In May, Creative Writing Institute focused on Self Publishing versus Traditional Publishing and they asked to interview me. Here is the full interview.

Interview of Jianna Higgins

by Farheen Gani

 - Which is your favorite genre and why?

I prefer literary fiction because it crosses genre boundaries, so it’s like a box of chocolates. That’s win-win for me. I love variety and chocolate!

 - How did you start writing your first novel?

Characters started having conversations in my head and I thought I was developing multiple personality disorder. Once I started writing down what they said, I got some respite until the next time they demanded attention. It snowballed from there.

 - Did you ever feel like giving up on your novel?  If yes, how did you overcome the feeling?

I gave up on it many times. I’d written 120,000 words of a supernatural trilogy when I took my first writing course with CWI. I learned with crashing reality that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. The first novel in the series was a short-listed finalist in the Cygnus Awards 2014 for unpublished manuscripts in speculative fiction, so I think it has potential, but it’s not ready to fly yet. It’s on the back burner as I’m in the early stages of my new novel, the third in the Sorrento series.

 - Tell us about your journey from writing to publication.

Destiny’s Alliance started as a 250 word assignment in Creative Writing 101. I had a sneaking suspicion that at some point I would have to write more. This scared me as it was YA dark fantasy and I felt out of my depth. Sure enough, a few assignments later I was asked to turn it into 1,000 words. I continued working on it in the next writing course and published a 28,000 word novella in February 2013. When I woke up the day after publication and several copies had sold, I had achieved my dream of becoming an author. There is debate about whether self-published writers are real authors or just wannabe writers. I made the executive decision that if readers are buying my books, then I’m an author. Destiny’s Alliance is a current finalist in the Chanticleer Summer Shorts and Novellas contest 2015.

 - What are the disadvantages of self-publishing?

Being a self-published author is a lonely journey. I think it’s important to have a network of other authors. I find this invaluable on Facebook, especially as I live in New Zealand and am not hooked in with Romance Writers of NZ or other writing groups. You also have to be your own publicity machine, which takes a large chunk out of writing time.

 - With more and more writers publishing e-books, how do you manage to get readers’ attention?

It’s not easy. I have entered my books in several international competitions, and while I haven’t won first place, they have been finalists every time, and 'Just Going' won an honorable mention medal. Both books in the Sorrento series are current finalists in novel contests, so I still hope to bring home the gold. Results give your writing credibility, so I’d encourage writers to source reputable writing contests, whether short stories or novels, and advertise any success. I also have short stories published in anthologies. Each time a new one is published, I notice an increase in sales a short time later, possibly because readers have liked my writing style and sought other work written by me.

 - Would you recommend any special tools you used?

I developed a template to collate everything I need to know about each character. Even if I don’t use most of the information, it informs me on how and why they react to certain situations. I print it out and carry it in my notebook because the characters will choose random moments to tell me their darkest secrets and what they’re planning.

 - How do you make social media work for you?

I use twitter and spend several hours a week tweeting about my books and also retweeting others. If I slack off, I notice a drop in sales. I use Facebook to announce if my books have had success in competitions. My Facebook banner has the covers of my books on it.

 - What advice would you like to give to writers who wish to publish an e-book?

The best advice is to take a writing course before publishing. You will look at what you’ve already written and cringe. Once you get over the shock, apply your new knowledge to your WIP and see the difference in both versions. Also very important is to pay for editing and a great cover.  Readers are drawn to attractive covers, and they hugely dislike a book filled with typos and grammatical errors. There is no point publishing a great story if other factors will result in negative reviews. Having a proofreader to check the manuscript immediately before publication will clean up any leftover errors. Kindle and Smashwords offer free information on how to format your manuscript so that it passes scrutiny and internally it looks as it should. Missing a step can have drastic results. I'd advise following every step.

 - Many writers work part-time or have other full-fledged careers. Do you think writers should only focus on writing?

I think it’s more about whether you can afford to be a full-time writer, and if that’s an aspiration. I still work full time, partly to ensure I can afford to eat and pay my mortgage, but also because I love my job. I interact with colleagues, clients, their families, and people from community organizations. Some of their personality traits and conversations mysteriously end up in my books. Even if you write full-time, I think it’s important to maintain outside links to talk to people, watch them, and be part of the world. It’s too easy to shut yourself away and spend the majority of your time with your characters. And let’s be honest, they have issues.

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