Authorpreneur Magazine Issue 3 | Página 6

fictional friends rather than real ones . I might have thrown off those bowlines and set sail , but sometimes I still feel like a tiny cork bobbing on an ocean of wanna-be best-sellers .
Sometimes , I find myself drowning in self-doubt and channelling Louisa May Alcott : “ I am not afraid of storms , for I am learning how to sail my ship .” And learn I did ...
When your passion has been a hobby ( lifelong or , like me , a midlife crisis ) thinking of it as a business is awkward . But being an author requires both heart and head . New York Times Bestseller , Eloise James says : “ To be a successful writer , you must be half businessperson and half writer . And businessperson must come first .”
In other words , losing yourself in the romance of writing is not enough .
The reality of being a published author is not all book signings and Sunday brunches . ( Sad but true !)
Did you have a plan or wing it ?
I ’ m not afraid of hard work and as an ex-corporate gal I ’ m familiar with words such as planning , objectives , strategic thinking , and goal setting , even though I was never a great planner , preferring to fly by the seat of my pants . That goes for my writing as well .
I ’ m a loud and proud pantster . That is , I fly by the seat of my pants – no planning , no plotting . Just an idea , a title , a tagline and NaNoWriMo – a process that demands no editing , no daily revisions , and no pedantic perfecting ; just get as many words on paper as you can every day .
That ’ s how I wrote the first draft of House for all Seasons – my debut novel .
Did you choose to selfpublish or take the traditional publishing path ?
I was fortunate my House for all Seasons found a home with Simon & Schuster Australia who were looking to grow some local ( Aussie ) author
careers . They contracted two books in 2012 . My second book – The Simmering Season ( due March 2014 ) – is a loosely linked novel set in the same fictional town I named Calingarry Crossing .
Did you publish in multiple formats or just print or eBook ?
House for all Seasons is available in trade paperback ( bookshops and online ) and as an ebook on Amazon , iTunes , Kobo , etc .
What would you do differently next time ?
I ’ d throw off those bowlines and start my publishing journey much earlier . ( Not at an age when a book title like Fifty Shades of Grey makes me think more about my hair colour rather than my love life !) Being a Linkedin , Blogging , Tweeting , Facebooking 53-year-old did not come easily and finding my way around the necessary social media side of the biz was a bigger challenge than writing the book . But engaging with readers is essential . Authors have to connect with readers because readers want to connect with authors – and the numerous social media platforms available means they now can . While proud of my DIY website and my learn by trial and error method , I might have benefitted from a few courses .
I might also have done a creative writing course .
Interestingly , however , I heard Carrie Tiffany ( Mateship With Birds ) credit the networking opportunities ( connecting with likeminded people ) afforded by formal studies more beneficial than the actual creative writing studies .
I might have read more . I ’ ve heard it said that to be a great writer you must be a great reader .
Finally , I might have been less fatalistic and more proactive . But the truth is I do believe everything has a time , a reason and , yes you guessed it , everything also has a season .
I think it was J . K . Rowling who said ( about getting published ):
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AuthorpreneurMagazine
April 2013
www . authorpreneurmagazine . com