What motivated you to become an indie author?
There are two obvious parts to that question. I've always had the urge to write something more than short stories and travel journals, but my two earlier careers got in the way. So when I retired I had no more excuses and got right down to it. Going independent was a no-brainer really. The conventional route via an agent or a mainstream publisher is full of pitfalls an entails such a long lead time to publication. My experience of starting and running a business gave me the confidence to go it alone, so I simply set up my own imprint and distributed my work on the various indie sites. I realised from the start that the marketing side would be the most challenging and I'm still struggling with that. But if you want to be a successful indie author, you've just got to bite the bullet and do it.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
My single biggest joy, disregarding hubris, is seeing the story unfold as if you're reading something for the first time. Until I started my first full length novel I hadn't discovered the magic of not knowing what happens next, and then gasping with surprise at what appears on the page. While I'm in that creative bubble I frequently blurt out 'Gosh, I didn't expect that!' It's as if somebody is whispering in your ear what to write next.
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