Ashley R. Carlson: How to be an award-winning self-published author

I first happened across author Ashley R. Carlson in the magical world of Twitter, where I heard that she was writing a steampunk fantasy book called The Charismatics. 

The words 'steampunk fantasy' will never not grab my attention, mainly because that's the genre I've written a novel in myself and I love the potential that it offers. And so it transpired that I followed Ashley's journey as she decided to self-publish - and so far has been doing an AMAZING job, to the point where she's even picked up some awards.

I must admit that I've been against the idea of self-publishing my current novel for a long time, but watching authors like Ashley kick all kinds of ass is making me rethink my (probably rather stupid) stance. So I figured I'd have a chat with her about the whole thing, from her decision to avoid the traditional route to her writing and marketing processes...

 

Amazing author Ashley R. Carlson

You say on your blog that you considered traditional publishing for about two hours before deciding it wasn’t for you. What were the key aspects of self-publishing that sold you on that route?

Ah, yes, I remember saying that. Now, after meeting Chuck Wendig at Phoenix Comicon 2015 (and chatting with him for a solid hour, which was AH-mazing), I have mixed feelings about traditional publishing versus self-publishing.

However, when I first started writing seriously, the reason I was so drawn to self-publishing was that I liked how easily (in a sense) I could get my work out there into the world. Yes, I had to hire a cover designer, formatter and editor. Yes, I did do over six drafts altogether of my debut novel, “The Charismatics.” But a book that I started in May of 2014 was published and in the hands of readers by that December—and to me, that was intoxicating. The publishing gates were opened SO much wider with the popularity of the e-reader and KDP, and I think that it’s exciting. It *did* allow for a lot of sub-par content, but I think that when a self-published book is of a certain caliber, it will find an audience. The most important things to do are to keep writing, and to keep writing well.

Plus, when you’re a self-published author with a built-in readership and strong author platform, traditional publishing houses will probably give you a much better chance to wow them—they are in the business of making money, so if your work has proven to be successful as a self-published author, it’s a win-win for you both.

These days even traditionally published authors have to get their hands dirty with those things most introverted writer types hate – namely marketing and having to be social! Yet your approach to this side of the business is quite fantastic (with guest post blogs, interviews, video blogs and even motivational speaking). What's your secret?

By nature I am a pretty extroverted person, so this hasn’t been hard for me to delve into (the social media side of building my author brand). The other thing that’s really important to me, just as a person, is being authentic. I’m very open (as you can see from my “Dating Fails” YouTube video), and I never want to be “spammy” about my books or an annoyance. I want people to enjoy reading my tweets or Facebook posts because I make them laugh or show my personality, not because I’ve screamed BUY MY BOOK ON AMAZON at them twenty times that day through Hootsuite.

Social media marketing is a delicate matter—yes, tell people about your books. Be proud of your work. But also just be a fun person; if you do that, people will check out your website and your books anyway. I tweeted something funny recently to my friend and author Jenny Bravo, and a reader responded, “If your book is as entertaining as this tweet, I’m buying it.” And I’m pretty sure they did.

My heroes along the way have been Chuck Wendig, Ksenia Anske and Hugh Howey—all amazing writers and self-published authors paving the way for us, writing inspiring and informative blog posts, and doing what I try to emulate: being real people.

You self-published The Charismatics in December last year and you’ve already picked up an award for it. Congratulations!  How did that come about – is submitting your work for awards something that’s key to raising your profile in the world of self-publishing?

Thank you! I’ve gotten two distinctions/awards so far (Self-Publishing Review’s Grand Prize/First Prize in Fiction 2015 Awards, and the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion for excellence in self-publishing), and yes, I submitted to both of them. I’m fairly certain you always have to submit your own work to contests to be considered (or your traditional publisher has to), and I think it’s a great way to receive validation of your work. It’s not necessarily going to bump sales, at least not right away, but I think it gives a self-published author that “leg up,” like “Hey, my stuff is REALLY GOOD!” (according to those people/organizations).

Just keep in mind that all of these contests cost money, and sometimes upwards of $100 to enter. So I always weigh the pros and cons before submitting, and don’t spend a LOT of time or money searching for contests. If a promising one comes my way, then I do it, but otherwise I’m writing.

Most self-published authors (hell, most authors generally) have day jobs they have to write around. But you’re also an editor and motivational speaker. How do you juggle all these things with the actual process of sitting down to write? 

When I was working at a restaurant until this past April (the terrible day job you were referring to), I did have a hard time writing, mostly because I was very tired. It took me six months to write my recent novella, “Misery and Marlene,” while working full time, whereas I published a 93k fantasy novel in the same amount without a job last year.

But now that I have my own business, Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services (contact me for possible hire!), I have the freedom to make my own schedule—and that means writing comes first. Currently I’m rereading The Charismatics in preparation for writing the sequel, but once I get started I’ll plan on doing my required 2k words every morning before diving into my editing projects for the day. It’s a balance, but if you want to be a writer, then you have to WRITE. Whenever I talk to people who say “I’ve always wanted to write a book” (and you wouldn’t BELIEVE how many times I hear that, it’s hilarious), I just say, “What’s stopping you? Start writing! Now! Go!” And then I push them towards a computer. Just kidding. Maybe.

Let’s say you’re a writer with a pretty solid draft and you want to self-publish. What do you need to consider before you hit the upload button?

There are several main issues. Here is my timeline for reference, in chronological order:

1. Beta feedback for 2-3 drafts (or hiring a content editor for this).
2. Editor for proofreading/copy-edits.
3. Book formatted for ePub, MOBI, and paperback if you’re doing one.
4. Cover designed, and deciding whether this will also be paperback. That affects what sort of cover you want, and you also need to know your final page count so the designer can size the spine. Also keep in mind that CreateSpace for paperbacks take several days to link up to Amazon when selling copies, so if you have a “publish date” and want both paperback and e-book for sale at the same time, then you need to coordinate appropriately.
5. Book launch (if you’re doing one). That could include paid advertising, blog tours, posting on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/wherever, giveaways, and even an actual book signing.
6. After all that is said and done … write the next book!

A little bit about the author:

Ashley R. Carlson grew up wanting a talking animal friend and superpowers, and when that didn’t happen, she decided to write them into existence. She lives in Arizona with four (non-talking) pets and one overactive imagination. She is the owner of Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services LLC, a company that makes editing, content creation and marketing easy and fun. Her award-winning fantasy novel, “The Charismatics,” can be found on Amazon and her website. See more of Ashley R. Carlson’s writing or editing services at: www.ashleyrcarlson.com.

You can find Ashley at:

Website: https://www.ashleyrcarlson.com

Email: ashleyrcarlson13@gmail.com

Utopia Editing & Ghostwriting Services LLC: https://ashleyrcarlson.com/editing-services

Twitter: @AshleyRCarlson1

The Magic of Soundtracks

It's always struck me as a little odd that the success of a film - whether critical or financial - always seems to rest solely on the actors and director. For me, a truly great soundtrack is the key to everything. Get that right and you can build worlds and establish emotional connections with the audience regardless of what is actually happening on-screen.

I think this applies to writing as well. Of course, we can't provide soundtracks with our books (yet - I'm sure Amazon are working on it), but we can infuse our writing with the same magic that a truly great soundtrack offers. Music opens portals to other universes we can barely even imagine. Allows us to feel the story we want to tell, as we pull the words from our head and put them down on paper.

As most writers of fiction will tell you, a good playlist is almost a necessity when writing.

Sadly, a couple of weeks ago we lost one of those genius portal-openers. James Horner was a legend, a magic-making giant of the industry. Even if you don't know his name, you'll have heard his music - Aliens, Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, Titanic, Field of Dreams, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Avatar, Willow... the list goes on and on.

But my absolute favourite (and one of the best soundtracks ever) is The Rocketeer. A dream score that I find myself searching out whenever I want to write pretty much anything.

So I wanted to say a belated thank you, Mr Horner. For allowing us to travel beyond this world and bring back some of the magic that we so badly need. You'll be truly missed.

And to anybody who hasn't yet heard The Rocketeer soundtrack, click below and enjoy the ride...