Lindsay - November 19, 2020For this week’s show, we’ve got an interview with contemporary/urban fantasy author Sarah Painter. She publishes wide (in all the stores) and has had good luck with her books, even without signing up for Amazon’s exclusivity program. She is the host of the Worried Writer Podcast and is also a self-identified introvert who has written the book Stop Worrying; Start Writing.
Here are some of the questions we had for Sarah:
- Why don’t you tell us how you got into indie publishing?
- You mentioned in your email that you’ve been a six-figure author for the past couple of years. What was it that tipped you over?
- You’ve been writing urban/contemporary fantasy for a few years. What are your thoughts on the state of the genre today and how competitive it is for indie authors?
- You’ve written a lot of books, most of which have done well. Your current series, though, is urban fantasy. And again they’re doing well, despite not being in Kindle Unlimited. What is the “secret sauce” behind that success?
- Those of us on the podcast have done a fair amount of experimentation in urban fantasy, and overall we’ve found it to have some fairly specific expectations from the audience. What do you feel are the defining tropes and characteristics of an urban fantasy? Are there aspects of the story that have more wiggle room than others when it comes to experimenting with the formula?
- You are wide but are not (at least right now) doing a free book 1, as many of us wide types do. Do you price pulse or are you always at $4.99? What advertising do you do?
- Do you feel some advertising tactics, and for that matter some sales channels, are better suited to some genres than others?
- You have a book in this year’s NaNoWriMo Storybundle. It’s called Stop Worrying and Start Writing: How to Overcome Fear, Self-Doubt and Procrastination. What led you to writing it?
- This may be another instance of projecting, but it seems like authors tend to be a pretty self-doubting and self-deprecating lot. Do you agree, and if so, what do you think is the source of those doubts and anxieties? Critiques and other forms of criticism are often indispensable for improving someone’s craft. How does an introvert seek out critique and how does one take the criticism without crumbling?
- The blurb talks about how you can “smash writing blocks to finish stories faster” and “trick yourself into being more productive.” Any tips on those for our listeners?
- A lot of what novice authors know about book marketing comes from what traditional publishing has been doing for decades, like book tours and interviews. These are obviously seldom if ever a part of indie marketing. Would you say that indie marketing is better suited to introverts? What do you think is the most extroverted thing an indie author is likely to have to do?
You can visit Sarah on her website, and if you’re listening before the end of November 2020, you can get her Stop Worrying; Start Writing book in the NaNoWriMo StoryBundle along with a lot of other great titles.
Thank you for listening, and thank you to Joshua Pearson for producing the show.
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This has nothing to do with this episode, but in an earlier episode, someone mentioned doing an episode about taxes. I think that would be a nice idea; I haven’t found many writing podcasts that talk about taxes.
We’ll get someone soon, Jee!