The great thing about writing a blog on a topic you love is the opportunity to meet other people passionate about the same topic. I recently met Wanda Shapiro—albeit virtually—and was impressed with how well she understands the changes coming to the publishing industry, as well as her tactics and strategies around marketing amidst these changes. I asked Wanda if she’d consider doing an interview with me, and she graciously accepted.
Hi, Wanda. Thanks for taking the time for this interview. First, can you tell us just a little about yourself, as well as your background in writing.
I’m an indie author. I decided to bring the indie business model used so successfully in music and film to the world of literary fiction. I decided to leverage available technology, cut out all the middlemen, and bring my first novel directly to readers.
This is my first novel, and my first published work, but since I launched www.onegirlonenovel.com I have been compared to Hemingway, Salinger, Hitchcock, Burroughs, Marquez, and Calvino.
Tell us about your book, Sometimes That Happens With Chicken.
Sometimes That Happens With Chicken is a literary novel with a large cast of characters whose lives become inextricably intertwined due to the life choices of a complete stranger. It’s set in the Village in New York City with historical threads reaching from Texas to Saudi Arabia.
I always struggle with this question because Chicken contains a fairly sizeable surprise which I studiously avoid ruining for my readers. It’s not the usual kind of surprise a story delivers because it comes closer to the beginning than the end, but it’s a surprise none the less.
On your website you mention you have a plan to sell your novel to a lot of people—without a publisher. Can you give us a brief overview of that plan, and how it’s working so far?
In the past, if you wrote a novel, you needed a publisher (preferably a big one) for printing, distribution, and publicity—but the established publishing industry has outlived its usefulness in all three arenas.
Now, I can do everything Random House does—at home, in my spare time, with my laptop and an internet connection. With the advances in personal computing technology and print-on-demand printing there isn’t a single thing a publisher does that I can’t do myself.
And so far, it’s going very well. So well that they’re calling me a one-woman Random House. People are rallying around Chicken and they’re rallying around my indie business model. I still have a long road ahead of me, but word is spreading a little faster than I thought it would.
Many authors I’ve met are hesitant to try an open model. They are worried about their ideas being stolen, or people downloading their book, and never buying it. What would you say to people with these concerns?
In my opinion, these people are behind the times. The concept that “free sells” is still a bit foreign to some, but the evidence is documented at length in various resources. Often, people look at me funny when I tell them my book is available for sale and for free but I encourage people to download my novel for free. My site will always have a complete free novel available for download and I will always encourage the sharing of files.
On my website my call to action reads: Buy Now or Download Free
I see free downloads like seeds. Everyone who downloads my novel is one more person who could tell a friend about it. And, in addition, this makes my book available in markets where I do not currently have retail distribution. Most writers focus on the American and European markets, but there are thriving literary communities all over the world. Given today’s technology books don’t have to have borders.
I couldn’t be this open if I had a contract with a publishing company. I would probably be sued if I had a publisher, but with my business model, I own the rights to all my work which means I can give it away if I want to.
It boggles my mind a little that the concept of “free sells” is still so foreign to some, but I remind people constantly that my book is available for free and that they should encourage their friends to download it for free. It might cost me some sales in the short run but I believe it will pay off in the long run.
Do you have plans to make your book available on the Kindle, iPad, or any of the other e-book sites?
Sometimes That Happens With Chicken will soon be available both on Kindle and iPad. I have the files for both versions ready and will be uploading to the two platforms as soon as humanly possible. I have also started scoping out the effort for an audio book version of Chicken because I have received several requests.
You recently returned from your first book tour. Can you tell us how that went?
I had four events in eight days and each one surpassed my expectations. I had opportunities to connect with a lot of readers, I met fans I didn’t even know I had, I connected in real life with some people I had only thus far known online, and most importantly, I got a lot of great publicity.
In addition to some newspaper articles, I was honored to be interviewed by Joe Donahue on WAMC Northeast Public Radio. I was interviewed live on The Roundtable, a nationally recognized, award winning talk show known for its thoughtful interviews with A-list newsmakers, authors, artists, sports figures, actors, and people with interesting stories to tell. The Roundtable has interviewed the likes of Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut and Maya Angelou, so this was a big step for Chicken and for indie literature.
Here’s a link to the archive of the interview:
It looks like you’re no stranger to social media, how are you leveraging these sites to promote your books. Do you have any tips, tricks, or things to avoid when marketing on social media sites?
In some ways I feel like I still have a lot to learn but I think the productive use of social media boils down to being a good neighbor. You can’t just promote, you have to participate. The internet, and social media, is really just a web of communities. Before social media, these communities were more separate and discreet. But now, they are complexly interconnected and a person can participate in many different communities at any given time.
I have met (and been helped by) some amazing people whom I only know online. Be they tweeps or facebook friends, or fellow bloggers, we all seem to help each other. And sometimes, those relationships cross-over into real life.
There was a time when I thought technology was going to drive people apart, but social media seems to be a hot bed of altruism and human kindness. People participating in today’s social media sphere are creating real relationships and they’re really helping each other bring ideas to fruition. Indie literature is one of those many ideas.
Thanks again to Wanda for taking the time for this interview. Please take a moment to visit her site as well as check out her book.
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