Indie Author Interview with Amber Byers
It’s been a while, but I’m back with a new indie author interview—this time with Amber Byers, an award-winning author, editor, writing coach, and speaker. Her book, Sophie and Spot, won a Gold Medal for Best First Book in the chapter book category from Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards in 2019. A member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, her Indian name is Nijgan Bamsid Manidog (One Who Walks with Spirits).
Amber runs Tadpole Press, through which she holds the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest twice a year. I’m excited to share that I’ll be Tadpole Press’s first-ever guest judge for the April 30th writing contest!
Read on to hear more about Amber’s processes for writing, editing, and publishing.
When did you start writing, and what inspires you to write the stories you do?
I’ve been writing since I was a kid. When I was young, I gave short stories to my family as gifts on holidays. I kept journals a lot growing up. And I wrote poems and essays in my creative writing classes in college—and of course just for fun on my own. Then I wrote legal memoranda, motions, and briefs in law school and during my career as an attorney. Once I left the law, I began writing fiction stories as well as positive affirmations and gratitudes as part of my regular mental health practice.
Writing is like living or breathing for me; it’s how I figure out what I think and it helps me process the world around me. I’m not really sure where the inspiration comes from. Like Liz Gilbert, I believe that ideas are alive and the way they find us is some sort of Big Magic. But I will say that once I get an idea, a lot of my writing incorporates elements of my everyday life in one way or another.
Did you choose to self-publish from the start, or did you seek traditional publishing first?
When I published my first book, Sophie and Spot, I knew I wanted the creative control over this story so I chose to self-publish right off the bat. I also didn’t want to wait for the proposal process involved in traditional publishing, so self-publishing was a good fit for me.
For my second story I’ve published, The Magic Door Origin Story, I self-published this as an e-book in PDF format on my website. It is a short story that’s part of a larger collection that I’m looking for a traditional publisher for.
How many books have you self-published and in what genre(s)?
I’ve self-published two books. Sophie and Spot is a children’s chapter book, and The Magic Door Origin Story is a short story. Honestly, I get a little confused about genres, but I think you would call this short story a science-fiction / mystery / drama with time travel elements.
On what platforms do you publish and why did you choose these?
I chose to publish Sophie and Spot on Amazon and Ingram Spark. I like that both platforms print on demand, so I didn’t have to preorder a ton of books. While I appreciate that Amazon is very well known for individuals, I also want to ensure that libraries and bookstores have the ability to order my book, which is why I also published on Ingram Spark.
For The Magic Door Origin Story, I wanted to publish the short story quickly, which is why I decided to offer it as a PDF e-book and sell it directly through my website.
What is your process for feedback and editing before you publish?
I’ve used writing groups, critique groups, critique partners, beta readers, a formatter, and a little bit of publishing help from a friend. My family usually reads through several drafts and offers valuable feedback on both content as well as grammar. I didn’t hire a developmental editor for either of these first two projects, which I know is controversial. Since I knew what I wanted the story to be and I was able to receive such a thorough evaluation during the critique process, I chose to forego this common expense. I also did most of the copyediting for Sophie and Spot myself, but I did use four different proofreaders who all caught different errors. One of my proofreaders was another editor friend who kindly agreed to an exchange of services. (Taylor, I’m still waiting to proofread your story!)
I’m also currently working on a short story about the Lunar New Year, and because this story is outside of my culture, I’ve sent it to several diversity editors aka sensitivity readers. I definitely recommend this service as it can give you such valuable feedback and insight that you may not be able to receive otherwise.
How do you market your books?
My book tour of Sophie and Spot was composed primarily of author visits to elementary schools throughout Colorado. This was such a fun way to meet my excited readers, share about the writing and publishing process, and sell books. The year after I published, I won a Gold Medal for Best First Book in the chapter book category from Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. I attended the award ceremony in person in Michigan, which was not only a wonderful way to celebrate this accomplishment, but was also a fantastic way to promote my book. Because I published in 2018, I don’t do a lot of marketing currently. I do believe that continuing to write is a good marketing strategy, which is what I’m focusing on now.
When I published The Magic Door Origin Story, I published it on my website and notified my email list. I also announced it on LinkedIn, which is the only social media platform that I use.
How do you like to engage your readers?
The most entertaining thing was doing author visits for kids. I would do a short reading, followed by some fun activities. One of my favorites was to read a scene about Sophie going to a pet parade, and then letting the kids choose to act as an animal, superhero, or swamp monster (you’ll have to read the book to understand that one). We would walk, hop, or crawl around the school acting like the creature we chose. One of the classes had a surprising number of chickens; I think there were five or six of them clucking down the hallway!
What do you feel are the biggest advantages of self-publishing?
Creative control and the ability to publish quickly (or as quickly as you can figure out the inevitable last-minute formatting quirks that come up).
What do you feel are the biggest challenges of self-publishing?
Formatting for sure! I learned a lot about mirror margins, embedded fonts, and random technical specifications that are involved in the behind-the-scenes work of self-publishing.
What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned as a writer?
Ooh, what a good question! One important thing: listen to your inner voice and trust yourself. This ties in to having the confidence needed to share a story with the world. It can be a scary thing to put so much of yourself into your writing and then be completely vulnerable, not knowing how it will be received. But remembering that there will always be people who love your work and people who dislike it helps put it into perspective. If you listen to your instincts and write your story to the best of your ability, staying true to your vision, then you’ve succeeded regardless of what other people say.
What tools or programs do you feel are the most useful in writing or publishing?
I write in Word, and one trick I’ve recently started using is to format my Word doc to the size of the book that I anticipate the story being before I begin writing. This is helpful because paragraphs look much shorter when you’re writing on an 8.5 x 11 inch template as opposed to a 5 x 7 or whatever. When you can see the story unfolding on the approximate size of the page that it will ultimately become, it gives you feedback in the moment about when to create a new paragraph and how to break sentences up.
It can be discouraging when a writer publishes a novel that doesn't have commercial success. What advice do you have for writers who get discouraged?
Remember your reason for creating this story. If you stayed true to your reasons for wanting this book published, then celebrate that because that’s a big deal. And if you shared this book with someone other than yourself, even if that was just your parent and one person who bought it, that is also a big deal. Even one other person reading your book is a life you shared this story with. So every time someone picks up your story, honor that and give thanks for it. Remind yourself that maybe you haven’t achieved the level of commercial success you’re hoping for—yet. It’s still possible. Then go keep writing. Who knows which story will spark tremendous interest.
Any last thoughts?
In addition to being a writer, editor, and writing coach, I also host the Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest, which is a short competition designed to celebrate creativity and unexpected delights. If you’ve never written something this short, I highly recommend trying it out. And if you’re familiar with microfiction or flash fiction, you may already know what a fun challenge this can be. I’ve found that even when I’m writing longer pieces, taking the time to write teeny little pieces like this can be a refreshing way to break up my longer projects and give me that sense of accomplishment.
The contest is offered twice a year with deadlines every April 30 and November 30. And the exciting part is that your very own Crystal Shelley of Rabbit with a Red Pen is our special guest judge for the April 2023 contest!
The first-place prize is $1,000 USD and there are editing and coaching packages for runners-up. If you refer someone who submits a winning entry, then you will also win $50 USD. So please share the contest with any friends, colleagues, or neighbors who might be interested. And feel free to post on your social media and encourage people to include your name as the one who referred them. Thanks and happy writing!
