What motivated you to become an indie author?
Sheer frustration! I experienced a lot of encouragement from two different agents, both of whom worked with me and to both of whom I owe a great deal. 'The Glassblower's Daughter' would never have been written if the first agent hadn't insisted I do it. He and I parted company eventually when he felt that he was hindering my progress. The second agent added even more wisdom and I produced a final draft working with her but she wasn't able to place the book in the end. After so much hard work I just wanted to leave it behind and get on with another book but I felt I couldn't because what was the point of having written it (which took AGES) if no one was ever going to read it? My level of frustration prompted me to go down the indie route and it had the desired effect - I was able to let the book float free and start writing another one.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords offers a sane and utterly helpful platform with clear instructions on how to proceed. You end up doing this really difficult thing but because it is broken down into steps for you - you somehow achieve it. Once you have gone from one step to the next, and once you see the download figures start to increase it gives you back all your sense of belief in yourself as a writer. You feel in control. I think that is very important.
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