Does Social Media Help Sell Books?

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blogging, books, Facebook, indie authors, Indie books, indie writers, self-published authors, selling books, social media, Twitter, vlogging, YouTube

If you’re a newcomer author, you probably have heard that you need to establish a social media presence in order to sell your books. It may seem daunting if you are unfamiliar with how social media works when it comes to selling something, but it can be easily be learned. It also can be easily learned that some of what you hear about selling books via social media may not be true.

Image by Blogtrepreneur via Flickr

During the five years since I released my first book, I’ve learned a lot about how social media works, in terms of business. So, in this post, I am going to give my thoughts and opinions on the whole social media thing. Remember, this is based on my experience.

First things first: no, you are not going to sell books via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and all the others.

You might have heard people tell you to provide links to your books on these social media platforms, and constantly provide these links, in order to have success as an author. But that is not how it works. In my experience, very few people are going to click on a link on Twitter or Google+, and go to Amazon or Smashwords, let alone actually buy your book. Those social media posts may come across as spam for a lot of people.

In my opinion, the best time to ever provide links to your book(s) on social media is when you have a sale, a big promo going on, or something seasonal may attract people to that link. For example, it’s October, and my books is about vampires. Since it is the month of all things dark and spooky, I will tweet a few times a link to my book on Amazon or Goodreads. It may not work; it may come across as spam. But it doesn’t hurt. I just will only do it a handful of times.

In the meantime, I better do something else with my social media presence. I need to add more content to my feeds in order to draw attention to my authorship. And that is what social media is all about: drawing attention to something. Whether it is a person, a business, a promotion, whichever – social media announces, “I am here!” And that helps get word out about your books.

Remember, selling books is a business. Writing is a craft, an art. Selling the work is a business, and social media is a big part of how businesses sell their products.

It is a way to interact with followers that could lead to sales. It is also a way to meet other people in the same field. I’ve met quite a few other authors through social media. Eventually, word gets out about your book(s) and people may just pick them up and read them.

But no, social media does not sell books. Don’t count on it, don’t rely on it.

You are probably wondering if blogging – which is form of social media – sells books. Well, I’ve had a few sales that way, but not a lot. But that is not why I blog; I do not blog to sell books. I blog to get the word out about myself as an author. I blog because it is my way of talking to people. I blog to start conversations with other authors. I blog because it is fun.

That being said, I am going to start a new way of reaching people: starting next week, I am going to vlog – meaning video blog. I am going to set up a YouTube channel where I would be doing the same thing I do here, only I’ll be speaking rather than typing/writing. No, I won’t stop blogging altogether. I like this blog, and I want to keep it going. I’ll just be finding a new way to reach people as I continue on as an author. That will happen sometime around next week.

In the meantime, I will continue using social media to get the word about myself and my book(s). And you do the same. Fill your channels with content related to you and your work. Let others get to know you. That may help – just help! – sell your work.

 

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You’re All Going to Think I’m Crazy…

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authors, Being an Author, books, eBooks, indie authors, Indie books, Kindle, novels, On Writing, sequel, vampire books, vampire fiction, vampire novels, vampire trilogy, vampires, writing

Seriously, you are.

And I’m pretty sure you know what I am talking about.

It had been on my mind for a little while, and took a good butt kicking to get the drive going again. But I am glad that engine is roaring once more, and I doubt I am going to look back.

I am once again working on the sequel to The Dark Proposal.

Yeah. I’m certain some of you are rolling your eyes now.

After stopping, restarting and stopping again, I am giving it another go. And this time I am going to go all the way with it.

The last time I stopped was, as I explained, mainly for financial reasons. As much as I wanted to keep working on the sequel, I was concerned about how expensive it is to self-publish. But after doing a little research, I found it is not that unusual for writers to do crowd-source funding for their work. And that is what I plan to do. By the time I am done with the first draft of this book, I will start a campaign to raise money to get my book edited, get the cover made, and a few other promotional things to get the word out about it. But that won’t be until the fall, perhaps.

Some of you might be thinking that I am struggling with the main character, Claire McCormick, because I portrayed her as insecure, naive and kind of foolish, which is not easy to follow-up to in the sequel. While my intention was never to make her a strong, kick-ass female, I am finding ways to develop her strengths as well as have her face her weaknesses. Claire’s story is about personal responsibility, which ties in with the vampires’ story.

Some of you may also be wondering about my other WIP, “The Cats”. That I am setting aside until I complete my vampire trilogy. I may work on it from time to time, but my priority is my vampire stories, so once I complete them, then I’ll continue on with “The Cats”.

Yeah, being an author can be a mindboggling thing. You have to weigh-in writing what you want versus what makes since business-wise. After all, writing books is a business, whether you self-publish or go the traditional route. Money talks, and you have consider how you’re going to spend your money, or obtain the funds, to get your work out to the world. But sometimes passion talks to, and if it’s in your gut to write something, or finish something, than there are times when you have to give in. Besides, going with your gut works all the time.

So, without any further ado – onward with the sequel to The Dark Proposal.

BTW, I’ve already given it a working title: “A Light in the Darkness”.

If “The Dark Proposal” Had a Theme Song…

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anguish, books, dark themes, eBooks, Evanescence, evil vampires, indie, indie authors, Indie books, korn, music, NA, New Adult, paranormal books, self-published books, songs, soundtrack, theme song, thoughtless, thriller books, vampires

Yesterday marked the three year anniversary of when I published “The Dark Proposal” on Amazon Kindle. Since then, it has sold or been downloaded for free just under 800 times on either Amazon or Smashwords. Even I still can’t believe it.

As I work on its sequel, I am being inspired by some songs that I feel capture the essence of the follow-up, which are motivating my writing. While I won’t reveal which songs these are just yet 😉  I will reveal one song I feel really captures “The Dark Proposal”.

So basically, if my first book were to ever have a single theme song, I feel it would be Evanescence’s cover of the Korn song, “Thoughtless”. Not only do the lyrics and metal sound do TDP justice, but I feel Amy Lee’s anguished voice echoes Claire McCormick’s pain and terror.

Behold:

 

Introducing…Video Services for Indie Authors!

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affordable, author interview, author interviews, book trailers, books, indie authors, indie writers, interview, self-published, self-published authors, trailers, video, videos

Hello everyone!

You’ve probably been wondering what I’ve been up to in recent weeks, since announcing I will be getting back to writing the sequel to The Dark Proposal. Well, I have been scribbling notes here and there, plus writing background stories on each character in order to flesh them out more. I am totally loving this process! Why didn’t I think of it before?

But I have also been developing something else to help the indie author scene. Some of you may be aware of my Author Interviews, where I conduct and post interviews of self-published authors. It’s been a thrill to do this, especially since the authors and the readers of this blog seem to enjoy them.

But lately, I’ve been working bringing my author interviews to the next step, and I know I am ready to unveil it.

I will be offering video services for self-published and small press authors. The services will be:

Post-production book trailers

Video interviews of authors.

You see, I have a background as a video journalist, and I would like to use the equipment that I still have to help authors reach their audiences. Book trailers seem to be the obvious route, especially since I have a video editing software. I would love to create book trailers that will include actors and cool effects, but alas, I could only work with the usual stock images and stock music. But maybe someday…

As for video interviews of authors, this is where I will take my author interviews to the next level. I will do short videos where the author simply talks about their books, the inspiration behind it, its writing process and what they hope readers will get out of it. It will be a promo video where the author voices their book’s journey to their audience. I don’t think many authors get the chance to vocally speak to their audience, so this would be a great chance for them.

However, there’s one small problem: I could only do this for authors in the New York City area. I don’t have the funds or team to do this outside of the Big Apple, so unfortunately, my target area is limited. Granted, there are many writers in New York, but it would be great for me to get those in, say, Michigan, Florida, Oregon, Canada, Europe, etc. Well, maybe next time…

Anyway, so here are my services and my rates. If my rates seem low, well, its because I understand that many self-published and small press writers have very tight budgets. I’m trying to be fair here.

POST PRODUCTION BOOK TRAILER:
– 1 minute trailer          $150
– 3 minute trailer          $200
– 4 or more minutes     $250

In addition, if the author wishes for me to purchase the music or stock images, that would be added to the tab. I am willing to discuss who should be responsible for purchasing such items for the book trailer. But if it is me who does it, I will have the author reimburse me when I forward an invoice.

VIDEO AUTHOR INTERVIEWS
– 3 to 6 minutes             $250

BOOK TRAILER WITH SNIPPETS OF AUTHOR INTERVIEW INCLUDED:
– An extra $100 included to whichever aforementioned service you choose.

I will be including each video – of either service – on not only this blog, but a YouTube channel I will set up. I will also promote it on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. I will also allow the author to use the video of his or her website and author platform. There will be an agreement between the two of us over this so nothing gets confused.

Sounds interesting to you? Let me know by shooting me an email at megancashmanbooks [at] gmail [dot] com

Author Interview: Tiffany Apan

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author, author interview, author interviews, books, indie authors, interviews, novellas, novels, paranormal, self-published authors

For some writers, writing is not the only art form where they express their creativity. Some are musicians, painters or actors. One author, Tiffany Apan, is one of those kinds. She is also a musician, singer and actress. However, writing is her main love, as she explains in her interview below:

MC: Tiffany, not only are you an author, but you are also a musician, singer, actress and producer! You’re a true artist! What drives your need to create?

TA: Well thanks! I’d say a very active imagination that began as far back as I can recall and never truly went away. My brain always seems to be active, which I do consider to be a good thing (better to have an overactive mind then one that gets absolutely no use, right?). But I’m also a great learner. I love learning, especially of history and other places. And when I learn something new, I automatically want to integrate it into an art form of some kind, be it writing, music, filming, or all of the above. 🙂

MC: Out of all of your artistic talents, which one do you enjoy the most?

TA: I would say writing. To me, writing can easily encompass music and film. Writing and plotting a story – be it for a novel, a song, or a screenplay – is at the root of a lot of creations and bringing a story to life.

MC: Your “The Birthrite Series” is filled with history, dark fantasy and romance. Where did the inspiration from this come from?

TA: Oh many, many, many things. Back in late 2011/early 2012, I had a rather vivid dream that pretty much stayed with me. The dream entailed me in deep conversation with a person that would go on to become a key character in The Birthrite Series. And it’s interesting, because what was originally supposed to be a more fun and adventerous time travel romance under the working title Through Time, eventually morphed into something completely different. In fact, none of the main characters from the first book in the series even appeared in the original draft and concept. But as I wrote Through Time, it just didn’t feel right. I mean, the general idea was there but something was missing. At the time, I was also reading through Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. In one passage, he compares writing a story to discovering a small fossil, and then continuing to dig until you uncover the entire dinosaur. And sometimes it will seem as though you are shoveling nothing but crap. But eventually you will make the great discovery. That is exactly how writing The Birthrite was, so I can totally relate!

As time went on, more characters seemed to literally just “walk on,” and characters I thought were just going to be minor ended up being major key characters. The story seemed to build upon itself as I did research and created the world in which the people of the story inhabit. And the story went from a fun adventurous romance one to one that was still fun, adventurous and romantic, but darker and having a lot more mystery. Add to that my passion for history and research of it.

The working title then had to change due to the story’s new direction. Bloodlines was the new working title (which I knew would eventually be changed since there already are so many projects out there with that title).

In early 2013 as I was fleshing out what would be the official first draft, I started posting chapters and excerpts of my unedited work onto what is now my official blog in order to gain a perspective of how much interest there might be in the story. Well, the interest definitely seemed to be there, so in the midst of that little experiment, I started revising and copyrighting it for print.

Finally in I believe that in early 2014 (or late 2013), I settled on the official series title, The Birthrite and decided to call book one Descent. Then I decided to release a spin off novelette with Descent titled Sacred Atonement: A Novelette (The Birthrite Series, #1.5). As of December 2014, the beginning of the series has been officially available both digitally and in paperback form. The next installments are set for release later this summer.

Recently, I started work for the Depreciation Lands Museum, a historical museum dedicated to bringing the 18th century to life. With all the intense research I did for Descent and Sacred Atonement, working for this museum has given me even more access to sources that allow for deeper research. Those running the museum also take care to immerse the workers in all things 18th century, including offering training in period tasks such as cooking over a campfire and hearth oven to drop spindle classes (I will be taking the latter this month). Since The Birthrite Series delves deeper into history as the series continues (half of the first book, Descent, takes place in the mid 1800s and the latter half in the year 1931), I feel this will add new layers to the story and my writing in general.

As I research more and more, I am fascinated with how distorted many events and eras have become over time. Combine that with my love for Tolkien, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, the Brontes, and romantic stories, and you pretty much have my inspiration for the series.

MC: What are your plans for “The Birthrite Series”?

TA: Well as of now, the first installments, Descent (The Birthrite Series, #1) and Sacred Atonement: A Novelette (The Birthrite Series, #1.5) and Made In Heaven: A Birthrite Series Short are available both digitally and in print. As for the next ones, Kindred (The Birthrite Series, #2) and Saturn Sun: A Novella (The Birthrite Series, #2.5) in late July and mid August. The 29th of this month (June) will bring the cover and synopsis reveal for Kindred and Saturn Sun. A few great blogs are involved, including Screamzine and the official blog of urban fantasy author, Susan Reid. Then in late August, I plan to send the series on a blog tour. So stay tuned for that. 🙂

Regarding writing the series as a whole, the plan is to have five novels with a couple novellas and shorts in between. However, I don’t believe in confining a story (and usually stories do not want to be). So if it has to go beyond the five novels, than so be it. There is also a lot of history and back story within the series. Meaning that even after the final book is written, there may be room for a prequel or a Birthrite-verse spinoff. So we shall see. 🙂

MC: Describe your writing process. For example, do you write with a laptop or by hand? Do you use a specific kind of pen, etc?

TA: When I am first getting a concept down, I do use the old fashioned method of writing by hand. For some reason, that actually allows me to more freely develop back story and make research notes. But when I sit down to do an actual draft, I’m all about the laptop.

I usually write at my desk in my office/creative space, either early in the morning or late at night when all is still and quiet. Though sometimes having on a piece music that reflects the mood of a particular character and/or scene definitely helps.

MC: What advice would you give to someone who dreams about writing and completing a novel?

TA: Be prepared to do a lot of leg work if you want to do it well. You might find yourself having to do much research and fleshing out of character backgrounds long before you can even begin to write the actual story. While there are some authors that can “get it right the first time”, those are usually the experienced writers who have been writing a really long time. And even they need at least one revision for typos and clunky sentences. Don’t be afraid of the revision and editing process, and get it out of your head that everything you write will be absolutely lovely and flawless. Because it won’t be. In other words, don’t be that guy who uploads his or her first draft loaded with errors to Amazon.

Also, the nice thing about publishing independently is that it does give you plenty of opportunity to periodically look through your manuscript and make corrections, even after it is published (because there will also be something you missed).

But all in all, when you see your story and characters come to life and the book is the best it can be, the feeling of accomplishment is tremendous. Especially when you know you are doing yourself and characters justice by putting all of you out in the best light possible.

To learn more about Tiffany, check out her many presences online:

Official Website: http://tiffanyapan.com

Official Blog: http://tiffanyapanwritingproject.blogspot.com

New online magazine: http://partingofveilswebzine.blogspot.com

Facebook Artist Page: http://facebook.com/tiffanyapanfanpage

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TIFFANYAPAN

YouTube: http://youtube.com/TiffanyApan

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/tiffanyapan

Authorgraph (for digital autographs!): http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/TIFFANYAPAN

Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/tiffanyapan

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/tiffanyapan

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/tiffanyapan

I’m Excited About Oyster and Scribd

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books, eBooks, indie authors, Indie books, Netflix, Oyster, Oyster.com, Scribd, self-publishers, self-publishing, Smashwords

Some of you may be aware that there’s a Netflix for eBooks in town. Or, on the Internet, actually 🙂

Last fall, Smashwords notified its authors that it was teaming up with Oyster and Scribd as a way to distribute its ebooks to readers. These two websites operate kind of like Netflix. Meaning, a subscriber pays a certain amount each month to have “borrowed” books sent to their eReader. There is also a “recommended for you” part on these sites, which Netflix has too. This will allow word of mouth to come into play for many authors, which is the best way to sell anything for anyone.

And yes, there is a financial pay-off, but that all depends how much of a book a reader actually reads. There is a compensation (not a lot, but its still money) when a book is actually read from cover-to-cover. There are other payments, albeit smaller, when half or two-thirds of the book is read. So all in all, Oyster and Scribd offer indie authors both a chance to find new readers and get some compensation for their investment.

But I have heard about some writers being uneasy with this. Some of them aren’t too optimistic because both Oyster and Scribd are new ventures, and there is a concern that they might fail. Others claimed to have used one of these sites before they teamed up with Smashwords, and they had to go to great lengths to get their royalties. And there are some who say Oyster and Scribd are going to cheapen the book industry because it is so cheap to get books, particularly eBooks.

Regarding the first concern, many business ventures start off slowly before taking off. Look at Twitter. Many laughed at that idea, and now the CEO is laughing his way to the bank. I am optimistic that Oyster and Scribd will succeed, because it was inevitable that an eBook loaning site will start with the advent of eBooks.

Now as for the shady side of those two sites, well, I don’t think Smashwords’ Mark Coker would want to do business with something that will hurt the authors who come to his site. Since authors like me are half the reason why Smashwords is a success (the other half is from the readers who buy their books there), why would he want to anger us? We’re like his bread and butter.

As for cheapening the book business, yes I admit it sounds a bit scary. The publishing industry keeps changing, thanks to the Internet and the ever-evolving digital technology. But the music industry was turned upside down by file sharing and iTunes, and it is still standing. Netflix’s only casualty were video store chains, like Blockbuster. But movies are still being made and still generating money. As technology changes, so must we.

But I don’t think these two sites, or any other route for authors to sell or spread the word about their books, will destroy the book business. Things are little shook up now, but I’m sure everything will work out in the end.

I’m excited for these ventures, and I don’t see why they would fail. Here in the U.S., Netflix and Redbox are a success, so why can’t those two book loaning sites be successful with readers? Plus, the idea of more people coming across my book sounds great to me! And if they only read half of it, well, anything towards what I invested in is fine by me.

By the way, if you are an author on Smashwords, the way to have your books included on Oyster and Scribd is to have them in the premium catalog.

Wednesday Interview: Irving Podolsky

Tags

authors, eBooks, indie authors, Indie books, interviews, self-publishing

Imagine coming of age in the 1970s. Sounds like fun considering all the wild hedonism of that decade – the sex before the AIDS crisis, the drugs before cocaine was realized to be addictive. There was also no Internet, no cable and no cellphones.

Author Irving Podolsky takes a look of a young man in his early twenties trying to figure out life in such a time in Los Angeles in his New Adult trilogy – Irv’s Odyssey. Podolsky knows that era pretty well, and came up with an interesting reason to explore that time period.

Here he is:

MC: What inspired you to become a writer?

IP: What inspired me as a writer? To answer that question I should tell you want motivated me first. To be totally honest, if I write, I want to be read.

Why is it important to be read?

So I feel like I matter, that I’ve made a tiny positive ripple in the World.

I don’t know how, when and why I grabbed the idea that I need to justify my existence, but I’ve been pushing it since I was little – in fine art, playing music, working in the film business, and this time by writing a series of three novels.

So back to your question: What inspired me to become a writer?

When I started authoring extended prose, the reactions from readers showed me I had engaged them, and that they wanted more. Only then did I think to myself, ‘Yeah. I can do this!’

Before that, the challenge of organizing thousands of interesting words was intimidating. I got past that by chunking down my story into shorter sections so that I could give them out for criticism and advice. (This is the job of book editors in traditional publishing.)

By getting feedback along the way, I never veered that far off course and the enthusiasm I was feeling from readers encouraged me to keep writing and finish all three books. That’s how I became a novelist – I knew, out of the gate, that what I wrote wanted to be read, and just not by friends.

MC: You say the main character of your Irv’s Odyssey trilogy lives in your mind. Did the character come to you on it’s own, or did something in your mind lead to the creation of Irv?

IP: Who is Irving Podolsky? He’s that part of me that makes wiser, more mature decisions. He does that because he’s got a “coach” watching his moves and correcting them on the page. When I read what Irv does and says, I realize I could be more like my guy if only I let my Inner Advisor guide me like it shapes Irv.

Check out Irving’s Odyssey on Amazon!

Before I took on that massive job of scribing three novels, I had written a number of screenplays under my own name, one of which was bought and packaged but never went into production. All of those scripts were totally fabricated plots and characters.

But with the Irv’s Odyssey trilogy, I decided to tap a resource of story content I had never used before. That well of characters and plots was my own bazaar life from 1970 to 1975. But I didn’t want to write my memoir. I wanted to write a novel. Hence, the character Irving Podolskly was born who tells his story in the first person.

Okay, you’re doing the math. Unless Irv was five in 1970, and even if he WAS five in 1970, he’s OLD now.

Yep, the real ME is “old”. Sort of. But I’m young too. You don’t have to give up youth to gain years of maturity. Irv is that part of me that first discovered the secrets of life and was wowed by them. They don’t go away if you don’t stop looking and I still watch for magical jewels everyday.

And I’m still amazed.

That’s what I mean when I say that Irv lives in the mind of this writer. He’s the Peter Pan in us all; that spirit that doesn’t grow old unless we ignore it.

Also, “Irving Podolsky” is my writer persona and not the ME my wife asks to take out the garbage and refill her coffee cup.

MC: What made you decide to self-publish?

IP: As many writers and readers know, the publishing industry is drastically changing. Financing is tight and the price readers are willing to pay for content is dropping. The traditional publishing industry can no longer afford to take risks and the boutique publishers don’t have the cash for saturation marketing. That means every publisher is trying to sell what is already popular and every writer (except the super stars) are left with the responsibility of building his or her own platform – our fans, followers and book sales.

I am a debut novelist and I did not write within a trendy genre. Consequently, not a single agent would read my manuscript. After the first six rejections I saw the message on the wall. Sure, I knew that six passes weren’t many, but the reason always the same: I had not written what was currently producing mass sales.

I knew I could spend a year soliciting more agents or I could use that time getting published. I also knew that self publishing would probably be a better option, unless the Big Six took me on with a lot of promotion. Without an agent, and without a paranormal, YA romance, that was highly unlikely.

So I produced the books myself and here’s the upside of self publishing.

I own everything. I hired the cover design artist and guided his illustrations. I controlled all interior content and design. And best of all, I control distribution and royalties.

Within traditional publishing, if an author’s work doesn’t catch fire within six months, his/her book is pulled from distribution and bookstores. For a nominal fee I can keep my books in world wide circulation indefinitely. And that’s important because it gives me the time to build a following and draw reviewers.

Print-On-Demand publishing, print-as-needed instant distribution of content, changed the rules of book publishing forever, and to the benefit of we writers.

MC: Some believe NA/New Adult won’t go anywhere because it is not a real genre and only a marketing gimmick. What are your thoughts on that?

IP: I don’t think that “New Adult” is a marketing gimmick. I think it’s another marketing sub-category. Nothing wrong with that if it helps writers connect with readers.

I did not set out to write for any genre when I started my books. Once finished I called them coming-of-age, which is out of fashion. Actually the concept isn’t, but the genre name changed. It’s now called young adult or new adult.

In February of 2011, an agent asked me where she would find my novels in a bookstore. I told her they would be stacked on the shelf next to Poe, as in Edgar Allan – Podolsky…Poe…Potok…etc.

Putting my work amongst literary fiction wasn’t secure enough for her and she passed on my pages, again without reading them. Just eighteen months later, I can tell her now, “Irv’s Odyssey would go to the New Adult section.”

That’s how fast the book business changes. As I said, it’s currently working better for writers. If agents and publishers need another category in order to pitch a book, let’s give it to them. I’m happy about the New Adult Genre.

Learn more about Irving Podolsky at these sites:

Goodreads

Click here to learn more about Irv’s Odyssey – www.IrvingsJourney.com.

Wednesday Interview: Michael Brookes

Tags

authors, books, criminal minds, criminals, indie authors, interviews, psychopaths, writers

It’s that time of the week again!

This week, we have British novelist Michael Brookes. Author of “The Cult of Me”, Brookes is a game

developer when he is not writing stories about the criminal mind:

Megan Cashman: What inspired you to become a writer?

Michael Brookes: I’ve always enjoyed telling stories and I seem to be full of them. I started with short stories and more recently moved into full novels.

Megan Cashman: Describe your writing process

Michael Brookes: Everything starts with an idea, usually in the form of a ‘What if?’ question. For The Cult of Me it started with wondering what would happen to someone who grew up with a power that meant he had no real boundaries.

Megan Cashman: Your novel “The Cult of Me” is about a prison inmate that can be described as a psychopath. What made you want to tackle such a subject?

 

Michael Brookes: On the face of it the main character might appear as a psychopath, but the reality is a bit more complicated. In essence he’s a kid that hasn’t had to grow up, because he’s ability to invade people’s minds means that he can always do what he wants.

Another aspect that interested me is the angle of bad people doing good things for the wrong reasons.It’s a theme that a lot of my writing covers.

Megan Cashman: What do you think fascinates people about criminals and psychopaths?

Michael Brookes: There are two reasons for this interest. The first is a perceived glamour. Rightly or wrongly there is the idea that the life of certain criminals is an interesting one, compared to what people think are their own lives.

The other reason is one of understanding. Some criminals have a mind set that most people cannot understand. People like to try and understand what they don’t.

Click here to find “The Cult of Me” on Amazon!

 

Megan Cashman: What sort of future do you think the publishing industry has?

Michael Brookes: A tough question. The big publishers will continue to dominate the actual money making for selling books. I can see programs like KDP Select where authors are paid for readers borrowing their book becoming more significant.

A big issue for authors (and other media content producers)is the devaluation of content. If you look at the prices of e-books in particular they are often less than the price of a cup of coffee. Becoming supported by a more subscription based system seems like a more sustainable way forward as well as supporting new authors.

Here’s where you can learn more about Michael Brookes:

Blog: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452691.Michael_Brookes

Twitter: @TheCultofMe

Wednesday Interview: Rob Watts

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authors, books, folklore, Iceland, indie authors, interviews, writers

Say hello to this week’s featured author, Rob Watts! He is the author of horror/suspense novels with a folkloric twist to one of them, called “Huldufolk”. Here he is:

Megan Cashman: What inspired you to get into writing?

Rob Watts: When I was in college, I took a creative writing class as an elective, not expecting to get much out of it other than hopefully a passing grade so I could complete the required credits for my degree. As it turned out, I really enjoyed it. If memory serves, I wrote a short story about a detective who solved a murder case the very same day of his retirement. Turned out, his son was the murderer. My teacher gave me high-marks on that assignment, and from there on, I think writing has been one of my biggest methods of expression. These days, however, it’s very much therapeutic for me. Being able to think of a storyline, sitting down and executing it, and finally completing it, there’s a real sense of accomplishment in such an undertaking. Plus, what better way to share your creativity with others? Everyone loves a good story and encouraging a little bit of reading in this day and age isn’t exactly the worse thing you can do to a person.

Megan Cashman: Describe your writing process.

Rob Watts: I find that I’m better suited for writing in the early morning, when my mind is well rested and it hasn’t been polluted with the days events, phone calls and other distractions. When possible, I’ll take a walk along the beach to clear my head a bit. I’ve also just recently taken up meditation,which has improved my everyday life as well as my writing. Once my mind is “cleared for take off”, I’ll turn the cell phone off and put some background music on. A lot of writers can’t work with any noise in the vicinity, but I need a little bit. Just music though, no television, city traffic or crying babies.

Megan Cashman: Where did you get the idea to write “Carman”?

Rob Watts: The story of “Carman” came to me one night when I was actually in the same situation as the main character “Bill” in the story. “Carman” is a short story about a guy who’s driving home one night on his way from work and picks up a young female hitchhiker. I too was driving along a long dark road one evening and saw a woman thumbing for a ride. I kept going but thought to myself the horrible different ways I could have brought trouble upon myself had I stopped to pick her up. Shortly thereafter I wrote the story of “Carman”, and yes, things went terrible wrong for the guy who picked her up.

Megan Cashman: Your love of traveling helped you come up with the novel “Huldufolk”. Please explain how this story all came together.

Rob Watts: I’ve been back and forth from Iceland for many years since 2003, and during those first couple of visits I would hear stories about elves, trolls and gnomes called hidden people, or Huldufolk as it’s referred to in the Icelandic language. At first I thought it was a made up tale for the sake of the naive tourists. After further research, and talking about with with friends from the country, it turned out that it was legitimate folklore throughout the country. I was fascinated with the notion that almost half the country of Iceland believed that such creatures existed. Their government takes it seriously enough, where-in-fact they will suspend any construction projects if they believe they are disrupting a Huldufolk dwelling. Once learning about this, I was hooked.

When I started writing Huldufolk, I wanted to incorporate their folklore into my horror story without being disrespectful to the Icelandic people. I approached it as a typical American haunted house story, where a young couple honeymoons in Iceland and disturbs a Huldufolk dwelling, returns home to their new home in New England and discovers that it’s haunted. Perhaps it’s due to the Huldufolk? Perhaps it is due to something else? I don’t elaborate on it because I left the ending as a cliffhanger. I’m still getting hate mail as a result of it.

Megan Cashman: How did the idea to have “Huldufolk” be the first in a series of interrelated novellas come about?

Rob Watts: It wasn’t my plan at first actually. It was intended to be written as a standalone novel in its infancy stages. Once I started developing the characters, the neighborhood, et cetera, I began thinking about if this was a real life situation, then life is going on for the rest of the people in the neighborhood. So why not give them stories of horror as well. So for example, the characters in “Huldufolk”, Susie and Jeffrey, are dealing with owning a possessed home. Perhaps on the next street over from them, someone is going through their own torment. At that point I decided that I wanted to create a series based around all the characters that life in the fictional town of Cedar Grove in which a horrific series of events are unfolding around them. My latest book in the series “CRABAPPLES” deals with a young girl new to the town who gets bullied because her mother is institutionalized. This story takes place during the time of “Huldufolk.” The last two books in the series will follow the same format when they’re released in 2013.

Megan Cashman: Do you believe print books will eventually fade and eBooks will be the norm?

Rob Watts: I’m afraid to say it but they already are. More and more e-readers and computer tablets are being produced and sold everyday and sadly the market for print books suffer greatly. I don’t think print books are going to die a painful death anytime soon but their fate has pretty much been sealed as of late. Unfortunately, consumers are no longer buying books to sit down with and actually read. There is too much multitasking going on in today’s world. They want instant gratification. Download a book while watching television, while texting their friend, while eating a sandwich. I do see the appeal though. I myself download certain books but I still purchase physical books because they mean something to me. As time goes on, however, I don’t see many people having relationships with books the way they once did. Unfortunately, Books are now intangible.

Learn more about Rob Watts here: RobWattsOnline.com 

 

Wednesday Interview: E.J. Wesley

Tags

authors, books, eBooks, indie authors, interviews, New Adult, New adult books, novels, vampires, writers

As promised, every Wednesday I will feature a Q&A session with an Indie or Self-Published author right here on my blog.

My first subject is E.J. Wesley, author of Blood Fugue, the first book in the Moonsong series. If you are familiar with the rise of the New Adult category in the book industry, you might know E.J. is active in making New Adult a reputable category and even hosts the weekly Twitter chat #NALitChat

Megan Cashman: What first inspired you to get into writing? 

E.J. Wesley: I’ve been a dedicated reader since my early teens. But that’s all I truly aspired to be in terms of fiction–a consumer. It wasn’t until I’d graduated from college and began working in mental health that I really got interested in creating. We were using Harry Potter as a counseling tool (working with troubled teens), and I saw first hand how a great story could not just entertain, but change a life. Simply put, I wanted to do that. I’m still trying! 😀

Megan Cashman: So many paranormal books out there have a romantic storyline to them. Why did you choose to write one that had an action-suspense-horror angle to it?

E.J. Wesley: I’ve read a number of YA para-rom stories, and enjoyed my share of them. So I’m not anti-romance by any means. I just wanted to write a certain kind of story, with a certain type of character. Jenny, the mc, is not a romantic person. She’s a little selfish (a lot?), somewhat abrasive, and is probably more interested in sex than romance. (She is 21, after all, and that kind of thinking isn’t reserved to men of that age.) The romance just didn’t feel right for this story, if that makes sense.

That being said, I DID set out to create something a little different. Like Sookie Stackhouse without so much of the smexy. Mostly because I’m a new-ish author, and wanted to bring my unique storytelling voice to the table, give readers a clue of what kinds of things they can expect from me as an author. But also because these are the types of stories I enjoy the most: lots of action, characters behaving in their own flawed fashion, and a whole bunch of crazy $#!% on the side. 🙂

Megan Cashman: Why did you choose the title “Blood Fugue” (BTW, what does fugue mean?)

E.J. Wesley: Not going to lie, the title was the most difficult aspect of the final editing process. I had to pick SOMETHING. Including the name ‘Moonsong” was a given, because it is at the heart of who the main character is, and what the overall story is about. So, being a series of novelettes, I decided the series should be titled ‘Moonsongs’. Taking a cue from the musical nature of the series title, I wanted each story to have a musical theme to it in name.

So I decided to go with major themes, movements, etc. in classical music (I’m a fan of that, too). A fugue is a compositional technique where two or more sounds (voice, instrument, etc.) are built on a subject or theme that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and recurs frequently in the course of the composition.

Blood Fugue is all about Jenny (the main character) learning about her family (blood) and potentially following in their footsteps–sort of repeating the pattern of her ancestry. So I thought there was a nice symmetry there.

Megan Cashman: How has South Texas influenced the setting of your book?

E.J. Wesley: If you live in Texas for any amount of time it just kind of soaks into your bones. The culture here is way more diverse than most people know. Latino, Native American, German–all have settled in the state. Probably because it is enormous, so there’s plenty of land to go around. Yet despite that cultural diversity, there are common attitudes amongst the natives. Texans tend to be black and white thinkers (which is not to be confused with non-thinking)–you either are or you aren’t, you will or you won’t, and so on. So there’s lots of that in my characters.

This story has a major Native American element to it, which is something I’ve grown up around. (I’m not a native Texan, btw. But did grow up about 20 minutes from the state line in Southwest Oklahoma.) A couple of my great grandparents were Native American, and the culture is everywhere in Oklahoma, as you might expect.

As far as physical setting, the story takes place in West Texas, which is more of a plains area. The weather comes in extremes (can get really hot, but also really cold because there aren’t as many trees, etc. to stop those northern winds from whipping around). The weather is usually referred to as a person in those areas, because it’s so fickle and changing. I definitely tried to use that unpredictability to build suspense into Blood Fugue.

Megan Cashman: Some reviewers didn’t like the use of swear words in “Blood Fugue”. How do you explain your need to use profanity in your writing?

E.J. Wesley: I think there was something of a misunderstanding with the profanity, meaning a few people might’ve gone into reading the story thinking it was YA in the vein of Twilight, etc. (because it has ‘paranormal’ in the description is my guess). Blood Fugue was written for adults–New Adults, actually (18-26 year olds). While there is some language, it is there because the main character speaks that way.

I believe anything you find in the story is true to the characters. Some swear, some don’t. In the end, it definitely doesn’t break any records for curse words on a page or anything. In fact, you’d likely hear worse walking down the halls at most high schools.

Megan Cashman: How did you find out about the New Adult genre?

E.J. Wesley: I wrote Blood Fugue as New Adult before I even knew there was a category for it! lol Basically, I set out to write a story my 20-something nieces and nephews would find entertaining. That happened to be a story with video games, energy drinks, and lots of transition angst involved in moving into the ‘adult’ world. I just felt there weren’t stories for THOSE people, and with the accessibility in publishing these days, I figured I could put it out there even if a traditional publisher couldn’t/wouldn’t classify it.

Then I stumbled upon the NA Alley Blog. It was this collection of awesome authors dedicated to writing and promoting exactly the kind of story I’d written. Then I learned there was this swelling movement to get NA out there. Basically, I discovered I wasn’t alone.

Megan Cashman: Why do you think the word needs to get out about NA? Does it really have a potential audience?

E.J. Wesley: 20 somethings are some of the most devoted readers I know. I’m not sure what yahoo decided college students wouldn’t, or didn’t, read fiction, but I just have to tell them they’re wrong. Maybe we’re not giving them enough to read. Maybe they aren’t all omnivorous readers who will devour YA books written for people 10 years younger than they are, or the latest Norah Roberts and Nicholas Sparks books written for people 10 years older. Perhaps they prefer to read stories written for them, about them. That would be my guess as to why that demographic hasn’t ticked the right boxes in market research. Because they definitely read. And if they read, authors should be writing for them. (See my Harry Potter example in the first question–stories can change lives.)

Megan Cashman: “Blood Fugue” is the first book of your Moonsongs series. When can fans expect the next installment?

E.J. Wesley: Moonsongs Book 2 should land in December! All I’ll say, is if you like witches and magic, this one will be for you. 😀

Check out Blood Fugue at these sites: Amazon – B&N – Smashwords – Goodreads

Contact E.J. Wesley on these sites: – Twitter  – Facebook – Goodreads – Blog