Diana Murdock, author of Again and the recently released Souled, talks about her approach to writing and her plans for the future.
Why do you write? Is it something you’ve always done, or always wanted to do? Or is it something that you started fairly recently?
Probably like most writers, I began writing when I was very young. Mostly poems, though. I like to be lyrical. As I got older, I wrote scenes and then about ten years ago I started putting the scenes from my first book together.
Tell me a little about your books.
My first book, Again, is about a woman who searches for answers about herself and her life after she has dreams and visions of a past life. It is both a contemporary and historical romance as the story toggles between her current life and her past life.
My second book, Souled, a young adult paranormal, was just released. That is about a high school boy who wishes he had more and hopes to find the solution when he buys a soul online. But the soul turns out to be a little bit different than the auction site said it would be.
Are there any authors who inspire you?
There used to be, but I have met so many indie authors that I just have too many favorites to count.
How do you write? Do you make yourself write a certain number of words per day?
I write what I can, when I can. I make it a point to write everyday. Not only to achieve the end result, but also because writing puts me in my happy place.
Did you try to get a conventional publisher or agent interested before you opted for self-publishing?
With Again, I did try to get an agent, but had a stack of rejections. It annoyed me that I was being rejected because my story wasn’t what they were looking for. I read online advice that after a year of queries, an author should put the manuscript on a shelf and move on. After ten years of working on that book, there was no way I was going to shelf it. So I turned to self-publishing.
With Souled, it was a no-brainer. I like having control of everything from the cover to content and price. So I went directly to self-publishing.
What goals have you set yourself? Do you want to sell a certain number of books in 2012? Is there some way you measure success, on your own terms?
Being a single mother, it’s a challenge to set definite goals because the boys come first and with both of them teenagers, anything can happen. Success to me is being able to be happy. Then I know I’m on the right track. If part of that happiness includes another published novel, then all the better.
How have you marketed your books?
Marketing is a hit and miss, trial and error path. What works one day may not work another or for each book. I use Twitter, but I find that more of a challenge and less personal. I prefer Facebook, Goodreads, and visiting and commenting on blog sites. There are so many good blogs out there, it’s hard not to get involved with them. Many of my friends have used ads, but I haven’t heard them rave about the results.
Have you signed up for KDP Select?
I’ve used KDP for Again and at first I had a really incredible response, but each time I used the promotion, the numbers went down. I hear that has happened to many authors. And, yes, it did help with paid sales, but again, each time the sales were not as high. As far as the exclusivity clause, that didn’t bother me. I’m not entirely certain I’d go past the first 90 days with Souled if I do sign up with it. I’m still deciding.
Away from Amazon, have you had much luck with other outlets? Do you use Smashwords, Barnes & Noble etc?
I’ve used Smashwords, which in turn distributed to Barnes & Noble, but I did not get many sales through them. Also, to change anything, like pricing, it took forever to see the change. I don’t have a lot of patience, so the waiting for weeks was inexcusable to me.
What’s next? Are you working on anything at the moment? Do you have anything new coming out in 2012?
I have a sequel planned for Souled and a women’s fiction that has been simmering in my head for two years now. I may try to write them simultaneously after I outline them. I haven’t decided. I also have two other young adult books brewing. I’m not sure when the next book will be out, but I don’t think it will take as long as Souled took to write, which was about two years.
Souled by Diana Murdock is available from Amazon. You can also visit her website.
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