Interview with Self-Published Author Lindsay Lees

In our series of self-publishing interviews, we are talking today to Lindsay Lees, author of The Willing, a dystopian novel.

Lindsay Lees is originally from Los Angeles and holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and while growing up and later in college, she split her time between the two countries. Lindsay earned a B.A. in 2008 from Manchester Metropolitan University, and next an M.F.A.in Creative Writing from California College of the Arts. The Willing is Lindsay’s debut novel. She currently lives a quiet Southern life with her husband and a houseful of pets. Visit her website or connect with her at FACEBOOK and GOODREADS.

You self-published your latest book, The Willing. Would you please tell us why you chose the self-publishing route?

I chose to self-publish after trying the traditional publishing route and realizing that my novel wasn’t necessarily the easiest to market. Without a certain marketability it’s hard for writers to get involved with traditional publishers. They

are motivated by profit and not willing to take risks. The controversial nature of my novel means that I needed to pursue my own publishing route and be prepared to defend the values of the book without sacrificing my personal beliefs.

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 initially attempted to find a publisher for the book and attended the New York Writer’s Pitch conference in 2013. That was an enlightening and entertaining experience that involved meeting editors from various publishing houses and pitching the concept for the story to their representatives. If they liked your pitch you were provided their contact information and asked to send them a manuscript. I did attract the attention of a small publishing company as well as Penguin but at the time I had a very rough draft to the story so didn’t initially send a manuscript. Once I felt the manuscript was ready I sent it to both contacts but was not accepted by either. From there I queried several other agencies and publishing houses without any success. I knew that this story deserved to be on the market though so from there pursued a self-publishing route. I solicited the help of an editor and with her assistance was able to polish the manuscript and put it on the market.

What different online stores carry your book?

The Willing is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books.

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?

The cover was originally designed by a recommendation through my editor based on a concept I had in mind. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to complete a final version and from there I hired Louisa Wilhelm a German artist through the freelance artist based website Upworks. She was able to take the original concept and develop it into the awesome cover you see today.

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

I suppose that one of the biggest mistakes is not hiring an editor and rushing into publication before the book is fully polished and ready to hit the market.

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

Not having to deal with rejection is a big plus. The publishing industry is subjective and bias and while that sentiment also applies to readers, there’s a certain freedom allowed to find your own readers when deciding to self-publish.

What was the hardest challenge for you to self-publish your book?

I think self-publishing the book was relatively easy. I was dedicated and committed to seeing the book through to fruition. It’s post-publication where the real challenging work shows up. Finding readers is no easy feat and developing a successful marketing strategy is a job in itself that most writers aren’t experienced enough to handle without help.

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

My editor Kitty Kladstrup. I made sure that the book was up to the standards of a traditionally publishing book and have invested a decent amount of money in order to do that.

What steps are you taking to promote it?

Locally I’ve made flyers and stickers that I place on bulletin boards and throughout bookstores and coffee shops. I’ve also hired several blog tour companies to help attract interest to influencers and other book bloggers who might be interesting in reading and sharing the book. I’ve also entered the book into writing competitions.

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

Make sure that the novel is polished and seen by several professionals before submitting the work to be published. If the novel isn’t well-written it’s not going to be successful and there are plenty of mistakes that are hard to catch without several sets of eyes on the writing.