A big thank you to author Suzan Battah for stopping by Books Etc. to share her thoughts on becoming an author. In case you missed it, check out my review of her novel Mad About the Boy here. I hope you all enjoy this post!
Chasing my Dreams of being a Bestselling Author
Well it's been a long and tough road on my way to being published and taking the independent road was exactly what I needed to do. Mad About the Boy first came about when I studied at the Australian College of Journalism. When I was 18, I begged my parents to give me as a birthday present the course Diploma of Professional Romance Writing from the ACJ and luckily they granted my wish. I learnt so much doing a structured course and my instructor was very good and encouraging.
I was a young twenty-one year old trying to sell my book and after a bad experience with a vanity press, I stopped writing for about three years before getting back into it. I worked harder and as I got older my writing got better and better. Writing is in my blood and it's a big part of my life. So for about six years after I kept putting it out there, entering competitions which I was shredded to pieces in some with very personal snarky comments about my work. However, in two competitions I placed and won awards for Mad About the Boy - this is what kept me going. I no longer care about any negativity and honestly not everyone will enjoy my style of writing or the story. There are a lot of readers in this world and lot WILL enjoy my books.
Traditional publishing no longer became an option. I had many positive comments but not enough for representation or publication. At thirty years of age I decided to go it alone and turn myself into the publisher and author. In 2011 the digital age was thriving, independent publishing was booming and authors were coming out of the closet to put their work online. I was going to do it and decided to do it well. Publicity campaigns, reviews, interviews, book trailers, cover art! All of this is fun and frustrating to organise but it's all part and parcel of walking the independent publishing line. I'm really happy with the choice I made. Publishing houses only have a certain budget to adhere to and it's very competitive- lots of really great authors out there! But I believe I'm one of them and my work deserves to be read.
With my cheer squad (family and friends) whistling and clapping, I've walked the independent publishing line and survived! Mad About the Boy is out there now, available online and in bookstores in eBook and paperback. Just like the song Mad About the Boy that I fell in love with all those years back by Dinah Washington, I'm falling in love with being an author not just a writer especially when I hear the readers respond so positively to my work. I recently had lunch in Sydney with the lovely Australian Romance Readers Association ladies and four of them were reading my book and very much enjoying it. The road I took was not traditional but independent however it has given me such freedom and joy. I'm proud to share the art of my writing with such lovely book reading bloggers, going on tour and hearing the honesty in the reviews. This is my road to Bestselling Success - I have faith in my dream and you as the readers are all part of it. Enjoy Mad About the Boy, it's funny, dramatic with such raw emotion and full of passionate romance. Julia and Christophe go on one big rollercoaster ride called life, their journey is amazing and I loved writing it!
Great post Suzan!
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