What is your experience as a writer like?
Well, it might come as a surprise to most readers, but the hardest part isn't actually writing. I mean, that doesn't come easy of course... yet it's what comes most natural to most authors, I suppose. But once you finish the book... that's when things really get starting. There's a whole world out there to be discovered... and self-publishing is mostly a jungle rather than a peaceful countryside.
Well, it might come as a surprise to most readers, but the hardest part isn't actually writing. I mean, that doesn't come easy of course... yet it's what comes most natural to most authors, I suppose. But once you finish the book... that's when things really get starting. There's a whole world out there to be discovered... and self-publishing is mostly a jungle rather than a peaceful countryside.
Why did you decide to self-publish?
There are so many tools out there today that make self-publishing so much easier and pretty straightforward (in terms of publication... marketing is a whole different story). So since the beginning I knew I was going to try and choose this road. Traditional publishing might feel like it's easier, but it's actually not. You have to waste so much time writing editorial proposals, creating a mailing list of publishers interested in your genre (who accept manuscripts), send out the material they request, wait for like six-months just for a "thank you but no thank you" reply... I thought that maybe I was better off spending that same amount of time and effort into marketing and selling my own work - and I actually get a lot of satisfaction from this.
There are so many tools out there today that make self-publishing so much easier and pretty straightforward (in terms of publication... marketing is a whole different story). So since the beginning I knew I was going to try and choose this road. Traditional publishing might feel like it's easier, but it's actually not. You have to waste so much time writing editorial proposals, creating a mailing list of publishers interested in your genre (who accept manuscripts), send out the material they request, wait for like six-months just for a "thank you but no thank you" reply... I thought that maybe I was better off spending that same amount of time and effort into marketing and selling my own work - and I actually get a lot of satisfaction from this.
What's the best part about your work?
Writing, of course. But I don't mind everything else that comes with it. It's such a dynamic job! One day you are an author, then you turn into a marketing strategist, a social media manager and a cover designer! It's great. You learn so many things on a daily basis... and you meet a lot of people (even if it's just online) and writers like you. It can get lonely sometimes, but it's all a matter of balancing work and free-time... which means getting up from the computer and go outside!
Writing, of course. But I don't mind everything else that comes with it. It's such a dynamic job! One day you are an author, then you turn into a marketing strategist, a social media manager and a cover designer! It's great. You learn so many things on a daily basis... and you meet a lot of people (even if it's just online) and writers like you. It can get lonely sometimes, but it's all a matter of balancing work and free-time... which means getting up from the computer and go outside!
What are you working on right now?
I'm working on the sequel to Before Life Happened, which I published in June. The second instalment is called Before We Were Broken and it should be ready by March 2016. The "Before" series is a young-adult coming of age story that has already sold a lot of copies and it has a rating of over 4.2 stars of Goodreads.. so I'm pretty happy! I'm also a new-adult writer and at the beginning of September I published a book (only available as an ebook for now) called Unexpected Love, which is the first instalment in a series called "Unexpected". It's a contemporary romance series and right now I'm working on a Novella (Unexpected #0.5) which should be ready by the end of October. |
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Find Isabel Curtis on:
Twitter @isabel_author
Amazon : Isabel Curtis Author Page
Goodreads: Isabel Curtis Author Profile
Website: isabelcurtis.weebly.com
Twitter @isabel_author
Amazon : Isabel Curtis Author Page
Goodreads: Isabel Curtis Author Profile
Website: isabelcurtis.weebly.com