Goodreads Interview

I am honored to have been interviewed by Haresh Daswani at Goodreads:

Interview

1. Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? 
** My sixth book, "Man in the Mirror" is about a teenage girl who has a difficult time dealing with her dysfunctional family. Celeste Gallagher takes on her family's problems as her own creating guilt and shame. There is only one way for her to rid herself of that self-imposed responsibility and she fights it every step of the way. 

2. Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers, or did you jump right into self-publication? 
** Back in the early 1990's I tried the traditional route, spent gobs of money on stamps only to be rejected by everyone. I did not try to publish again until a year ago when I learned of two self-publishing sites from a friend. 

3. What factors influenced your decision to self-publish to Amazon? 
** It was simply another step in name recognition. If I can self-publish to any given site, then I'm going to give it a try. 

4. Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing? And if not, what method did you use for proofing? 
I have never paid for editing. I have several trusted friends (and a husband) who proof and edit for me. 

5. What have you've learned during your self-publishing journey? Any advice you can give to burgeoning writers? 
** It is hard work. I think I have spent more time in promoting than writing. I have never liked to promote myself, however, in order to sell and get noticed it's a necessary evil. Advice: make the time and do it correctly and professionally. Write your bio, as if it were a job resume, save the file and use the same one for everything. I didn't do that. 

6. Where have you put your work on sale? Is it available in only digital formats, or is there a physical edition available? 
** I have books through Lulu (limited), Smashwords and all of their affiliates, Amazon, and also in print form through Wordclay. 

7. What kinds of marketing are you involved with for promoting your book? Any promotional recommendations to new writers? 
** I use Facebook extensively, my blog (http://colleenwaitwrites.blogspot.com), have my web addresses on my e-mail signature, and of course, word of mouth. 

8. Do you find it difficult to manage your time, shifting focus between marketing your current book and writing your next book, as well as any day-to-day responsibilities? 
*** Yes, yes, and yes. I am a wife and mother and have a full-time job. I would much rather be writing than doing anything else, however, it often takes a back seat. 

9. What's next for you? Any new books in the works? 
** I have two books in the works and several 'ideas' on file. One is loosely titled "Love on the Run" and the other is a book about the homeless. I have 12 hours of interviews for that one to digest and decide what to do with. It will be a process. In the meantime, "Love on the Run" is a creative outlet. 



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Thank you Haresh and Goodreads!!!