Today we’re talking to author Kim Alsup. Here’s what she had to say:
Tell us about your self-published books and where they are
available
-I began publishing a series called Caught Up! in 2012 which
follows main character Shana Lakeman, a 13 year old girl who falls in love for
the first time and finds out that falling in love too fast comes with a whole
lot of consequences and drama. This
series was birthed from a dream that I had beginning ironically at the age of
13. The dream went on every night until
I turned 18, it wasn't until I started writing it down at 16 that I realized
what an interesting story this was.
-The first two books in the series Caught Up!: The Life and Times
of Shana Lakeman and the sequel focusing on her best friend Caught Up!: The
Life and Times of Donna Brown can be found on amazon.com (print and digital) as well as iTunes.
Why did you decide to self-publish?
-After searching for avenues to get my story our there one of my
colleagues suggested that I try self-publishing. Dealing with publishers and agents that would
twist my story and make it into something I did not want just didn’t
feel like the right path. I’m
not saying that I won’t ever be interested in that route but not right now.
What was your biggest challenge to overcome in self-publishing
your book and why?
-The biggest challenge I would have to say that while
self-publishing is a fairly easy process marketing is not so much so. Before publishing I just knew that I would be
able to sell it and fast but that wasn’t the case. A lot goes into marketing a book and getting
your name out there, it doesn’t just automatically end up in a
bookstore or end up on a best-seller list.
This is where you have to be publisher and agent all in one. I wasn’t aware of all the research that I
needed to do beforehand so that I could market it to the right people. The first book sold fairly well but the
second was more complicated because it was a sequel and needed to be marketed
completely different which became very challenging.
What has been the best part about self-publishing your book
and why?
-The best part of self-publishing is it is all mine. No one else owns it, no one else has input
unless I ask for it, and I control everything.
I pick the cover, I choose when its finished, and when to release it.
What advice do you have for other writers who are
self-publishing their books?
-My advice is research, research, research! Researching who your
book should be marketed to before publishing.
It will make marketing so much easier. Also to be confident in your
project, because if you aren’t then no one else will.
Is there anything you would like to add?
-My goal when writing is that if one person loves or is affected
by what I write then I have accomplished my goal. My desire is to inspire. To launch the 3rd book in this series I am
currently working on a cartoon web series.
Thanks for sharing your information with us Kim, and good luck
with book sales!
