Author Interview with M J Mallon: 7 Questions about Book Publishing Process & Mindset
Self-publishing is freedom, the freedom to write a different story than the mainstream. It’s a great option for people…who like to learn new skills…always thinking, what can I do next?, says M J
In this exclusive author interview series, “7 questions to ask an aligned author“, the very talented M J Mallon–author of This Is Lockdown and two other self-published fiction books will empower us with her book publishing process and mindset strategies pertaining to editing, marketing & sales, gathering book reviews, publishing platforms, vital web cautions, publishing scams and much more. To know more about her and her highly-prized contributions in the fields of writing, blogging and publishing, read her book writing interview in case you missed it out.
Here are her seven best practices for book publishing process and mindset you must definitely invest your time reading.
7 Author Interview Questions about Book Publishing Process & Mindset Answered
#1 What type of publishing i.e. self-publishing or traditional do you recommend and why?
I enjoy self-publishing as it gives me total control. I can choose my own cover, design it myself if I wish. I don’t have to alter a manuscript because a publishing house doesn’t like my ending, or detests a particular character. Self-publishing is freedom, the freedom to write a different story than the mainstream!
Sometimes, the traditional publishing process means that some excellent stories slip through the net, never to be discovered. That is so sad. I read a lot of books, and many self-published authors are amazing and deserving of so much more attention than they receive.
If you want to be a financially successful self-published author then you have to put an equal, if not more, amount of energy into marketing as you do into writing your books. So bare that in mind.
Self-publishing is a great option for people like me who like to learn new skills. Each day is a new journey, and my skill set keeps on growing. I’m always thinking, what can I do next?
#2 Publishing is a long wobbly road, we understand. What were the best things that geared up your motivation and worked for you on the days you were about to quit?
I’m still making my way on this long wobbly road and I often wonder, what am I doing? To succeed as an author is such an enormous challenge.
There are wonderful moments that make the arduous journey worthwhile. Encouragement from your writing friends makes a huge difference: to enter writing competitions, submit to paid blog posts, finish that manuscript you’ve been struggling with. I might not win that competition. But the most important step I’ve taken is to enter the competition. Actions like this bolster confidence. Also, helping other people really makes a difference for me.
Recently, I have beta read author friends’ books. This is really rewarding. Likewise, reviews can lift my spirits from the doldrums to dizzying heights of happiness. Especially detailed, well-thought out 4 and 5 stars reviews that make me want to dance around my house! The reviewer loves my work. Yippee! Those are the brilliant days that make it all worthwhile. Those days stop you from quitting.
#3 What was your favorite part, and your least favorite part, of the publishing journey?
The favourite part is always the writing. That rush of excitement and flow of ideas that keep you tapping away at the keyboard. The least favourite part is the formatting. I don’t enjoy that at all. But it is a necessary evil.
As a self-published author, I’d recommend that you learn how to do your own formatting and book cover design to gain skills and to save money. It’s a worthwhile skill to have. If you become really proficient, you can add this to your business resume and earn another source of income. I still have a lot to learn, but with each book published new skills are added. Time is a challenge sometimes with the distractions of work, family and life getting in the way. But, little steps are getting me there.
#4 How should one decide the best people to review our book? What are the best places or methods to find prospective and well-suited book reviewers
Reviews are tricky.
In 2021, I intend to become a full-time author, so I will be devoting more time to marketing and reviews. There are many ways in which you can generate reviews. For new releases, I’d recommend organising a professional blog tour with book bloggers. I’ll be using this approach for the second in my YA Fantasy Curse of Time series. That way you can target your demographic and gain independent reviews. I will be looking for blog tour/book blogging hosts with an interest in Fantasy, YA.
Also I’d recommend offering your book for free to bloggers, and authors prior to the launch, or thereafter in the hope that they will review. There are sites that promote free books, such as Freebooksy, Bargain Booksy (free and discounted books), Fussy Librarian and Voracious Readers Only, Readers In the Know.
Additionally, your author circle is another source of potential reviews. There are many bloggers/authors, (like myself), who are keen to help other indie authors up that rung to success. You can find some of the best blogs about reviews here: Reedsy and Best Book Review Blogs of 2020.
#5 What did you edit out of your most current book?
My most current book is an anthology/compilation. The contributions were excellent. I tweaked a few but just minor edits here and there. The second half of the book includes some of my pandemic writing. I edited one of the pieces more than most. It’s a new genre for me: romance. The short story is entitled The Poet’s Club, a YA romance, and is set post lockdown. It explores the tenderness of first love and also explores the subject of bullying (being different from your peers and not minding isolation as much as the popular kids). I tried to develop this into a longer piece of writing, but it didn’t flow so well. I kept to the original short story which fitted the style of This Is Lockdown, with its short stories, poetry and flash pieces.
Writing is never wasted. At some point, I will return to that piece of writing again to see if I can develop it further. I would love to write a full-length romance one day. That would be awesome!
#6 Can you recommend some of the best and most economical places to find editors?
Personally, I discovered my manuscript critique/editor via a long term online friendship. So, that worked for me. Her fabulous first edit of the second book in The Curse of Time series was excellent. I must work on the proposed edits in the autumn. She gave an impressive professional report and a page by page edit. I’d recommend and would use her again. Her name is Heena Rathore. She lists her professional services on Fiverr, does writing classes, YouTube videos, workshops, webinars and blogs.
#7 What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
There are many unscrupulous people who will steal your money. So, check the publishing house and/or marketing business that you sign up to, thoroughly. Do not take any chances.
An author friend of mine, Dan Alatorre, along with many other authors, fell foul of a particularly ruthless and well-executed scam, which looked legitimate. He and many other authors in our community participated in a charity anthology. To help promote the charity anthology, they signed up to what seemed like a bona-fide guy who turned out to be a well-versed con artist. He took all their money, asked for copies of their manuscripts (which a marketeer should never do,) violated Amazon’s terms of service and didn’t do any of the work he’d been asked to do. Then he filed for bankruptcy. Even though the charity set made $20,000, he managed to embezzle all the authors and the chosen charity out of all the money and then declared himself bankrupt. He is a convicted crook and uses various aliases, so please beware of this person and whatever you do, don’t do business with him. If you’d like to find out more about this particularly nasty scam, here is the link to information about it.
With so many faves, its difficult to make a choice but for the sake of it Answer #1 & #5 are my personal favorites. What’s yours? Have more questions regarding self-publishing or have a question for the author? Comment below to get them answered. #thealignedauthor
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