KATHLEEN SHOOP INTERVIEW
I was honored to sit down with Kathleen Shoop—award winning, best-selling author of The Last Letter, After the Fog and the Home
Again (The Endless Love Book Series). A versatile author, she is known for both historical fiction as well as romance. Kathie is not just an author but a
good friend and the person most responsible for expanding my horizons from strictly a non-fiction author to a fiction author as well. She has been my inspiration and a powerful
motivator. I think that you’ll find her thoughts very informative especially if
you’re trying to maneuver about in that maze known as self-publishing.
Kathie, what is your philosophy on
making it in this world of publishing and digital publishing in particular? For
most authors, myself included, it’s a real struggle.
Don’t
give up! You have to engage. There is no way around it. “It doesn’t work” for
all of us at some point. You have to adjust and alter and circle back again. Writers
have to be willing to listen and try… unless an author hires someone to do the
work for her, she has to be willing to experiment and actually do what is
suggested. There’s no magic answer. Layers of marketing and promotion need to
be created and writers have to leave their comfort zone. Melissa Foster, for
instance, may be more ambitious and energetic than most, but if an author
doesn’t take her advice either wholly or scaled back but consistent, then no,
the author might not sell many books. Sometimes people get lucky and sell a lot
with no effort, but that’s rare. Some people work their asses off and still
have trouble. The author has to continue writing, connecting with readers
saving up for ads, and putting PR/Marketing into the weekly if not daily
schedule. As much as it stinks there is not a magic solution. Hard work, more
hard work and hopefully some luck.
Having written The Last Letter, what was the first thing you did as far as getting
it published and marketing it?
I saved
money, treated it like a business, and hired the people who knew more than me
(a publicist) met people online who knew more than me and listened to what they
suggested. And then I helped people who knew less than me. Helping someone
else—teaching—is what really gives a person a grasp of a concept or process. Also,
creating communities where people help each other with every phase of writing
and marketing. There are huge bestsellers who haven’t ever hired a publicist or
paid for marketing. They just write and for whatever reason the market
responds. The same issues plague traditionally published authors who aren’t
given six-figure advances. In some ways their position is more difficult
because they can’t control pricing, promotions, etc. But any author who wants
to sell needs to write good books first and then be prepared to sell and talk
about their work.
When
did you decide to go digital?
In 2010. I went to Pennwriters
and attended a workshop where four agents listened to people’s queries and
stopped the reader when they became disinterested. When they all agreed they
wouldn’t request a partial because the author used amateur sleuth in her letter
it hit me hard what a crapshoot the query business was. They didn’t even care
about the characters, the plot, the writing—it was over for that book because
the author used the phrase “amateur sleuth”. WTF? That made things crystal clear. Then at the
conference I met a woman who had self-pubbed and sold 2000 books. She hired a
publicist and that made a difference for her. I thought if she could do it, I
could—she inspired me. I hired her publicist and started the process and since
then I’ve sold over 100,000 books. I also listened to JA Konrath’s advice on
nearly everything. I listen to people who know more than me and weigh and
measure what might fit my plan. But I really try things others suggest.
Did
you have any reservations?
Off and on, but that’s just
ego. I don’t like it when I get the eye roll about publishing on my own. But
does it mean anything at all about my actual writing? No. Pull on the thick
skin and deal.
For
my first book my publicist helped me brand the Last Letter, create the PR
materials, etc. But I did all the legwork and the marketing. I just googled
ads, I networked people, we all helped each other problem solve. But it’s give
and take. If you are a taker, people won’t feel like helping much. Some of the
most generous people I’ve met are Indie authors. They share strategy, craft,
logistical stuff. But you have to do everything—tweet, enter contests if
you like that validation (I do placing and winning in contests that include
small presses and university presses—I do like that validation though not
everyone needs it or wants it.) Facebook, blog, blog tour, buy some ads, and
build around the good ads so each time you have a good ad run, you are building
more and more audience. Write articles and post to your blog or other blogs.
Cooperate with others. Give, give, give, and every once in a while something
will come back to you. Treat this as a business. Save money for the best ads
and build free social stuff around it. And write the next book. That’s the
current, obvious thinking around building an audience and a career—write great
books and get them out as fast as quality allows. And series sell like
hotcakes.
To
what do you attribute your immediate success?
A good book, local buzz
through launch and book clubs, buying inexpensive, but quality ads. Timing.
How
were those times different than now?
The ads don’t work as well
now, but building an audience with readers is even more important. If you write
romance with characters who live in the burbs, find groups who fit that
demographic and offer to come to their book club. Same if your series is set in
a rural in rural areas. With historical fiction, you can do a ton of promo
around the events in your book. I still go to Donora, PA each year to sit on
panels that discuss the “Killing Smog,” I wrote about. Write about your process,
write about the content in your book. If your character starts a cupcake
business and becomes wildly successful, write short articles about people who
do this and tie it to your book. Provide readers with content that lets them get
to know you and your work without just saying “Buy My Book.” But do everything
and do a little at a time, but consistently. Keep a list when you tweet, when
you blog, when you Facebook and rotate. Don’t rely on memory.
If
you wanted to promote your book what is the first promotion you would use?
Promo and marketing are two
different things. Promotion is getting other people to talk about your
work—like a newspaper. Marketing is you telling others about your work. If you
choose a promo price and use “Bookbub” that’s marketing/promo combo. But
marketing tours like Beck Valley Tours are Promo—don’t always result in sales
but get you noticed. Buyers need several exposures to something before they
buy.
What
do you think of free promotions?
I’ve never done free. But I
will once my third novel in Endless Love
Series is out. I'll make one book free and see what happens. It works great
for some people and not great for others. It apparently works best with a
series.
Will
they provide a spike in sales?
Don’t know.
If
you had just completed the book yesterday. How would you market it?
Facebook, blog tour, press
release, book clubs, small ads to build up to a Bookbub Ad, giveaways for
readers who want to leave honest reviews.
How
much do you write a day?
Depends on the day.
Why
do you write historical fiction?
I love entering another
world. As a reader, I like learning about another time and place and I like to
do that for readers as well.
How
many books have you written besides your historical fiction books?
Four
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