#AtoZchallenge Why Interviews are About the Author Not Just the Book

Why Interviews are About the Author Not Just the Book

During our normal schedule, I run the Debut Author Spotlight on Wednesdays on this blog. I ask a bunch of questions (currently 20), mostly about the author. Why? Why not just ask about the book? Because it's only the first book! An author is a brand. Once upon a time, there was a company that only had one product, some corn that was processed into flat pieces and tasted good in milk. Not everyone liked processed corn in milk. They expanded into wheat breakfast products. Now they own a bunch of companies and make a lot more than cereal.

That's how it is for authors. The first book is a big deal. It's quite an accomplishment. But consumers will (hopefully) want more. So the idea isn't just to sell one book. The idea is to form relationships with readers. Once someone likes an author, they'll want not only that first book, but the second and third and some swag and will share on social media and be willing to pick up an anthology because that author is in it... This is how the author brand really works.

A few of my questions come from researching the debut author, looking for something interesting to ask about. More than once, an interviewed author was glad for this personal touch. I imagine the readers of this blog enjoy it too.

I ask for a #writetip. Why? That hashtag has a high search-and-share rate. It also connects the author with other writers. Most writers are also readers.

What ignited your passion for writing? These are great stories to draw in readers and fellow writers.

Twitter's #WriterWednesday has long since been a way to grow the #WritingCommunity.

My favorite question: "Who is currently your biggest fan? What does that person love most (or "ship") about your debut novel?" One day an author will look back fondly on this memory. Also, knowing why someone else loves a book can intrigue a potential reader.

I ask about the big emotions in the book because some readers are looking for books that make them feel a certain way.

Instagram has gained a lot of power with the #bookstagram reading community, so I ask about that.

"How do you hope your book will help readers in their life?" A lot of authors will recognize this question as being about theme without using the word theme. There are a ton of reference books for writers that proclaim that this is the reason people read books. I don't know who the psychologist was that came up with that idea, but it's everywhere. And if an author has an answer that happens to be something the reader wants help with, guess what? 💸💰🤑 Sold. If someone helps you solve one problem, do you go back to them hoping they'll help with another? Chances are you do. That's branding at work.

I ask about a memorable trait or visual oddity of a character. Well-developed characters have something to make them stand-out. (Or stand-out because they lack anything defining, in rare cases.) This gives readers something to look forward to, and shows the author knows how to create a character. Readers will stick around for a character they enjoy.

https://diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks - I ask about this because I'm a diverse person and I want to see more books out there that represent more of the population. Even if an author didn't write one, at least being able to name one shows support of a vast audience.

The deciding factor in a publication route (be it self-published, small press, or traditional) is important because readers love to know how an author got to where they are now. It's like the climax of the first book journey.

I ask authors to create a question or discussion topic for the readers to comment on. Look at the number of comments versus the number of views of this year's interviews to see why:


Blurbs and Bios end the interview. Hopefully, by that point, the blog reader is interested in the author. A good interview will leave the reader remembering at least one fun fact about the author. A great interview will have the reader sharing something from the post. The best interviews of all, of course, result in the sale of a debut book. It means the reader found a reason to give someone new a chance.

Wednesday Debut Interview: Fractured Immortal by EL Wicker

Welcome to the first of our new WEDNESDAY DEBUT INTERVIEWS! 

Today, we'll be talking with author E.L. Wicker about her debut novel, Fractured Immortal, a paranormal romance self-published December 21, 2014.

First off, tell us a bit about yourself!
Hi! I always find this the worst part so I’ll stick with the basics. As you know, I’m a writer. I spend the majority of time tapping away at the keyboard, working on one of my manuscripts. I’m also a firm believer in helping all writers achieve their goals in any way I can.

Tell us about Fractured Immortal! What makes this story in particular an important one for you to tell?
Fractured Immortal is the first in the series about Ilia Rose, a vampire whose life takes an unexpected turn when she returns home. I had written stories before, largely unfinished, but this tale wouldn’t leave me alone therefore I had to write it! Ilia faces many problems. Aside from the cruel vampire who is intent on making everyone’s live miserable, Ilia also has to deal with her ex, Kyle and a mysterious vampire (Nathaniel) who seems to show up whenever Ilia needs him most. Peculiar still, Nathaniel is affiliated with Sol yet he seems determined to protect her.

How long has this process taken for you, from the time that you began the first draft of this book until the date of its publication?
Fractured Immortal took a long time. From writing the first word, until release it took almost a year with many rewrites and a lot of cutting. At one point it was made up of multiple points of view, including Lucas and Kyle, however there were too many so I cut it to Ilia only. I also started writing it in third person omniscient but changed it as I couldn’t quite connect with Ilia that way and if a writer can’t connect with their own character, there’s no chance the awesome readers will.

What is your favorite part of the writing process? Your least favorite?
My favorite process is the final polishing. This is the part where I read it over and over again from start to finish on my kindle. At this point it would’ve already been to the editor but I like to read it as much as possible to try to catch any small errors.

My least favorite part is the first redraft. Ugh, so much to do in that one although it can provide laughs at times when I come across some of the ridiculous mistakes I’ve made.

Every writer experiences some rejection and setbacks along the way. How did you learn to cope with them and move on?
Well, I only queried Fractured Immortal once and that was way back when it contained multiple POVs and, quite frankly, was a mess. Obviously, I got rejected but in a nice way. All I can say is, rejections are part of the process, don’t take them personally and move on from them quickly.

How did you decide on self-publishing? What makes it a good fit for you and your book?
When I first began writing Fractured Immortal, I intended to self-publish. I did a lot of research, and so should everyone considering each route. It was only when I took part in Pitch Wars (an online slush competition) that I became a little more interested in the traditional route. I mulled it over for quite some time, wavering between the two but eventually settled back on self.

It appeals to me because I have complete control over every aspect of my book from the content to the sales. Of course, marketing can be tricky, after all, I want my book to sell, but whether traditionally or self-publishing, marketing is something we all have to contend with. In addition to this, the simple fact with a book such as mine, is that agents don’t particularly want them. Therefore self-publishing seemed the obvious choice.

Did you face any other unique challenges in getting your work published?
No. I was incredibly lucky to have a team of incredible people behind me. From critique partners to beta readers and a talented cover designer, I was well looked after.

What have you been doing to get your book ready for others to read?
In the run up to the release, I just read and reread Fractured Immortal as much as possible. I also had a very talented writer, Nancy Griffis, reading it again only days before release to make sure it was as ready as it could be. I also arranged a book tour, with many friends being kind enough to allow me to hijack their blogs for the day, and I contacted reviewers. It was a crazy couple of weeks but so very worth it.

Tell us about your book cover. Who designed it? How do you feel about how it reflects your story?
I love my cover and many have commented on how much they like it. For anyone who reads the book, the message behind the cover becomes very clear as it’s symbolic to the story. The designer, betibup, does it as a hobby, therefore it was reasonably priced. Honestly, I won’t use anyone else now.

Tell us about your title. Was this the original title you'd had in mind? If not, what made you change it?
The original title was The Blood that Binds however, once I began to write it, elements of the title popped up within the book. When I gave it some thought, I realized that Fractured Immortal seemed a perfect choice because of who and what Ilia is.

What's next for you after this debut? What are your plans for the future of your writing?
I’m working on book two at the moment, but aside from that, I am also writing a New Adult Dystopian called Evangeline. I’m really excited about it and I can’t wait to finish it but Finding Immortal takes priority at the moment. I will continue to write for as long as there are stories in my head asking to be told, and I have another idea rattling around in my brain – another NA Paranormal.

How does it feel to finally have your book out in the hands of readers? Do you have any events planned you want people to know about?
Ah, the feels! Incredible and scary. You can’t brush aside the concerns that people won’t like it. You’ll have people say that’s the way it goes and that’s true, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t be upset about that. The trick is the dealing with it. Take a deep breath, know it’s never going to appeal to everyone, and move on.

I will be running some giveaways in January on Goodreads once the paperback comes out and more promotions still to come late February/March in time for the release of Finding Immortal.

Is there any other advice you'd like to pass on to others pursuing publication? Any mistakes you've made that other writers might be able to learn from?
It takes longer than a month to write a book. If it were a case of sitting down at the computer and tapping furiously until finished – everyone would be doing it. There are several stages to the process and completing these stages takes months. From redrafting to beta reading to redrafting again, editing, cutting and everything in between, know that it’s going to take a considerable length of time.

My mistake was thinking that it was ready when it wasn’t. As I mentioned, I sent out a query regarding Fractured Immortal way before it was anywhere near ready. Also, if you can, find yourself some critique partners that will go through your manuscript line by line, they are worth their weight in gold.

And, just for fun, what famous person or celebrity do you think would enjoy your book? Why?
This one is an easy one because I read a comment saying that Christina Perri likes paranormal romance. I hope she would enjoy Fractured Immortal.

Thanks for joining us, and congratulations on your debut!

Buy Fractured Immortal now at Amazon.com!

New Feature: Wednesday Debut Interview

There are a TON of great books coming out in 2015, and many of them are the debuts, the author's first published novel.

As a writer pursuing publication, I love hearing about the exciting time in an author's life when their first novel that they've put so much work into finally becomes available to the world. So for 2015, I'm planning a monthly blog post in which I'll interview a debut writer, and give us all an opportunity to hear a bit about them, their new book, and how they got to that point.

In the interest of variety, I'm putting out the call here for debuts in all categories (children's books, middle grade, YA, New Adult, and Adult) and all publication routes (self-pub, small/independent press, and trade publishing). Since I'll only be featuring one per month, and some months have more debuts than others, not every one will be selected, but if you are interested in participating, please email me at wendynikel @ gmail.com (no spaces) with the following information:

- byline/pen name

- name of book

- publisher

- release date

- genre/category

- tagline

Hope to hear from you soon!

NOTE: I will update this post when all months have been filled!


UPDATED 12/19:
I've received a WONDERFUL outpouring of interest, so much so that I think I'm going to feature two debut authors per month instead of just one, with a super-special quadruple-feature in May. The only months that still have slots open at this time are

- November
- December

Thus far it seems we have a great mix of Big Five, Independent, and Small Press publishers, but I'd love to get one or two more self-published authors to weigh in! We also have a good mix of Middle Grade, YA, NA, and Adult; I'd love to get another picture book author on board!

Thanks again for all of your help in spreading the word -- I'm VERY excited about having the opportunity to interview so many fabulous authors!