Indie Revolution Day Four - Matthew Farmer

by 12:30 AM 2 comments



For one whole week, I will be talking to Indie Author's about what it is like to be an Indie Author and their books!

For today on the tour, we have Author Matthew Farmer!


Thanks for joining us today Matthew!


What is it like to be an Indie Author?

You have no time tables, and no one pushing you to write. You are the master of your own destiny. You also do not have an editor on staff, a marketing person, and someone asking you – how close to finished are you? We want to publish you!

These people are essential for an indie author. I am lucky to know these kinds of people in my life. I have editor friends, a friend with a marketing degree, graphic designers, friends and family asking me how I am going. So, I do have people watching over me.

You can write what you like, as fast or as slow as you like, and publish where you like. You get to have more money for your hard work in Royalties, so I am told.

But, strangely enough, being an indie author still has that feel of 'not legitimate' amongst other people, I have noticed. A friend scored a multiple book deal with Harlequin, and my uncle asked- why don't you get contracts with a publisher?

Can you tell us any pro’s/con’s about being an Indie?

PROS
    You are your own boss. You can write what you want, in any genre you like.
    For me ,a massive pro has been finding friends to help me, professionals in their own right who want to help me and see me succeed.
    Seeing the excitement of friends when you tell them- I wrote a book, and you can get it here.
    Setting your own price, your own market. Selling it where you want. Being able to do as little or as much marketing as you want. Having that control over your business and your life

CONS

    Not having the network of a massive publishing house to get you out there
    Up front costs if you go the print route, and then the avenues to sales
    Knowing when enough re-writing is enough? Since there is no due date :)
    Uncertain financial guarantees


Can you tell us about an important experience in your Indie journey? Good/Bad.

Two good things happened along my road to current indie publishing. I wrote the 1st draft of this book during November- National Novel Writing Month. Each day I would update my status with a long description of what my characters had done that day, but in exciting, pulp-language, and leave it as a cliff hanger. This built excitement amongst my friends, wanting to know more. My marketing friend told me that this was a perfect example of a marketing strategy.

The second was my friend Scarlett, who is an indie graphic designer and cover artist, having special offers for Nanowrimo winners. I got a fantastic cover designed for a awesomely cheap price, and she made banner ads, and was available for updates if I needed them.

Both of these events are comparable to a professional author, I think, and yet one was a complete accident by me, and one was a fortunate find in a friend. But both have pushed and inspired me to write more.

Do you have any advice to any aspiring authors, about being an Indie?

Just keep doing it. Keep writing and finish your novel. Keep looking at publishing options and keep doing that. Just get it out there and don’t give up.

Get a real editor. Get a real cover artist. Invest some money into your book. It s is a REAL THING, a PRODUCT to be sold. Treat it like such.

Describe The Girl from Out of Town in 3 words!

Rollicking Steampunkish Adventure!

How long did it take you to write The Girl from Out of Town?

Draft 1 took me 29 days. National Novel Writing Month :)
Draft 2 was done by the end of March. And draft 3 into June

Where did your inspiration for The Girl from Out of Town come from?

Very hard question. I wanted to write a Steampunk novel. So I started thinking of the conventions of Steampunk – flying ships, adventurers with swords and guns. But I wanted to incorporate magic and magical creatures, so  I started to build a world around magic and technology. The world came first, for this story.
I think I then played Uncharted 2, and wanted to write an adventure story.
So, some parts the flavour of Steampunk, some parts the game Uncharted 2, and some parts Dragons.
Pictures also inspire me. I can't draw so I rely on sites such as Deviantart and RPG boards to fill that need for images and pictures. One picture that really got me excited was an 'RPG Motivational Poster'. It was a picture of a pistol, with different coloured 'bullets' and the quote said- “Gaming- Where else could your gun toting character shoot magic casting bullets?” I think that was when I had an epiphany about magic and technology being so mashed together in my steampunk world.


Were there any scene’s harder to write than others?

Yes. In the first draft, Prince Malco was a more significant character in the story, very much entwined with the MC's. In the final drafts I took him out of the action quite significantly.

The scene in Thunderfall, where Malco is trying to persuade Navarr and Mizzell to come back with him, by the time the final draft happened, carried more weight. He was telling them how bad the situation in the city was after they had left; trying to describe the rising tensions and how close to civil war the city is. I still don’t feel I have written it well, but then, as a writer you always think you can write something better.

Future Books in the works?

Yes! I have 2 more books planned in this series- 'South of the Border' & 'Homecoming Queen' (Working titles). I have competed in Nanowrimo for 10 years now, so I have a 5 book sci-fi series in the bag, I might shine that up and get it out there as well. I have an Urban Fantasy series set in the back-blocks of Fitzroy which was fun to write.

I have loads of novel ideas. :)

Random Questions!

Hobbies?

Basketball – playing and reffing as an A-Grade referee
Roller Derby – My wife plays derby and I help out being an NSO (Non Skating Official).
I have an interest in miniature wargaming, but now would like to just collect miniatures and paint themselves.
I love the cos-play scene, and want to get into modding nerf guns, paint them up & such.



Special writing habits?

Habits, not really. But I do have a special writing hat. It is my orange and purple jesters hat, with a broken bell.

Favourite book? (Apart from your own of course!)

Joseph Campbell- The Hero with 1000 faces.

Thank you to Matthew Farmer for stopping by and having a chat with us!

You can find more about Matthew at his blog here!



Today Matthew is giving my fabulous followers the chance to win an ecopy of 'The Girl From Out of Town'


There will be two winners!











Unknown

Reader, Blogger

Twenty-something | book-blogger | tea-drinker | procrastinator | wannabe-writer | student

2 comments:

  1. What a great post, for someone who is considering going down the Indie route as I am huge supporter of Indies I found this post brilliantly helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Lisa. I totally encourage you to try the indie route. There is a lot of help out there, and it gives you an insight into so much more than just the writing side of things.

    Good luck and let us all know how you go!

    ReplyDelete

Ooh yes, comments puh-leaaase :D