I didn’t have the proverbial stories running
rampant in my head. But my late husband
Bob did. He tried getting his stories
published back in the late `1980’s, but none of the Trad publishers would even
touch his manualscripts. Now, I
understand why. Even though they were
awesome storylines, they were horribly written.
He never saw them as only outlines, and he refused to make any changes
to them. So, after he died, I dusted off
his stories and decided to self-publish them for him. Or, I should say, us.
·
What
led to your decision to publish? Did you
try to go traditional, and query literary agents, or have you always been indie?
o
Over the years before Bob died, I really wanted to try to get
his stories published, but I knew he would never allow me to change any of his
writing. If he could only see what I’ve
done to them now. LOL. Anyway, self-publishing was just getting
started when he passed, so I set my mind on learning everything I could about
being an indie author.
o
I went indie for several years before I saw a tweet from Creativia Publishing. I always knew I wanted The
Secret of Excalibur to go through a publisher, so I checked them out, meet Julie,
and through her I submitted my MS to them.
I haven’t looked back or regretted my decision since.
·
Did
you ever self-publish? If yes, what made
you chose to sign with a small press, such as our indie publisher, Creativia?
o
Yes, for several years.
The one deciding factor for Creativia
is the fact they work with their
authors. They don’t dictate and we
end up with terrible looking book
covers. I’ve seen some cringe-worthy
covers from other small presses. But,
more than that, they actually pay for promotions and really try to get our
books noticed. I haven’t seen too many
other small presses go to those lengths.
·
If
you could do anything different, would you?
If you would, what would it be and why?
o
Well, right now, I’m too busy with work to really promote
myself. Once I retire, I might take the
publishing reins back into my own hands and go wider than Amazon. But, who knows, by then, the whole publishing
platform might be changed once again.
3.
You’re not just an author,
but you are a book reviewer. Just as you’ve received accolades for your
writing, you’ve also been acknowledged for your reviews. I’d love to talk about that, if I may.
·
What
motivated you into becoming a prominent book reviewer?
o
Well, it all started with having to have a blog in my author
platform. I find it really hard to talk
about myself, and even four years later, I still do. But I love reading, and I loved finding the
indie author community.
o
I’ve meet some really terrific writers, so I wanted to share
their work and promote them at the same time on my blog. I hate to admit, but I’ve slacked off lately
as I’ve been trying to get Book
3 of the Excalibur
Saga finished. But I intend to start
posting more Author
Interviews, and book reviews,
on my blog again.
·
Did
you commonly review books before you were a published author?
o
No, never. To be honest,
I never read an ebook until I started the whole ebook publishing gig. Now, I see how important they are to us small
time writers to get noticed.
·
If
no, do you think being an author has impacted your book reviewing in any
way? Has it contributed to your success
as an accomplished reviewer?
o
Yes it has. When I first
started doing book
reviews, I was pretty opinionated with my review. I’ve had some backlash due to being too
honest and critical, so I’ve learned to overlook some things. But, they still factor into my star rating.
·
What
do you look for in a book when you are reading it? Does the criteria change when you are looking
at it from a writer or reviewer stand point, and if so, why or how?
o
I find I’m more critical now as a writer. I see sentence structures through a writer’s
eyes, but, I’ve also learned how to become a better writer from some of the
books I’ve read and reviewed.
o
As a reader, I look for the enjoyment factor. Are the characters believable? Do they elicit a response from me, whether
good or bad? Does the plot have any holes
in it? Are there a lot of editing
errors? One of my major pet peeves.
4.
Let’s talk about the world of
Indie for a moment. There’s never been a
better time to be an independent writer, but even so, there are many
pitfalls. Still, there’s this blessed
community of indie writers and readers that makes it all worth it. In the next section of questions, I’d like to
focus on the roller coaster ride of this unique niche of publishing and some of
the obstacles and triumphs you have faced.
·
When
I first entered the industry, like all good writers, I did my research. However, I learned the most from the veteran
authors I befriended. What resources do
you think made the most impact on your knowledge-base of the industry? Has that changed over time or with your own
experiences?
o
Oh my gosh, I floundered around for a while, going from author
group to author group, trying to find a niche.
I always felt like an outsider as I felt like such a newbie. To be honest, I found the authors that were
doing well didn’t always take the time with us new authors. I am now in a small circle of friends/authors
with the intent to help us become better writers. We also help with new promotional ideas. But, I still have to say, the best feedback I
get now, is through all the Creativia
authors.
·
What
do you think is the biggest obstacle for an indie author? Was this something you or your friends have
dealt with, or is this something you see as a trend in the industry?
o
The biggest obstacle is getting our books noticed. Amazon is making this even harder since they
started their own imprint of books. They
push them over any others. Even the Trad
publishers have to pay Amazon to push their books. Some people are saying Amazon will eventually
kill the self-publishing world. We shall
see.
·
As
I said, I think the best part of publishing has to be the community. The support is amazing from readers and
writers alike. Do you agree, or what do
you think is the best aspect of publishing?
o
When you can find a good group of authors to hang with, Yes,
they can really help you get over the bad times. They are also there to cheer you on when your
books are doing awesome.
o
As for the readers, I’m still in the process of improving my mailing list. I have received some great feedback from my
readers there, and it’s always nice to know they love our books.
·
Now,
knowing you as I do, I’m aware of how involved you are with the indie community
as a writer, reader, and reviewer. You
blog and net-work better than most people I know – even those who are signed
with the bigger publishing houses.
Therefore, I feel like your opinion is not only valid, but
valuable. That being said, what do you
think is the biggest difference between traditional and indie authors? Do you think it’s just the funding behind
advertising or does that really matter since readers have a more personal
relationship with indie writers? I mean,
you and I are certainly more accessible to our audiences than someone like Stephenie
Meyer or Stephen
King.
o
Gosh, what a compliment!!
I don’t see myself as well net-worked.
But, the biggest difference is Trad publishers have the money to push
their books onto the bestseller lists.
They’ve actually rigged them. But
I also know indie authors who have made the USA or NYT bestseller lists. It just comes down to money and how many fans
you have to buy your books at just the right time.
o
I do believe that indie authors are more approachable. Still, there are a ton of readers who will
never buy indie. All they know, or want,
are trad books. I just recently
converted my Supervisor over to ebooks and indie writers. She loves them.
·
What’s
your view on the small press, traditional publishing houses, and
self-pubbing? Do you think they’re all
made equal as far as opportunities are concerned or do you think one option is
better than another, and why?
o
No, they are not all equal.
Take Creativia. I run in some groups where the authors are
with small presses like Creativia. Yet, their books have never been in the top
100 of their categories on Amazon. You
know why? The small presses don’t
promote their own books. Such a shame
and a waste. These poor authors spin
their wheels, spend countless hours marketing, and they just don’t get the
reach needed. It makes no sense to
me.
·
What
resources do you think made the most impact on your knowledge-base of the
industry?
o
How-to-do books on marketing and author platforms. Most are garbage, but the ones with good
information really helped me get my platform going.
·
What
advice would you give to a novice author trying to publish?
o
These are the musts: Get a good editor. Do not do it yourself! I did that with my first books and regretted
it. Get a talented designer to do your
book covers. DO NOT do them
yourself. And read.
o
Read other author’s books.
See how they word a sentence, set up a scene, what makes you love or
hate the book. Don’t emulate them, but
learn how to incorporate those same mechanisms in your own wiring.
o
And, of course, learn how to write. That’s a given. I didn’t even know that. There is a rhyme and reason why books have to
be written a certain way. Learn it.
·
What
was the best advice you feel you received?
o
Don’t take your bad reviews to heart. You will get them, no matter how well-written
your books are. Beware, there be trolls!
5.
Being indie, authors are
required to do a large amount of promotion and networking whether they’ve
signed with a small press or not. What’s
your approach to marketing?
Well,
I hate to admit, I’ve kind of taken a backseat to my marketing lately. I pushed it so hard for several years, I got
burnt out. So, I’ve changed my focus to my mailing list now. My main marketing was Tweeter, but everyone
and their mother promotes there now, so it just became redundant and pointless.
·
Being
friends with Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W.
Michael Gear, I’m able to get a perspective of the industry from authors
signed with agents and large traditional publishing houses. What I’ve learned from them is that, even in
their position, nothing beats connecting with your readers on a personal level;
networking is vital regardless of advertising funds. What do you do in order to connect with your
readers? Do you have a particular
service that you feel is better than another, and if so, what is it and why do
you think it works so well?
o
This is where your mailing list comes in. So many authors dish them, but they are vital
to your growth. I currently have about
1100 subscribers on my list. Most don’t
interact, but the ones that do are priceless.
o
I started doing Amazon Gift Card giveaways about every two to
three months. They have to answer a
question from one of my stories, so it gets them reading my books too.
o
I’m also starting a street team from the ones
interested in being my beta readers.
·
A
lot of indie authors invest in “swag” in order to help promote themselves or a
particular book they’ve written. How do
you feel about this? Do you think it’s a
good idea, or a waste of resources?
o
I’ve never tried it. The
problem is, you have to mail them. I
don’t drive, so that poses a problem for me.
·
Working
with other writers on a collective novel of short stories to showcase ones
writing is a good tool for reaching new audiences. How do you feel about them? Are you involved in any anthologies – why or
why not?
o
I was. In 2014, Silent Night was a story I
wrote for a Christmas anthology. The
book received very few sales and no reviews.
Unless you have some top name authors in the book, I just don’t see them
as a good marketing device. A lot of
readers don’t like anthologies.
6.
We all have days when we
question why we do what we do. I think
that’s true no matter what industry you work in, honestly. On days like these, how do you motivate
yourself? What encourages you to
continue to not only create, but to publish as well?
Yeah,
there’s been times when I ask myself, ‘why keep doing it.’ But, then the damn characters pipe up and
say, ‘Hey, I’m still waiting in this stupid box! You’re not writing fast enough.’ Seriously though, what else do I have to
do? It’s a hobby more than a job.
·
Do
you ever get writers block, and if so, how do you overcome it?
o
Yes. Even though I’m
working from outlines, there are times when I’m changing the story that the
dialogue or characters just don’t seem to mesh right. My solution is playing games. I love computer games.
·
What
rejuvenates you, bringing you fresh ideas for stories?
o
I try NOT to think of new stories. I have plenty on my plate already.
7.
Question six leads me into a
new grouping of questions because most indie authors I know have difficulties
recovering from harsh, negative reviews.
As an avid reader and prolific reviewer,
I’m curious to pick your brain about reviews.
·
I,
personally, agree with the ideology that every review has merit. If, for no other reason, it helps to get you
exposure. What do you think about
this? Are bad reviews really bad?
o It’s taken me a
while to learn this, but, no, they are not.
Bad reviews actually legitimize your book. Readers will not be fooled by a book with all
5 star reviews.
o I recently did
a survey with my mailing list, and most never really look at reviews. Or, if they did, they only read the 3 or
below stars. Just like I do.
o I know the game
authors play to get those 5 star reviews.
And that’s why Amazon is cracking down on fellow authors reviewing each
other’s books.
·
Do
you read reviews before you select a novel?
If you do, what do you look for in the review that helps you chose the
book or not?
o
If I’m buying the book for my own pleasure, I will read the 3
and below star reviews. I also look at
the date of the reviews. If they are
complaining about editing errors, I’ll try to find newer reviews to see if they
mention the same thing. I won’t buy a
book full of editing errors.
·
Has
a negative review ever led you to picking up the book opposed to deterring you
from reading it?
o
Yes, depending on the review.
8.
What can we expect to see
from you over the coming year?
·
Do
you maintain an annual writing strategy or do you sort of “wing it”, based on
the characters and stories that dominate your mind?
o
I’m really trying to write at least 400 to 600 words a day.
·
What
is your current WIP?
Thanks
again, Sahara. You are a fascinating person and a beloved
friend. I wish you all the best in life
– you deserve it!
Thank you for having me on your blog, Julie. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am
now.
In Memory of Michelle by Sahara Foley
