Post #220 – Memoir Writing – Matilda Butler
Focus on Publishing Options: An Interview with Author Angela M. Sanders
Angela M. Sanders
Today I’m pleased to welcome Angela M. Sanders, the author of several “smart quirky mysteries” series, as well as numerous articles. Angela has experience publishing with mainstream publishers, and is also self-published. That makes this interview a fascinating opportunity to look at these two publishing options.
Angela, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. I’m sure that many of our readers are considering self-publishing, so they will be very interested to hear about you and your books!
Pamela Jane. Q-1. Angela, you have said that storytelling is a way to appreciate life; please tell us a little about yourself, and your various mystery series.
Angela M. Sanders: To me, a storyteller is someone who can get off a bus and have an interesting observation to share after a 20 minute ride, even though most of the other commuters are simply glad the ride is over. Having the imagination and interest in life to tell stories is a gift. Add persistence and dedication to craft, and you get a writer.
I’ve written magazine articles for 15 years and have been part of a very popular perfume blog for 10 years, but it was only in the last 8 years or so that I plunged into writing fiction. I love to read for entertainment. I was having trouble finding stories that were “bath tub reading,” so to speak, but smart. So I decided to write some. The same curiosity and storytelling that inspired me to write profiles, for instance, translated straight into fiction. I have one series of “off-cozy” mysteries featuring a vintage clothing shop owner, and I’ve just started another series of capers. These are self-published. Under the pen name Clover Tate, I’m also writing a series of Kite Shop cozy mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. My website is www.angelamsanders.com.
Pamela Jane. Q-2. You publish with both mainstream publishers and through self-publishing. How did this come about?
Angela M. Sanders: First, I went the usual “find an agent, get a publisher” route. I succeeded in finding an agent, but she took The Lanvin Murders—the first in the vintage clothing mystery series—to only two publishers in two years. It wasn’t long before I realized that she didn’t have a lot of incentive to work harder. Why should she? At most, she’d get a 15% cut of a tiny advance—the highest being $5,000 a book, and the lowest being zero, simply royalties. So I decided to self-publish.
After my first two books came out, a friend referred her agent to me. He had a line on a potential series and had looked into my self-published work. Within a few weeks of our conversation, I had a contract for the Kite Shop mysteries. I decided to pursue the traditional publication route to see what I could learn from a good editor. I signed the contract in December 2014, but the first mystery won’t appear until February 2017. (I’ll report back then on what I learned. In the meantime, while I appreciate my agent’s vast knowledge and experience, my self-published series thrives.
Pamela Jane. Q-3. What is the biggest challenge with self-publishing vs. mainstream publishing?
Angela M. Sanders: The biggest challenge is facing the stigma that self-publishing carries. When you choose to self-publish, many people instantly assume it’s because you aren’t good enough for traditional publishing.
Pamela Jane. Q-4. Please tell us how you market your self-published books.
Angela M. Sanders: For my second series—the Booster Club capers—I never even considered going traditional, even though my agent offered to sell it (and he probably could have! He’s amazing). I knew I could make more money on it by going solo, and since my goal is to eventually earn enough to quit my day job, I self-published it. To self publish, you need to have a thick skin and be clear about your goals.
I don’t do much. I didn’t even sign up for Facebook until last spring. I do have a monthly newsletter that has steadily been gaining subscribers, and I post a notice for each of my books on the perfume blog I write for. After I released the third book in the vintage clothing series, I bought a BookBub ad (BookBub is a daily email listing free and discounted books) and made the first book in the series free for a week. The book shot to the top of the Kindle list, and a healthy audience moved on to books two and three. Really, though, that’s it. No book launch parties, no blog tours (this is the first guest post I’ve done on a blog), no obnoxious “buy me!” on social media. I believe in the slow and steady game. I’m in this for the long haul, and I’d like to build a readership organically. I want readers to find me who want to read me. Traditional publishing favors a wide yet shallow reach. With self publishing, I can go deep and narrow.
Pamela Jane. Q-5. What are the advantages and also the pitfalls of self-publishing?
Angela M. Sanders: Advantages: Self-publishing gets books to market faster, pays better, and gives the control to bend genres. I see my sales figures every day or month, rather than every 6 months as with traditional publishing. I have more control over marketing.
Disadvantages: It’s all up to me. I hire the cover designer and copy editor, and I have to pay for that upfront. I send my book through my critique group and three beta readers. I format and upload. I have to trust my gut as to whether the cover is right for the market and if my story is engaging. I endure the stigma of self publishing.
Pamela Jane. Q-6. I self-published one of my out-of-print children’s books, but I hired someone to put the book in an e-book form. Do you have recommendations for resources on the logistics of self-publishing?
Angela M. Sanders: Reedsy.com is a good resource for editors, formatters, and cover designers. Also, get involved with your local writing community and ask around for referrals. Finally, some of it isn’t hard to do yourself. While I’d leave cover design to a professional, for instance, ebook formatting is a cinch with Scrivener or Vellum, and for my last book I even took on print formatting myself.
Pamela Jane. Q-7. What advice might you have for memoir authors who are considering self-publication?
Angela M. Sanders: My first piece of advice is to think hard about what success means to you. Is it having your story told and shared with people you know? Is it making money? Winning literary prizes? Being called an author and seeing your book on a bookstore shelf? Or maybe it’s simply the satisfaction of learning more about yourself and developing skills? Your answer will help you decide what kind of product you want to put out, and how you might want to distribute it.
Next, write the best book you can. I know everyone says this, but they say it for a good reason. Get brutal beta readers to scour your novel or memoir. Consider a manuscript evaluation from a professional editor. If your first book is a dud, your second book doesn’t stand much of a chance.
Also, don’t fall prey to book packagers. You should be able to get your book to market for about $1,000, including an excellent cover designer and professional copy editing. I’m not a technical genius, but I pulled it off. Book packagers will often charge $5,000 for a crappy product and a lot of lies. Check out the Predators & Editors website if you have any questions.
Good luck whatever route you take! Writing is so often treated as a magical arena with outsiders taking extreme stances. Some people believe that writing is a breeze. They tap their skulls and pronounce that they’d write their killer novel if only they had enough time. Others treat writing as something that only PhDs should do under a full moon when anointed by a Nobel prize winner. I believe that writing is a path to growth, pleasure, and plain old hilarity (not to mention a little income), as long as you have faith in yourself. Have that faith in yourself. Trust your instincts, learn from others, and venture forth. Readers are waiting to drink from what you create.
If you have questions, please pose them in comments, and I’ll do my best to respond!
Pamela Jane. Thank you so much, Angie, for your time and expertise; we very much appreciate it!
Please leave a comment, and visit Angela at her website.
Pamela Jane is the author of over twenty-five children’s books. Her newest book, Little Elfie One, illustrated by New York Times best-selling illustrator, Jane Manning, has just come out from Harper.
Pamela’s memoir,
An Incredible Talent for Existing: A Writer’s Story will be out in 2016. You can read the query that landed her a publishing contract, 5 Tips for Hiring a Memoir Coach, and much more at memoircoaching.com.
