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Welcome to an interview with guest authors: Carolyn McCray, Amber Scott, and Rachel Thompson

Overview: “Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self-publishing Success” is a step-by-step actionable road map to increasing royalties for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. Divided into three sections; Producing a Sales-Friendly, Professional eBook, Establishing & Leveraging Your Social Media Platform, and Selling Smarter, Not Harder, “Dollars & Sense” walks authors through the process of creating then actually selling their eBook.

What inspired “Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self-Publishing” to begin with?

Carolyn had the idea that, with all her various forms of publishing and social media expertise, combined with Amber’s traditional to indie experience, formatting and Facebook prowess, and Rachel’s blog to book process and love and knowledge of Twitter, our combined efforts would truly create an incredible guide for any writer out there looking to self-publish or build their writer’s platform.

What challenges did writing nonfiction present as a fiction author?

Carolyn and Amber are both quite experienced with the business aspect of indie publishing as well as marketing and promotion, so it really was just a matter of writing it down in a linear way so someone new to the industry would be able to understand it easily. For Rachel, her book “A Walk in the Snark” is non-fiction (humor) plus she teaches social media workshops for the IBC so she was able to draw from both of those experiences. While non-fiction doesn’t have the same creative process as a novel, there is certainly an art to it!  We felt this book needed to encompass everything a new author would need to fully embrace self-publishing and social media and we were eager to get at it!

What did self-publishing teach you about your writing?

We all learned different lessons, of course, but ultimately the lesson is that writing is writing. We all love it and can’t dream of not writing, but you have to sit down and get it done. That said, self-publishing allows you to get it out to the reader base you have developed as well as expand into other areas through social media. The marketing is so much more intimate and that helps fuel us, to connect us with our readers and fans in ways never possible before.

What so-called failure do you see as a blessing?

Carolyn and Amber:  Leaving traditional publishing and going it on our own. It just showed us how much more indie publishing had to offer and how success was just waiting around the corner for us to grab it and run with it.
Rachel: definitely leaving the corporate world. I never felt I fit there, and my creative side was always pushing to come out. Writing has been a patient friend.

Fill in the blank: Happiness is…?

Carolyn: Happiness is: the perfect dog #whichdoesntexistbutIlovethemanyway
Amber: Happiness is: a hot man who cleans and doesn’t complain
Rachel: Happiness is: a fallacy. However, I will settle for the perfect martini.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this interview and be sure to check out Dollars and Sense as well as the other titles by these dynamic authors!

Live the adventure!