Author Q and A – Jennifer Withers – Gloam

Our Author Q and A series celebrates All About Writing community members. We hope this blog will inspire you to write, help motivate you to get to the finish line, provide tips and tricks about the writing and publishing process and offer support to the authors (please buy their books!).

This week we showcase indie author Jennifer Withers who has just published her second book, Gloam. Here’s part two of our Q&A which focusses on the publishing process:

1. What made you choose the indie/self-publishing route over traditional publishing?

Traditional publishing has changed so much in the past decade or so. There are so many things standing in the way of new writers getting their work seen, never mind published. The big presses won’t even look at an unsolicited manuscript, so you have to find an agent first. I’m on a few writing groups on Facebook, and the stories are grim. Some of these writers have been trying to find an agent for years, with no luck.

I like the control of being an indie author – how I get to keep most of my royalties, how I can log into my Amazon account at any time and see the stats of sales and pages read. I’ve also learned so much about indie publishing, and taught myself new skills, like formatting Gloam myself. There are financial costs, of course – ones you wouldn’t incur when going the traditional route, but that’s taught me yet another skill – budgeting!

Writing books is a business for me now, and indie publishing is teaching me to run my own business. In the long term, it just makes far more sense to me.

2. And how different was it this time compared to when you published The War Between all those years ago.

When I published The War Between, I paid a company to do everything for me – the cover, the formatting, the uploading to the various platforms, the acquisition of an ISBN number. These are all the things I did myself this time around, and I far prefer it. It’s taught me how things work, and I’ve had control to the entire process, from start to finish. I also saved myself a whole lot of money!

3. How did you go about building your team (editors, cover designers, formatters) for Gloam?

I found my editor, and my cover designer, on Facebook, through two of the writing groups I’ve joined. My editor was a bit inexperienced, as she was building up her portfolio, but I was still happy with the feedback she gave me. My cover designer was very experienced – which was reflected in the price point, but she was worth every cent. The formatting I did myself, using a software program called Atticus, which I highly recommend. Once I got the hang of it, it was super easy to use, and the support they offer is amazing.

4. What tools or software do you find indispensable in your indie publishing journey?

As mentioned, Plottr for all things plot, character, research or setting related. It even provides you with templates to plan your plot, (like the Three Act Structure, or the Snowflake Method), then sets everything out for you, giving you prompts beneath every scene in your story. For formatting, definitely Atticus. You buy it once, and own it forever, unlike other programs where you pay a monthly or annual subscription.

BookFunnel is an indispensable site for growing your email list, and BookSirens helped immensely in getting Gloam in the hands of ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) readers, who read Gloam before its official release, and left early reviews.

5. What were some things that you enjoyed and what were some of the challenges you faced?

I really enjoyed learning how to format my own book. That’s a skill I’ll use for the rest of my writing career. For me, the marketing part of indie publishing is always challenging. Trying to constantly come up with fresh material takes time and thought.

6. What are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned through your self-publishing experience?

Always know what things should cost. Don’t assume that because someone has quoted you $200 for a book cover, for example, that it’s the going rate. Do your research on pricing, and always make sure that the person you’re doing business with is who they say they are – there are so many scammers out there who prey on unsuspecting writers.

7. How much time do you spend writing and how much time do you spend on marketing?

At the moment, while I write my third novel, I’m trying to write 1000 words a day, 5 days a week. If I’m having a good writing day, this takes about an hour. If not, well…how long is a piece of string?

Marketing-wise, it really depends. If I’m doing a newsletter that day, I’ll spend about half an hour doing that. If it’s a social media day, I’ll spend anything from 15 minutes to two hours crafting material or setting up ads on Facebook.

8. How do you approach building and engaging with your readership as an indie author?

I’ve had some success on platforms like TikTok, and Facebook. I’ve spent a lot of time growing my email list this year, which I neglected to do when I released The War Between. I try to keep my content engaging and fun and keep the marketing to a minimum. I offer freebies to my subscribers – I’ve been giving away free copies of The War Between to new subscribers, as well as a short story called The Dive, which is about the main bar and a minor character from Gloam. When I set out to do content, I always try to keep my ideal audience in mind, and put up things I think they will find interesting.

9. How do you balance the creative aspects of writing with the business side of self-publishing?

Mostly, it’s a mess a lot of the time. I don’t think I do a lot of ‘balancing’, but I try to set goals for every week for both sides, and to stick to them. So if I get my 1000 words down, then the creative aspect is done, and I’m free then to turn my attention to my publishing goals, which are things like growing my email list, doing social media posts, joining group promos on sites like BookFunnel and StoryOrigin, and crafting creatives and copy for ads. If I’m not at the writing stage of my book, but maybe in the stages of editing or rewriting or formatting, I again set myself goals, which I always write down.

10. What are some of your top tips for authors who want to self-publish?

Do your research. Read books by people who have walked the journey themselves. Understand all your options before you make any decisions. Once you’ve made certain decisions, like perhaps enrolling your book in Kindle Select, which means it’s exclusive to Amazon, instead of “going wide” (i.e publishing on multiple platforms) track the results, and if it isn’t producing the kind you wanted, think of making a change.

Always be ready to pivot. There are constant changes happening in the self publishing industry, with new tools and software cropping up – all designed to make the indie author’s life a bit easier.

Watch your budget. Keep track of what you spend – whether it’s on promotions, social media ads, or writing classes. Understand how much you spend, and how much you can actually afford.

11. What advantages do you think independent (self) publishing offers to authors?

• A lion’s share of the profits on sales.
• Autonomy and absolute control.
• An understanding of what happens in the background of publishing, and what it costs.
• The opportunity to build new skills.

12. How do you stay updated with the rapidly changing landscape of indie publishing?

I subscribe to newsletters of those who have made a name for themselves in the industry, and those who make their living helping and advising indie authors – people like Ray Brehm and Derek Doepker, and sites like Reedsy and Kindlepreneur. There are so many resources out there now, with the ever-growing space of indie publishing.

Read part one of Jennifer’s Q and A here.