Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse.
Evy studied psychology (M.A., University of Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. She believes in love and its many faces.
Her one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.
Website or Blog: https://evyjourney.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ejourneywriter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14845365.Ev
You self-published your latest book, The Shade Under the Mango Tree: Between Two Worlds Book 5. Would you please tell us why you chose the self-publishing route?
I’ve just been following what I’ve done with the earlier books in the series. I did initially submit Book 1 to a few small presses, but I guess none of them thought it would appeal to their audience. My novels don’t
fit into a neat package, partly because they cross genres. And when I started 12 years ago, there wasn’t all the hype we’re getting now on diversity literature. Here’s one remark from a press that I can still remember: my manuscript was well-written, but their readers won’t like a hero who cheats. And this one from a reader: I’ll read an interracial love story if it’s the hero (not the heroine) who’s Asian or biracial.
Self-publishing seemed like a good choice at the time. I write novels that appeal to a narrow niche of readers, and I’m okay with that.
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?
Please refer to my answer above, but let me elaborate a little more. Amazon and other agencies (like Draft2digital and Lulu) made it easy to self-publish, and there has been no lack of sources where you can find beta readers, editors, and book cover designers.
What different online stores carry your book?
Most of the big ones carry my books: Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, etc.
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 book covers have been designed by different cover designers mostly because those I have contracted with in the past saw their business growing and were too busy to take me on again; or, they raised their prices higher than I was willing to pay. Book 5 has a new cover, because I wanted to unify the design for the three books that belong to Set 2 of the series. This set of book covers was created by Cardboard Monet. I will admit, though, that I have tweaked covers once or twice. I have an art background and know how to use Adobe Photoshop, but I’m not as knowledgeable as book cover designers with the attributes of covers (colors, fonts, images) that appeal to readers of specific genres.
So where do you see self-published authors making the biggest mistakes overall?
I honestly don’t know, but I’d emphasize that other pairs of eyes are essential, particularly editing. I also believe beta readers are helpful, maybe necessary for their feedback.
What do you believe the biggest advantages are when self-publishing?
You’ve pointed it out—it’s the freedom, and in a lot of cases, the percentage of royalties is higher.
What was the hardest challenge for you to self-publish your book?
The hardest challenge is the same for both self- or traditional publishing: writing a good story.
Did you get someone to format your book for you or did you do that?
I have extensive experience in writing because at least half of my tasks in grad school and previous jobs required writing papers, research proposals and reports within a certain format. MSWord has been my companion for most of my life. Fiction follows a different format, but I use a template from BookDesignTemplates.com.
What steps are you taking to promote it?
This book was published in late 2020 and I did a series of Book Launch activities at that time including a Book Tour, ads (notably New in Books with Written Word Media) and campaigns to get book reviews and attract Book Club readers. I’m doing the current book tour for Book 5 to draw attention to it again and as part of the book launch for the new book (#6) in the series, The Golden Manuscripts: A Novel.
Do you have any advice you’d like to share with other self-published authors?
Again it doesn’t matter if you’re traditionally- or self-published: Write a good story. And if you’re self-published, engage a good editor.
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