Welcome back to another rousing week in the self-publishing interview series! Today we have an author I’ve long admired: Terry Spear! She is so versatile in her writing, and truly a gem for readers!
PUBLISHING QUESTIONS…
- What was the deciding factor in self-publishing your book(s)?
- To have more books available for already loyal fan readership.
- To make available different genres that I’m not already branded in to find new readership.
- To publish books already written that were either already published and the publishers no longer exist, or new works that had not been picked up by publishers.
- To help promote traditional published works.
I have two of my YA in print and will add more to the list once I have time.
- What went into the process? Writing, editing, cover design, formatting, etc… Share your ups and downs and how you went about it. If you used a service from a someone, could you share who?
The first time I uploaded a book, reading through all the technical stuff for both ebooks and print books was the hardest. But once I did one, it became really easy. I love designing covers, although some of my books have professional covers and I adore them also. The problem I had was that I didn’t buy the bigger pictures for the covers that I ended up using for the print versions of two of my YA, so I had to buy the bigger version after having purchased the medium size initially. That’s my only caution.
- What did you do to promote your work?
Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, newsletter with free weekly serialized story, teach online writing workshops, teach conference workshops, write for RWA chapter newsletters, do interviews, guest blogs, guest blog tours, just had my first TV interview, newspaper interviews, contacted the colleges where I earned degrees and was interviewed, chats.
- Can you list some Pros/Cons of self-publishing?
Need to edit well, have a cover that is a real eye catcher and a blurb also that makes a potential reader want to see more. The great part is that you have so much control over content, title, cover, and pricing, not to mention you can set your own deadlines for publication.
- How long have your book(s) been out? How long between books if you have multiple sales—and if you have multiples did you see a bump in sales with subsequent publication?
My books have been out since March of last year. I continued to add to the releases every month or so because most of the books were already written for several months. Although The Dark Fae, YA took off so fast (14th book that I had self-published), I ended up writing the next 3 books in the series. With another, the demon YA, I also was compelled to write the sequel. Sales definitely for the earlier books jump with new releases. Because I’ve had so many deadlines with the wolf and jaguar shifter series for Sourcebooks, I haven’t had time to write anything new, but once I’ve gotten finished the next 2 projects, I’ll be working another indie book.
- Can you give a rough breakdown of your sales numbers from your first month to the present?
Over 20,000 copies sold. What I find is so remarkable is that these are books I would never have sold, or found readership for, if it hadn’t been for self-publishing.
- What advice can you offer to anyone deciding to self-publish?
With any book, write from the heart. Edit well, have a unique premise, create a great cover, and write another and another. Sometimes a book can make an author an overnight success, but most oftentimes, it’s providing new releases that will help to build a reader base. I think of how I fall in love with an author’s work and I want to read everything she’s got out. What? She only has one book out? And no more scheduled for years? Also, try to stick to a genre for several books. I write in several, but I also have several written in each genre. Having one vampire book, one sci-fi book, one werewolf book (a YA author actually did this) will make it more difficult to garner a following.
READER QUESTIONS…
- What genre(s) do you write in? How many books do you have out? Titles?
I write medieval Highland romance, werewolf and jaguar shifter romance, vampire romance, YA vampire/fae series/demon series. I have 26 Indie books out. The Dark Fae, The Deadly Fae, The Winged Fae, The Assassin Fae, (Dragon Fae, coming next); Huntress for Hire, Forbidden Love, Siren’s Lure, Vampiric Calling, Killing the Bloodlust, Seducing the Huntress (all vampire romances); Goddess in Training, Tall Texas Order, Hearts Undercover, Genie’s Wish (novellas); Lady Caroline and the Egotistical Earl (Medieval romance); Exchanging Grooms, Marriage, Las Vegas Style (marriage humor); The Trouble with Demons, Demon Trouble Too (YA); The Beast Within (YA); Kiss of the Vampire (YA vampire); Scepter of Salvation, Mage of Monrovia (YA fantasy); Shadow Elf (YA Fantasy) Courtly Masquerade (YA Fantasy); Ghostly Liaisons (YA); In the Dead of Night (Romantic Suspense)
- What do you love about the genre(s)?
I love creating fantastical worlds both based on old world mythology and folktales and urban fantasy where the fantastical creatures inhabit our world that seems as real as can be. When I was a kid, I loved to read just about everything: Jack London’s tales that gave me a love for the world of wolves, East of the Moon, West of the Sun, which was my first shifter tale about a prince cursed as a polar bear by day, who found a woman to love, Dracula, in a community college play that forever made me love the toothy, sexy guy. But in all these tales, I wanted something different. I wanted to see the underdog get the girl. I wanted to show that those that are seen as different, unloved, were just as sexy or loveable as the next guy, and sometimes lots more so. I wanted to show that humans could be the monsters and not the wolves or vampires, or whatever creature that has been the bad example in literature for centuries. And I wanted a heroine who was spunky and could match wits with the hero, who would become the one for her. She’s not a damsel in distress, well, sometimes, but she does as much rescuing of the hero, as he does of her! My stories are romantic, sexy, have mystery, adventure, and humor (the kind as one English high school teacher described it—sneaks up on you when you’re least expecting it!)…
- Where can readers find you?
http://terry-spear.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/TerrySpear
- Where can readers find your books? Print/Ebook?
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Sony, Apple.
- What works do you have coming out in the future?
I’m writing another medieval historical, and in fact have three others written that I’m revising, Dragon Fae, 5th book in the fae teen series, another demon story for YA, The Vampire is Mine, another YA, Dangerous Liaisons, sequel to Deadly Liaisons (vampire romantic suspense), and The Isle of Mists, book 3 of the Magic Inherian series (YA). But I’m also contracted to finish edits on A Howl for the Highlander (book 11), finish writing A Highland Christmas Wedding (Book 12), and write two more for next year: Jaguar 2, and just contracted: A SEAL Wolf Christmas. So many more books on the horizon! J
terryspear said:
Since completing the interview, I finished the edits for Howl for a Highlander! Turned in A Highland Wolf Christmas! And am 1/4 of the way done on A SEAL Wolf Christmas! 🙂
Three cheers for the love of stories! May they always inspire us in the real world!!!
elizaknight said:
Congrats Terry! That is awesome! Here, here!!!!
terryspear said:
Thanks, Eliza! The key is to set strict deadlines for weekly goals. But sometimes, as with A SEAL Wolf Christmas, the story just flows…I love it when that happens!!!
elizaknight said:
I completely agree! I’ve been trying out a new fast draft technique. I have a daily goal of 3K and a weekly goal of 15K. This is my 5th week and its been working beautifully. And when it flows its even better! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your wisdom!
Vonda Sinclair said:
Fantastic interview, ladies!! I enjoyed it!!
terryspear said:
Thanks, Vonda! Off to work. *sigh*
Linda Andrews said:
Loved the interview and your books. Now to add the ones I’m missing to my TBR pile. How do you manage to write so much?
terryspear said:
Thanks so much, Linda!!! Truly, it’s setting word count goals.
I just got a note from my editor that I’ve got final/final/final edits (they are the best because at this point, I’m just looking for copy-edit mistakes mostly, rather than rewriting anything), but it means that I’ve got to stop and read Savage Hunger all the way through and that means no word count for a couple of days A SEAL Wolf Christmas. That’s why it’s so important to write religiously when I can, and then if I have delays, I’ll still be on time. 🙂
Plus, if I get the next 2 books written, I can have fun finishing up some indie works. 🙂
Thanks again for loving the books! Ever need book marks, send me an SASE and I’ll send you an assortment. 🙂
Kate Dolan/KD Hays said:
I really like your idea of taking the hero who is “different” and showing how he is as lovable as anyone else. Thanks for the helpful info about your vast self-publishing experience. I admire your work ethic!
terryspear said:
Thanks so much, Kate! My biggest problem? Sometimes I fall in love with my bad guys. LOL
In Killing the Bloodlust, I made my vampires so sexy and bad boy like, my critique partner was falling in love with them. Then, I killed one of them off that she totally loved, and she was furious with me. *sigh* So I had to make my vampires more evil, resurrect the one she’d fallen in love with in the later rendition (after the publisher was no longer in business) and maybe one of these days he’ll have his own story.
Even Bjornolf Jorgenson in A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing was supposed to be a bad guy. But I fell in love with him and now he’s having his own story in A SEAL Wolf Christmas. 🙂 Thanks again!
Tess said:
Great interview! Terry! Love when characters, even bad ones, are likable!!! And then love when they get their own story!
terryspear said:
Thanks, Tess! It’s fun to create characters that readers fall in love with! Or love to hate!! 🙂 Thanks for dropping by and reading my ramblings!