WENDY TYLER RYAN & FIRE'S DAUGHTER and SELF-PUBLISHING

After Hibbs got over the shock of "pawing" it from Utah to Canada,

he and I made pretty good time to the lovely home of Wendy Tyler Ryan.

Hibbs collapsed in the flower bed, moaning about paws worn down to nubs. And Wendy and I started our interview :

Roland :

Wendy, why the decision to self-publish?

Wendy :
In the beginning, it was terrifying to even consider it. I foolishly thought that self-publishing had this dark, black aura around it.

The query road was long and hard, but also affirming. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "great writing, but..."

- "wonderfully executed, but"...

I soon realized that the market was tight and narrowly focused with regards to genre.

My main character didn't bite or shapeshift so I was out. I believe that every genre is a "niche genre".

Someone somewhere will want to read what you've written, so I dove in.

Roland :
And your cover alone is a work of art, much less your magnificent book trailer. But what do you think is the biggest drawback to self-publishing?

Wendy:
There isn't an easy answer to that, but for one, just learning how to do it all can be a huge challenge.

I know there are services out there, but most can't afford them.

By the time you pay this person and that person and the other person, how many books are you going to have to sell to make that money back?

My advice would be to pay for the services you absolutely can't do on your own and learn how to do the rest.

I can't stress enough how important a cover is to a book. Equally important is the editing. Don't put a book out with spelling errors and poor grammar.

Another huge undertaking will be marketing your book. Unless you know thousands of people personally, you are going to have to spend a great deal of energy on finding creative ways to get it in front of people.

Once you've exhausted your friends and family list, you can't let your book wallow in obscurity. You will have to be vigilant.

Hibbs sticks his head in the window :
French Quarter what?

Roland:
That's right, furface. Laugh it up. Just because your book has 8 great reviews and Sam doesn't! Anyway, Wendy, do you think you will find that "niche" for your book?

Wendy:
I hope so. Fire's Daughter is the first book in my Fire Through Time trilogy. It is a Fantasy Romance with a medieval feel and a healthy dose of adventure.

After all, who doesn't love a woman with a sword?

Hibbs snickers from the window :
Guess who has an autographed picture of Xena on his wall?

Wendy kindly ignores my furry friend :
And who doesn't love a woman who risks everything for the one man she loves?

After maturely sticking his tongue out at Hibbs, Roland asks :
After your trilogy is finished, what's next?

Wendy:
After the trilogy I plan to publish what I guess would be classified as "women's fiction" (can you tell I hate genre labels?)

The title is "Between Friends" and it's the story of two women who meet and become the best of friends,

each unaware that they are involved with the same man. I might have to sell a box of tissues with each copy!

Roland :
It certainly sounds like it will be a grave test for those two women's friendship. But I'm a sucker for books or movies like BEACHES. Thank you, Wendy, for being such a gracious host.

Wendy :
No, thank you so much, Roland, for letting me blather on about myself and my book, I really appreciate it.

Hibbs, his head still sticking through the open window :
Really? You got any honey?

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