What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Two things--the actual writing, which is sort of compulsory, and getting positive feedback from readers. We write to be read, unless you're writing deep dark secrets in your diary! I say positive feedback, because naturally the negative is not very pleasant, although it may be constructive. I have benefited from a couple of less than cheery reviews by rethinking and revising some things. I don't want readers to just like my books, I want them to get something out of them, even if it's just a small sense of encouragement, or some historical tidbit. I can honestly say I've gotten "something" out of every book I've ever read, even if it was just a determination not to read that kind of book again!
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords, especially Mark Coker, has been great. He obviously loves what he's doing and is dedicated to helping out his authors. Back in the day he even went into one of my books personally to see why it wouldn't clear Meatgrinder to upload--don't know if he'd have time to do that now! The publishing process is clearly explained and Mark has written a manual/style guide to help authors out. It's really quite easy, and with Smashwords handling all the shipping to retailers, as well as handling any problems that may arise with retailers, authors are free to start writing another book. Mark stays on top of the game and I have confidence in him.
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