Interview with Maarten van Lier
Published 2015-07-14.
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I personally am an apple fan and read either through the kindle app or ibooks
What book marketing techniques have been most effective for you?
I try to do most marketing myself and have focused mostly on my Blog as a vehicle to get attention to my book. I also use Facebook but it seems to only way to get attention there is by boosting your posts. This can get a little costly
Describe your desk
I'd like to think I'm organized but my desk tells otherwise. I'm surrounded with three large monitors, one for internet one for writing and one to keep an eye on the news and stock market. the desk itself is covered in bills that need my attention or need archiving.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in the Netherlands in a small town called Helmond. Other than English not being my first language I don't think it influenced my writing. It certainly did influence what I'm writing about which is Personal Finance. The Netherlands has a very good social catch net which I found missing when I came to the States. It's because of that I took a close interest in Personal Finance and building wealth.
When did you first start writing?
I did it all wrong. I first quit my job and then started writing even though they all tell you "Don't quit your day job". Luckily I'm financially equipped to be without a paying job for a while.
What's the story behind your latest book?
It chronicles the execution of my plan to become a millionaire in 10 year. The story is not just numbers but also shows the personal ups and downs associated with it. The plan ran a little longer but successfully completed nonetheless.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
It struck me that as a salaried employee I was able to build a million dollar portfolio, yet at the same time it seemed a lot of my colleagues weren't. I'm hoping that my book and now Blog will inspire others to do the same. The American Dream is not dead yet.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
I've initially released my book only through Amazon and had hoped that the KDP Select program would boost some of my sales. Smashwords allows me to easily distribute to all the remaining channels. The Smashwords style guide was very useful in converting my book which was formatted for paperback into an eBook version that can be consumed by all other formats.
What are you working on next?
My next book will be more to the point on how to grow financially. It will be less personal and focus more on practical steps that have gotten me where I am and that can easily be applied by others.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
My wife and children. My finances have allowed me to spend a lot of time with them while dedicating only a part of the day to writing and blogging
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
With my kids out in the backyard catching frogs or fish
Smashwords Interviews are created by the profiled author or publisher.
