This blog post is about audiobooks and approaching interviewers. I took inspiration from something that happened this month, and it seemed a relevant subject.
On the 15th, I did an interview with Matt of Beard of Darkness Book Reviews. It came out at a good time; apparently, June is Audiobook Appreciation month. Every month is so many things at once. There are people close to me who only experience books in this format, so producing an audiobook was important to me.
Publishing with professional assistance is expensive. I took a chance on my debut, even though I had no built-in audience. From a business point of view, I have made extremely poor decisions. I knew writing a genre-bending, romance-free novel would not allow me to quit my day job, but this was never about that. Already, Far Removed has done what I had hoped for: it has resonated with some people and I have made friends who share my taste in stories. I also got to support creative freelancers, which meant a lot to me as a creative freelancer of a different kind. What writer or artist hasn’t dreamt of collaborating with actors? I was fortunate to be able to afford an audiobook. It’s like having a holiday overseas, I had a good time and made some special memories.
On Women and Minorities in SFF and Approaching Book Influencers
This past week, E.L. Lyons (author of Starlight Jewel) started promoting women in SFF, initiating conversations about some of the reasons why we find self-promotion difficult. Approaching interviewers came up as a particular challenge. I cannot cover everything that there is to say on this subject, but I can share the few experiences I have had with interviews and podcasts. Matt is very approachable, so he made that part easy.
My First Live Interview
I remember discovering Beard of Darkness Reviews on Twitter late last year. Around January, Matt was looking for audiobooks, so I reached out via email with the offer of an Audible code. The worst that could happen? He might decline it. Thankfully, he accepted the offer. At best, I was hoping for a rating from him. I didn’t think he would want to interview an unknown author. Some weeks after that, Matt was admitted to hospital for an extended stay. I didn’t want to bother him by asking if he had listened to the book, so I forgot about it.
A couple of months later, he interviewed Timothy Wolff (author of the Legacy of Boulom series), who mentioned me, along with other indies (thanks, Tim). This put me back on Matt’s radar and he asked me if I would like an interview. I suggested we include my narrators as I wanted to show them off. Thankfully Amy and Christopher agreed to join us. I was worried I wouldn’t get Amy onto the channel as she is sensible enough to avoid social media. She wanted to be prepared ahead of time (a trait she shares with Prismer, whose POV she reads), so she asked some very good questions in our emails. She had so many pearls of wisdom to share, and Christopher was authentic and entertaining as always. If you are afraid of having all the attention on you, maybe team up with another author or your cover artist for an interview? I had two professional speakers to offset my mumbling! I had never done anything live before, so this was scary. I’m glad I didn’t vomit from nerves, or fail to figure out my camera and mic settings. The interview flew by, and I almost forgot we were being filmed.
Other Interviewers
It was exciting to be interviewed by someone with a rapidly growing channel, but I have done other interviews before. Consider reaching out to these fine folk:
Yumio Katsumata hosts a Youtube channel. He really puts you at ease with set questions and clear communication before you start. Yumio records interviews in advance, so if being recorded live is daunting, consider approaching him.
Pamela runs The Picky Bookworm Podcast, and hosted my first interview. She makes a lovely landing page with a link to your podcast for you to share. Podcasts are a good option if you don’t want to show your face in interviews.
For those of you who prefer text-based interviews, contact Jamedi (of JamReads). He is a real gentleman and a great supporter of indie authors.
Who do you think you are?
Who do you think you are? Why should you be heard and not someone more qualified? These are the questions at the heart of imposter syndrome. I experience self-doubt at times, but I can’t help noticing that some of the most capable people I know are hit hardest with it.
I have very little to boast about, but I have a quietly audacious streak. I think this is partly because I grew up with no Internet in my house until my 20s (in the 2010s). With no extended family nearby, no satellite TV channels, and parents who didn’t have a tertiary education, I was blissfully unaware of how complicated the world beyond Cape Town was. Had I known, I may have felt too intimidated by everyone’s brilliance to attempt anything.
There are lots of reasons why someone shouldn’t listen to me. I am not a voracious reader or fast writer, but when I was younger I would read the same books over and over again. I have only a three year graphic design diploma (it cost less than university and I qualified for a bursary). After a brief internship, I started freelancing and my parents let me stay with them while my salary was too small to live on. There are lots of people who are more intelligent than me, who have worked harder, or who have suffered more. My confidence doesn’t come from being an authority on writing, but from having a perspective that is uniquely mine. Some may want to hear it, others may not, and that’s okay.
I hope my willingness to be interviewed will encourage other truly amazing women and minorities to do the same. I want them to think: If she can do it, so can I.
July Giveaway
July is my birth month so look out for 2 paperback giveaways mid-month. I will likely post about them on Twitter.
Blog Hiatus
The next 2 months are going to test me at work, so I may not update the blog until August. I am working with a team of illustrators on some new contracts. There are more courses and online meetings than I have had in years. I am reacquainting myself with software I haven’t used in ages, and learning new style guides and folder systems. I hope to have some mental capacity for a bit of writing while this is going on. Thanks for reading!
C B Lansdell 