When looking back on your life, you are probably able to identify a handful of people who took a chance on you before you were successful - someone who believed in you just enough to take that first chance. It might be the first person who ever hired you for a job when you had no experience on your resume. If you’re a writer, it might be a new reader, a literary agent, a publisher, a blogger…
For me, one of those people was an angel God sent to me in the form of Laura Seeber. Back in the day, when I first became an author and didn’t have much of a web presence or following, Laura and I connected on Twitter (you’re probably noticing that most of my writing friends come from Twitter haha!). An exciting opportunity was born. Laura was running a website at the time called, “The Writer’s Thread” and was searching for talented writers to interview and to post articles about their writing experiences. She saw my passion for writing, and so graciously invited me to be a contributor. My task? I was to share how I deal with a serious case of the “writing blahs.” This was a big deal for me, because it was my very first opportunity to get my name out there and flex my blog writing skills. Later on, she invited me to return with my second article, “Five Things I Wish I Had Known Before Publishing My First Book.”
The second article ended up becoming a sort of accountability piece for me…a self-written time capsule. As I learned more about the book publishing industry in following years, I would go back and review that article to see how much I’d learned. It turns out there were more than just five things I wish I’d known. As success built, other indie authors began reaching out to me, asking for advice, and I found I was telling them the same things over and over. I sat down one day and typed up a new guide, which ended up becoming an entire ebook titled, “Things I Wish I Had Known Before Publishing My First Book: A Quick Guide,” which ended up making it to #4 on Amazon for Marketing and Advertising books. Here's the link:
Laura took a chance on me, a young, teen writer (at the time) who was just trying to build her web presence. And it really ended up building my credibility and inspiring me to help other writers. So Laura, thank you for being one of those amazing, rare people who took a first chance on me!
As subscribers to my blog, you know what I have to do when there’s someone who has inspired me…I have to interview them! As a professional freelance writer and owner of a publishing company, Laura is incredibly knowledgeable about the world of book publishing, and she spreads that wisdom and knowledge to other writers, fostering their growth and development on this sometimes rocky journey.
So without further ado, let’s begin the interview!
God bless everyone with an amazing weekend!
-Andrea Hintz
Tell us about yourself, what you do, and about your background in the literary industry!
I think the best way to describe my relationship and background in the literary industry is one of a fixer. I have worked primarily as a freelance ghostwriter and editor for a number of different companies and individuals. My services are usually called upon when a manuscript needs to be cleaned up, or when an author can’t quite finish what they start, or a publisher has a series or topic that they want to explore but no author in their camp that can do the job to their satisfaction. It’s a set up that many others enjoy and excel at; we work in the background, somewhat unseen and unheard by so many, but needed by so many more.
It’s a somewhat strange relationship, really. Because I am not employed by the giants in the industry, or even smaller publishers. If you went up to someone and said hey – do you know Laura Seeber? there is a very good chance they will give you a puzzled look. I rarely get credit for what I do (or have done), but I am paid a reasonable rate.
And here’s the other thing; because I float from place to place and work where I am needed, I have the ability to eavesdrop on the industry – to see where the trends may or may not be leading and change what I do accordingly.
In addition, it allows me to drink in, and learn from the escapades of other publishers – and pick and choose what I think works for Antimony and Elder Lace Press and what doesn’t.
What advice would you have for authors about navigating the current writing and publishing industry?
First piece of advice: TAKE YOUR TIME! There are literally thousands of publishers out there that are vying for your writing and talent. It’s better to take two, three years to a) polish up your manuscript and b) find a publisher that you can have a good relationship with.
Second piece of advice: REALIZE THAT THIS IS A BUSINESS! Publishers are publishing things to make a profit. That’s their aim. Providing a way for different voices to be heard, or new stories to be told will ALWAYS take a back seat to making a profit. You may have the greatest story ever told, but if you and the publisher can’t figure out how to market it, or find a viable audience for it, it’s not going to happen.
Third piece of advice: PROTECT YOUR INTERESTS! As I said earlier, publishers are in business to make money, so things such as contracts, deadlines, even publishing rights and copyright ownership will be written to favor them. Therefore, if you are serious about making money as a writer, it pays to have someone with a legal background, especially in contract law to look over the proposed contract for things that might not be reasonable (eg – a publisher’s demand for full copyright ownership).
Fourth piece of advice: REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A BRAND! On social media, in person, even during interviews or talking with your fans, your book or story is only one part of the total package. If people like you, they’ll most likely buy your book. If they don’t, for whatever reason, they won’t.
Does this mean that you should turn into a yes man and have no opinions? Absolutely not. But how you express those opinions can make or break your success.
What do you believe are the main benefits of indie publishing and traditional publishing?
Hmm that’s a good question, and one that is hard to answer. Everything is always changing in the industry, and yet staying the same at the same time. It really depends on what you, as an author want and need.
True indie publishing, where you write, edit, publish, buy the ISBN numbers, do all the marketing, etc gives you the most freedom of expression. But at the same time, you have ALL the responsibility, and take all the blame if something fails. It can be a daunting undertaking, and most indie authors can’t do everything by themselves. The question is, do you think that you can put out the best product you can, market it with fierce competition from all sides, and still stay sane? If you do, then go for it. Just be prepared for a LOT of work.
Good traditional publishing – and there are a lot of bad traditional publishers out there – offers something that true indie publishing simply cannot. Expertise and support. If you find and work with a quality traditional publisher, some of the heavy load will be lifted from your shoulders. Notice I said some – the author will always be responsible for crafting a good story, applying edits, and maintaining his or her brand. That’s the way it has always been. Even before the advent of indie publishing, this was true. Often the publishers simply arranged things for the author such as book signings, talks, etc. The author still had to come and do the legwork!
What do you believe is the secret to crafting a good story?
First, forget the nonsense that your story has to be unique or revolutionary in the literary world. Nothing is further from the truth. Just look at how many best selling stories out there are merely re-imaginings of Shakespeare, or Yeats, or some other great author. And how many of those are re-imaginings of something written earlier? I would say that quite a few.
The trick is to find a way to tell the story your way, using your voice. You’re not telling your story. You’re telling a GREAT story, your way. Think of it like this. You and your friends are stilling around the campfire telling stories. Your voice pipes up with the story of a headless horseman in the woods. It’s a story they’ve heard a thousand times. And yet they still turn eagerly to hear you tell it. Why? Because your style and voice gives it a fresh perspective, a new outlook.
But how do you do that? You have to write. You have to read. It really is that simple. The more you write, the more your voice will come out. The more you read, the more input you can get to change your voice as you see fit. If you give me a typewritten page and tell me it is by a well known horror author, I can probably tell you within a paragraph or two which one it is. Why? Because the author has written so much that their voice simply leaps off the page at me.
Do you have any tips for writing mysteries?
Ooo boy. That’s an interesting question. First, let me say that these tips worked for me. They may not work for everyone.
First – do your research. Mysteries are about the details and logic. Don’t be lazy. If you’re basing your police procedural off of a force in Bangor Maine, make sure you understand how the laws work in Maine, what the common police tactics are, and even the types of criminals and people that they may interact with. By doing good research you can build a world that has a great foundation to build from.
Second – start at the end. By that I don’t mean write the last few chapters first. Rather start with the crime, and work backwards, just as your protagonist would to do your outline. That way you can make sure that clues are inserted in a way that makes it reasonable and logical that your detective would uncover them. Once you have that – or the skeleton of the story-- you can start to flesh it out a bit more with all the details from your research and imagination.
Third – Don’t forget about the setting and minor characters! So many times I see this-- the detective and villain are developed into three-dimensional characters with depth, faults and virtues – and everything else is left flat and gray. Real life isn’t like that. So why should your story be?
Fourth – Use red herrings and false clues sparingly, but don’t be afraid of them. People in real life make mistakes, so your characters should as well.
Thank you so much for listening to me ramble on. It was fun!
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