fuonlyknew

Book Description:
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Self-publishing a book is difficult.

This book simplifies it by breaking down a self-publishing and marketing project into 10 steps. This step-by-step process will get your book published and initiate the pre-launch marketing.

Hank Quense has written and self-published over twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. He is the author of the Author Blueprint Series of books. The Series concentrates on providing valuable guidance on fiction writing, self-publishing and book marketing. Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps is Book 6 in the series.

The book details such vital tasks as developing a compelling book description, building an author platform and getting book reviews to list a few.

Learn the ten-step process that will self-publish and market your book!

*What is your most recent book? Tell us a bit about it.

It’s called Creating Your First Novel.  Many if not most aspiring authors concentrate on writing their first novel to the exclusion of all other concerns.

However, the reality is that creating a book is a long-term, multi-phase project and writing it is only one facet of the project.

The complete project involves five separate phases:

•  Planning the book
•  Writing the book
•  Publishing the book
•  Marketing the book
•  Author business issues

Unfortunately, planning and writing a book does nothing to prepare the author for the other phases of the project.  The only commonality between the phases is that they are about a single book.

Another difficulty with the creative project is that almost all information on the process only discusses one phase of it.

Until now.  Creating Your First Book covers all five phases.  It is written by an author who has gone through the project over two dozen times.

*Tell us something about yourself. (Where are you from, what is your background, how long have you been writing or anything we might find interesting about you.)

I was born and raised in Jersey City and went to college in nearby Newark where I earned a BS in mechanical engineering.  I live in Westwood NJ, about 25 miles from Midtown Manhattan.  We have two daughters and five grandkids all of whom live a few towns away from us.

When I was 50 years old, I was a  sales manager for a large telecommunications company with an office in Manhattan.  I realized it was only a matter of time before the corporation told me to get lost so some young hot-shot could have my office.  I decided my next career would be writing fiction and I started writing on my commute to and from the office.

My early works was a bit unfocused until I read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I knew then I wanted to write satiric scifi.  Later I added satiric fantasy after reading a few of Terry Pratchett’s novels.

Since those early days, I’ve sold over 40 short stories.  My first two books were put out by a small indie publisher.  I found that experience so annoying, I decided to learn how to self-publish. Over time, I’ve self-published 25 books, both fiction and non-fiction, including Creating Your First Novel.

What inspired you to write this book?

Several factors influence me.  One factor was mentioned previously, authors who don’t understand the complexity of the book project.  On my first self-published book, I stumbled through the process using a trial-and-error method.  That way leads to unnecessary expenses. I want to keep aspiring authors from going through what I went through

Finally, I realized there was a lucrative market for scam artists in linking up with newbie authors searching for information or help.  These scammers include vanity presses and marketing “experts.”  Understanding the scope of the entire project lessens the chances of an author falling prey to these scammers.

Are you a pantser or a plotter? (i.e., Do you outline and plan your story or do you just sit down and write?)

I’m a plotter.  Perhaps to an absurd extent; I mind-map my books before I start the first draft.  My rationale is this: if I can mind-map the book, I know enough about it to write the first draft.  Another advantage of the mind-map is this. It’s much easier to move the thought bubbles around before writing the draft than it is to rearrange sections of the book after it is written. Some of my mind-maps became quite large and complex.

Do you have a daily or weekly writing schedule, or do you write only when you are inspired? How many words or pages do you complete in a typical day?

I work every morning from about 6 to 10:30.  About half of my time is spent on new books, the rest is spent on marketing, writing articles and maintaining websites.  When writing a new book, I don’t use a word count budget.  I write one scene (or topic for non-fiction) a day and I don’t care how many words it is.

How many drafts did you write before publishing your most recent book?

I wrote 3 drafts before sending it out to an editor.  So four in total.

What software do you use to write? Or do you prefer to write longhand or dictate your work? What made you choose the method you use?

I use Scrivener.  I do write some stuff (articles, notes etc) longhand using an Apple pencil on my iPad.  I’ve tried dictation but it just doesn’t work for me.

If you were doing it all over again, what would you do differently?

I honestly don’t think I’d change anything.  Possibly, my early marketing attempts would be a bit more effective.

What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing or publishing?

For writing a new story, know the ending before you start writing the first draft.  For an author self-publishing for the first time, get a mentor or a good guide book, like my new one.  Do not rely on the web for accurate information.

Do you have friends who are writers? How do you help each other to become better writers?

I have many author and writer friends.  Quite a few volunteer to beta read my stuff.  In return I critique their stories if they ask. We email questions and comments to keep in touch.

Who is the perfect reader for your book? (Please do not say “everyone.”) )

A writer who wants to create a first novel. Any experience in writing articles or short stories does not prepare one for the long-term, multi-phase project they are about to embark upon.

Where can readers learn more about you and your book?

My book is available in print and ebook on Amazon and other book sites.  Recently, I started a new venture called Writers & Authors Resource Center . https://hankquense.podia.com/

The site is dedicated to helping fiction writers master their craft and assisting self-publishing authors.

Meet Author Hank Quense:

Hank Quense has self-published his books for over 12 years. His non-fiction books cover fiction writing (Creating Stories), self-publishing (How to Self-publish and Market a Book, Self-publish a Book in 10 Steps), marketing (Book Marketing Fundamentals) and author business (Business Basics for Authors).

He also lectures on these subjects in schools, libraries and on webinars.

Hank recently started https://hankquense.podia.com/ The site provides solutions to pain points (problems) for fiction writers, self-publishing authors and authors who are trying to market their books.

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