Though you may not know it by the prevalence of clickbait headlines sounding the death knell about author careers, successful authors are out there. Lots of them. And I’m not just talking about the ones who top the bestseller lists week after week. I’m talking about the authors whose names you may have never heard, who are quietly writing and earning income from their books.
And while there is no formula for becoming a successful author, or even a consensus about what defines “success,” there is much that can be learned from studying authors who are already where we hope to be one day. I’m fortunate to know several of these authors. I’ve had the benefit of their wisdom and expertise for years and wanted to share some of that wisdom with you. So this year, in my posts for Writer Unboxed, I’ll be sharing Q&A’s from authors I think we can all learn from.
My series, Author Up Close, will include Q&A’s with two of Writer Unboxed’s own: Anne O’ Brien Carelli, whose middle-grade novel was published by Little Bee in 2018; and Linda Seed, a contemporary romance author who had so much success self-publishing, she was able to leave her 9-5 to write full time. The series will also include interviews with Roger Johns, a traditionally published author who found himself in the enviable position of having to find an agent after being offered a publishing deal, and Vanessa Riley, a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering who writes multi-cultural Regency and historical romances in an industry that (falsely) believed there wouldn’t be a large enough audience for her work.
Author Up Close begins with a Q&A with Fiona Zedde. Fiona is the author of several novellas and novels including the Lambda Literary Award finalist Bliss. Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures, won the About.com Readers’ Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel or Memoir of 2012. Fiona lives a location-independent lifestyle, traveling and sometimes living abroad for months at a time. As you’ll discover from our Q&A, her ability to adapt to changes in the industry has been key to her success as an author.
GW: You’re what the publishing industry considers a “hybrid author.” Was this an intentional strategy you adopted when you first launched your professional writing career or is this something that evolved?
FZ: This “fingers in different pies strategy” slowly took shape over the years. I started off working with a single New York publisher back in the mid-2000s and stayed that way for a good ten years while also working a corporate job. After a few changes and setbacks, which included leaving my 9–5 and being released by my NYC publisher, I realized I needed to do things a little differently if I wanted to continue writing and publishing.
Luckily, I soon received the opportunity to work with another NYC-based publisher (different genre and different name). I also eventually regained the rights to my backlist. At the suggestion of new author friends, I republished these novels myself. Once the backlist books became available again, readers began asking for sequels, and so I wrote and published a collection of short stories, some following the characters from the previously published books. That led to a full-length novel published last year.
These days, I work with a few different publishers as well as self-publish.
GW: In many respects, you’re living the dream as a writer who makes a living writing and who is location independent and travels the world. What are the key decisions/choices you’ve made in your career to make this lifestyle possible?
FZ: I think one thing I’ve done is remain open to different opportunities and open to change. The business of writing and publishing shifts quite a bit. Strategies that worked two years ago may be completely useless now, or vice versa. If I see that—despite marketing efforts and other factors—a writing name of mine is no longer doing well, I’m willing to scrap it and begin a new name, explore a new genre, and/or submit to different publishers. I also submit to short story anthologies every once in a while in hopes of finding a new audience or coaxing back readers who’ve lost touch with my work over the years.
GW: What are some of the challenges you’ve run across in within the publishing industry?
FZ: One of the biggest challenges for me has been gaining readership outside of my black, female audience. Black readers dive into books of whatever genre they enjoy, despite the race of the author. Black writers aren’t afforded that same courtesy by a majority of non-black readers. At general, multi-author book signings, it’s interesting to see white readers move like water around a rock past the tables belonging to black writers, their gazes fixed on the next available white face.
My other challenge is marketing. I need to get so much better at that.
GW: Finally, what advice would you give a newbie writer who one day wants to be doing what you’re doing?
FZ: Network. Talk to the people already working the way you dream of working. Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. At the beginning of this writing thing, I felt like I was doing everything on my own and didn’t think I had a community to turn to. Now, I’m better at asking for help and advice as well as taking part in community, but it took me a while to get here.
You can learn more about Fiona and her writing, by visiting her at FionaZedde.com. Many thanks to Fiona for allowing me to interview her for this piece.
Over to you: what is some of the best advice you’ve received from your successful author friends?
About Grace Wynter
Grace Wynter (she/her) is a writer, freelance editor, and a huge fan of shenanigans. Her blogs (and a few of her shenanigans) have been featured on CNN.com and the Huffington Post. She is a freelance editor for the Atlanta Writers Club’s biannual conference and has edited for FIYAH and Macmillan/Tor. Her debut novel, Free Falling, was a Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Award finalist. When she’s not alternating between the Marvel and DC universes, Grace resides in Atlanta, Georgia. You can connect with her at The Writer’s Station The Writer’s Station, and on her author website, GGWynter ggwynter.com.
Great idea, Grace! Fiona Zedde was an inspired choice for the debut of this series. Every voice has an audience, and it’s instructive to see how Fiona has adjusted her strategies to find hers.
Notably, Fiona has multiple story types and uses multiple avenues to reach those readers. Smart. She also used short stories to develop secondary characters and keep readers engaged. Also smart. At my agency we have found those approaches effective.
One thing you and Fiona did not address is what must have been her equal adaptability in storytelling itself. To seize new publishing strategies is brave but success at writing isn’t all about publishing.
I wonder what breakthroughs in technique have been the most useful to Fiona? In any event, thanks for this series. Eagerly looking forward to more!
Thanks, Donald! I’ve asked Fiona to share some of those technique breakthroughs with us when she has a chance. As a critique partner and fan of her work, I can attest to the amount of time she spends honing her craft.
Thanks for your comments and question, Donald! While it’s still a work in progress, I’ve found myself experimenting with the more contemporary forms of storytelling in my genres – more 1st person POVs, alternating/dual character POVs, plus a more conversational narrative style. It’s a bit of a risk for me since many of my initial readers have let me know how much they like the “sound and feel” of my first books. But time will tell the effectiveness of these changes.
As a means of reaching a wider/different audience, I’ve also been looking into audio books and services like Radish.
I am too. I believe all writers can glean ideas and future success from those who have found strategies that really work. Thanks for this piece and I look forward to more.
Thanks, Beth!
I find it fascinating how some authors adapt to change. Very inspiring!
Thanks for the new segment, Grace.
Dee
Award-winning author of A Keeper’s Truth
I find it inspiring, too! Can’t wait to share the other authors’ experiences with the WU community.
Love this push back against clickbait articles telling us the sky is falling. I pushed away from the shore and have been tumbling down the freelance river for about five years now. It’s not easy. It takes more than balls–it takes ovaries. And it’s definitely feast or famine.
But what felt like a knife to the heart while reading this interview was the hideous prejudice or moving around an author table just because that author happened to be a person of color. I know that as a society, we are hardly post-racial, but this is not only appalling, it’s heart-wrenching. I’d hoped we were better than that, but I was apparently wrong.
I hate conferences and try to avoid them like the plagues they are, but the next time I go to one, I’m going to be on the look out. Grrrrr. It’s bad enough we have to put up with rampant sexism in publishing, but to have book buyers doing the same thing only with people of color …. Well, it really pisses me off.
Stacey, the doom and gloom about publishing (especially self-publishing) bugs the hell out of me. That’s why I’m so excited about the upcoming Q&A with Linda Seed.
As for POC in publishing, it’s always been an uphill battle. I hope we’re in the midst of a sea change, but only time will tell. But as more members of the broader writing and reading community broaden their horizons, so goes the industry, in my opinion.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
It *is* very disheartening, Stacey, one of the unfortunate realities of being a POC in this industry and many others.
Hey Grace – This is a really great idea for a series, and I’m looking forward to more.
Fiona’s insights are enlightening, but I must admit, once I read: “location-independent lifestyle,” my intrigue hit an off-the-charts peak. Since the concept of ‘home’, and how that morphs and changes, is often a central theme in storytelling, I can’t help but wonder how her sense of home has changed, and how it’s played into her storytelling. (Admission: I have a character in my WIP who chooses a location-independent lifestyle, and her concept of home is changing as I type this.)
Also, like Stacey, I was instantly incensed by Fiona’s observation of white readers parting like waters around the rock of black authors’ tables. And I swiftly recognized the truth at the core of it. Which is a nudge to me to take a look at my own shelves, and consider my own reading choices moving forward. After all, if I’m not moved by my outrage to look at the big picture, and see what part (no matter how small) I might play in such problems, and what things (no matter how small) I might do to create change, then shame on me, too (not just on those moving like water past the tables).
Thanks to you both for the insights, the intrigue, and the nudge.
Thanks, as always, for your thoughtful commentary, Vaughn. I’ve encouraged Fiona to read these comments, and I hope she can provide some insight for all of us about how her sense of home has changed. Great question!
And awareness is key when it comes to opening eyes and minds to reading more widely. Sometimes all it takes is a little nudge. :-)
Thanks for your comments and question, Vaughn.
For me, the idea of home has always been a shifting thing. When I left “home” as a pre-teen by immigrating from Jamaica, no place/country really made me feel “at home” after that. At the same time, I’m easily able to call a place “home” after spending a night or two there.
As a writer, that has often meant I end up creating characters who are “out of place” and don’t define home as the place/country they come from nor as the place where their families are. They often roam countries, identities, spaces and carry their “home” inside them.
I’m a huge fan of Fiona’s. She was one of the writers who inspired me to take the leap into the Wild Wild West of self-publishing. I haven’t died yet, so that’s good. Great interview. I’m looking forward to this series!
I’m obviously a Fiona fan, too! Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.
Thank you, Evelyn! This makes my day :). Continued joyful leaping and much success to you.
Great topic and interview. Books and their authors are some of my best teachers. The best advice I’ve rec’d is to focus on writing the book first, then everything else that goes with the territory of being a published author.
Vijaya, it’s so easy to get caught up in what comes after the writing, that the writing ends up taking a backseat. I’m trying hard to remember to focus on the writing as I tackle my WIP.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Love the idea for the series, Grace.
As for Fiona, may we in the dominant culture learn from her adaptability. It *feels* like things might be slowly shifting with some breakout successes in minority communities, but we have a long way to go.
<3
I agree that there is a long way to go, Jan. All we can do is keep pushing forward.
Thank you so much for inviting me on, Grace! I’m looking forward to reading the rest in the series.
Grace, what a fantastic start to your new series. Everybody who wants the lowdown on the challenges in today’s writing world and how to deal with them should take the time to absorb this interview and the responses it generated.
“it’s interesting to see white readers move like water around a rock past the tables belonging to black writers, their gazes fixed on the next available white face”
I am mixed race, but I still found myself reflecting on this line a lot, wondering if it applied to myself at book events, and if so, wanting to fix that. Thank you for calling this behavior out, and for all your other wisdom shared as well.