Interview with Self-Published Author Shaylin Gandhi

In our series of self-publishing interviews, we are talking to Shaylin Gandhi, who secretly stole her mother’s copy of Clan of the Cave Bear at age ten, and fell madly in love with love stories. Now, as an author, she still can’t get enough, and the tales she spins all center around affairs of the heart. To her, that’s what makes a story truly worth telling. Besides writing, she tries to stamp her passport at every opportunity. Traveling has been a lifelong passion, and she’s lucky to have done it a lot. Shaylin and her husband once spent an entire summer living in their van while touring the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Alaska. Her most memorable trips often tie in with writing: her books are usually inspired by majestic places that stole her breath. In addition, Shaylin practices medicine, scuba dives, plays the piano, and once rode her bicycle from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. She now lives in Denver with her incredible husband, their identical twin daughters, and two adorable rescue dogs. They can usually be found in the mountains, either hiking up or skiing down.

You self-published your latest book, By the Light of Embers. Would you please tell us why you chose the self-publishing route? 

Simple: I wanted to be able to control what form my book would take when it went out into the world. I had a very specific vision for the story and cover, and it would’ve broken my heart if a big publisher had tried to deviate from that. Besides, these days, with the onus for marketing falling more and more on authors, I don’t see a huge upside to publishing traditionally. With the traditional route, you’re doing the footwork of getting your story out there, but are sacrificing a big portion of the profits to the publisher.

Take us through the process. You had an idea for your book, you wrote it, then you decided to find a publisher. What were your experiences with that? Or did you decide to self-publish without looking any farther?

I did actually pursue traditional publishing, originally. I signed with a literary agent, who was great, but when the manuscript got shopped around, the feedback was that my ending was a bit too much. But for me, the ending of By the Light of Embers is critical to the message. Really, this book is about the relentlessly destructive nature of racism, and if I’d given it an “everything turns out hunky-dory” ending, I don’t think I’d be making a legitimate or realistic commentary on the issue. So, with my vision for this book being something I wasn’t willing to compromise on, I ended up publishing independently.

What different online stores carry your book?

By the Light of Embers is available exclusively through Amazon.

Authors who go the traditional route have an edge over self-published authors in regards to distribution to bookstores. How did you handle that as a self-published author?

I stuck to Amazon because I really wanted to participate in the Kindle Unlimited program. I think KU is a wonderful way for readers to get access to a ton of books without breaking the bank, so I’m proud to say that my book is exclusively on Amazon and available to read for free for anyone with a Kindle Unlimited membership.

On the other hand, self-published authors have the edge over traditional books in the regards that the author has all the control. I’d like to begin with your cover. Did you make it or did you have someone else design it? If you had someone else, can you tell us who it is?

My designer was a woman out of Brazil named Marina Avila. I actually chose her long before I contacted her! I’d seen her work on her website and just knew she’d be able to put together something amazing for By the Light of Embers. Which she did. I’ve gotten endless compliments on the cover, and I really think the art captures the mood of the story.

So where do you see self-published authors making the biggest mistakes overall?

I think a lot of authors are under the impression that, once they write a story, all they have to do is publish it, and word-of-mouth will somehow get that book to readers. It won’t. You really need a concerted marketing push. These days, there’s an ocean of self-published literature out there, so getting discovered organically anymore is like winning the lottery. If you want your book to get attention, you have to get it in front of people yourself, which means marketing the hell out of it. Of course, I realize that most authors have no interest in becoming marketing experts, but as a result, a lot of amazing books are going unpromoted and then tragically sink into oblivion.

What do you believe the biggest advantages are when self-publishing?

Being able to have full control of your finished product. I have a few friends who’ve recently signed traditional publishing contracts, and while I’m over-the-moon excited for them, every single one of them has had to revise their story. Heavily, in some cases. 

Did you get someone to format your book for you or did you do that?

I did the formatting myself. There was a steep learning curve, but now that I know how to do it, I’ll always have that skill for future books!

What steps are you taking to promote it?

I made ARCs available through NetGalley, then promoted the release through a number of newsletters and through Bookbub. Currently, I’m building a newsletter audience and am working on getting PPC ads going through Amazon and Facebook. I’ve also done a few blog tours. Since the book’s release, I’ve been invited to do several events—anything from blog takeovers to podcast interviews—by people who read the book and loved it.

Do you have any advice you’d like to share with other self-published authors?

Don’t ignore the opportunity to get good at marketing! It’s an invaluable skill that will serve you well in the future. I know the temptation is to spend most of your time perfecting your book, but all that effort will have gone to waste if people never end up reading it.

If you would like to find out more about Shaylin Gandhi and her books, take a look at her website and follow her on Facebook or Twitter.