Author Interview with Tahani Nelson: 7 Questions to ask an author about Book Publishing Process & Mindset
Even in the height of a pandemic, I made more royalties this month i.e. July 2020 than all of last year combined, says Tahani
In this exclusive author interview series, “7 questions to ask an aligned author“, Tahani Nelson–author of the female military fantasy fiction book Faoii Betrayer; the second in the Faoii Chronicles series will walk us through her self-publishing journey as an author helping emerging authors gain more in-depth knowledge about the subject with topics ranging from choosing a publishing type, book launch, benefit of investment in an audio format to decisions regarding hiring a professional editor and cover designer or not. Read her previous interview on the book writing process in case you missed it out.
Tahani has published two novels and two short stories. Her published works are focused in science fiction Sci-Fi and fantasy genres. Besides being an author, she works as an English teacher in Billings, Montana. Her Faoii fantasy series focuses on strong female protagonists and matriarchal societies. She hopes to help encourage young readers to be the warriors of their own stories.
Here are her seven recommendations related to the book publishing process and mindset you must not miss out on.
7 Author Interview Questions about Book Publishing Process Answered
#1 What type of publishing i.e. self-publishing or traditional do you recommend and why?
While I’ve never worked with a traditional publisher, I originally published my debut novel through an indie publisher and discovered it wasn’t for me. A lot of people prefer to work with a publisher so that they don’t have to worry about the publishing/marketing side of things, but I hated not having control over my Amazon page or book design. If you want to just focus on writing and nothing else, then working with an indie publisher might be exactly what you need.
However, I find much more joy in self-publishing. Now I’m in control of every step of the process and have more opportunity for growth. I never have to worry about communication breakdowns or feeling out of the loop.
#2 How important is to invest in professional editing and why?
Even if you’re working on a shoestring budget, I will ALWAYS say that hiring a professional editor is absolutely necessary–Always.
I have 2 degrees in English. I teach English. I edit in real life. I know what I’m doing, and I can still say that I am incapable of editing my own books. A second pair of eyes makes a HUGE difference in a book’s overall quality. We’re too close to our work. We know what each sentence is supposed to say and our brain skips over it if it actually says something different. We also know everything that we wrote and deleted or that we came up with and never actually wrote down.
We know the world and the story better than anyone else alive—so it might seem like everything fits together to us, but there might be some necessary information that somehow slipped through the cracks. A professional editor can help you find and correct these errors in a way that you just can’t do on your own. Always hire an editor.
#3 How much of this metaphorical phase, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” actually applies to book publishing? Why or why not?
As pretty as this phrase is, it’s just not feasible. There is an OCEAN of books out in the world right now. The market is inundated with them.
As readers, we don’t have enough time to read the blurb or the first chapter of EVERY book that sounds interesting, so our brains have to make snap decisions about what we want to look at. Book covers are where we make those snap decisions.
You can’t always tell when a book cover is made by a professional or an amateur, but you can definitely tell which ones are terrible. It’s sad, but you might have one of the greatest books ever created–but if it has a sloppy or amateurish cover, it’s probably not going to sell.
#4 How important are getting reviews for your book and what is a reasonable time-frame to consider for them when outlining the publishing plan?
I probably have one of the highest review counts in most of my author circles. It wasn’t easy—I had to ask people to leave a review. A lot. I had to post about the purpose of reviews often and consistently. Every time I sold a book, I put a bookmark with instructions on how to leave a review inside. It took time and dedication and a really supportive fan-base to get where I am on the review front.
And honestly, I’m not sure it’s really made that much of a difference for my first book. Out of the reviews I have, most of them took months or even years to garner. I don’t think they did anything to actually help my sales until I published my second book. Now, suddenly, people are looking at my first book after hearing about the sequel. Thankfully, there were a bunch of reviews already there to help pique their interest.
If you take more than a week to get reviews, they might not do much for the algorithms—but that doesn’t mean they’re not still worth their weight in gold for an indie author.
I published my newest novel 2 weeks ago and currently have 20 reviews. I’m not sure yet how much of a difference that will make in the long run, but if nothing else—they keep me going. And that’s one of the most important things in any author’s life.
#5 How did you prepare for your first and subsequent book launches? What worked and didn’t work for you?
I didn’t really prepare for my first launch, and it was very quiet. It took so much effort to build up momentum after the initial weeks and months of little-to-no sales. Once momentum finally started building, I had already lost whatever I might have gained from the algorithms or new release promotions. In the end, I consider my first book a success but it could have been a lot easier.
My second novel came out 2 weeks ago, and I was much more prepared this time. I sent out ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) a month in advance and had people lined up and ready to leave reviews on the day of launch. I pumped up excitement ahead of time and scheduled several interviews and promotions in the weeks leading up to my release date.
Overall, it was very successful! Even in the height of a pandemic, I made more royalties this month i.e. July 2020 than all of last year combined. Preparing properly for a launch will set the tone for your book’s entire life. Sell it. Own it. Make it wonderful.
#6 What’s the best investment you have made in yourself as far as your books are concerned?
Teaching myself how to typeset and format.
I know I could hire people to do these things for me but when you’re self-publishing every penny counts. Learning how to typeset and format my own books are some of the best ways I’ve ever invested my time or myself in something. It allows me to have control over every step of the process and I can now do it more quickly than I could if I had to contact someone, send my work, and wait for a response. And it’s free.
#7 Have you published an audio version of any of your books? If yes, what was your experience and challenges? Any tips or advice?
I used Audible (ACX) to create my audiobook and absolutely LOVED the experience. I enjoyed listening to different narrators audition to read my book. There are royalty share options if you prefer not to pay out of pocket. With so many talented voice actors on Audible, I eventually signed on with Sara Morsey, who is such a wonderful and talented human being. We even got invited to the Indie Audiobook Awards last year! Now we’re working on the audiobook for sequel, and I am loving the experience all over again.
My biggest advice is: If you find someone who sounds PERFECT for your book, reach out even if you’re not sure you can come to an agreement. The worst they can say is no, and then you’re no worse off than you were before.
Publishing is as important a step as writing your book. Answer #3 is my personal favorite. Comment below to tell me yours.
Have more questions regarding self-publishing? Write in to get them answered.
Follow Tahani
Website/Blog http://www.TahaniNelson.com
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Tahani-Nelson/e/B07M8JQ71B
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16761378.Tahani_Nelson
Facebook http://www.Facebook.com/TheLastFaoii
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TahaniNelson/
Twitter http://www.Twitter.com/TahaniNelson