Indie Author Interview with Mia Michel
I’m excited to share a new interview with self-publishing author Mia Michel. Mia’s debut short story, About a Boy, is a coming-of-age story that explores what it means to be a man and woman in this world. It dives into sexuality, race, poverty, and uncovering one’s identity, all while surviving in a reckless neighborhood of lost adults and rebellious kids.
I love Mia’s advice and insights into the self-publishing process. I think you will too!
When did you start writing, and what inspires you to write the stories you do?
I’ve been writing since before I knew the alphabet. Somehow I was always drawn to the idea of writing stories, even before I learned how to. Once I turned seven, I’d write really short stories and have filled many black bags and notebooks since.
I love that! How many books have you published and in what genre(s)?
This is my debut release and it’s a young adult (street literature) story. My debut novel will release next year, The Kaleidoscope Girl, and that’s a new adult mystery story.
I’m curious about why you chose to self-publish. Did you know that from the start, or did you seek traditional publishing first?
Self-publishing has always appealed to me because I wanted to publish through my own multimedia production company, Sxvages.
Pre-congratulations on the release of your debut novel! On what platforms do you publish and why did you choose these?
Amazon is the primary platform of choice because it has such an incredible system for finding the exact kind of books one might be looking for.
What is your process for feedback and editing before you publish?
I love getting feedback from different readers to prepare the story to be the best it can be for others who might read it. I usually try to chop and change parts of the story to make it easier for the editor. I usually re-read the story and have it read to me (text-to-speech) a few times. Then I send it off for an edit or two.
I love all those self-editing steps you take. What tools or programs do you feel are the most useful in writing or publishing?
I love Word for writing, Pages for formatting, Notes for notes/memos, and a notebook for additional information or ideas. Grammarly, a dictionary, and a thesaurus can also be great in helping one shape their story.
What about marketing? What does that look like for you?
Social media is definitely my main place as it’s the best way to connect with my community in a more personal way. Yet I also explore forums and groups that enjoy reading similar stories.
Forums and groups are great places to find readers. How do you like to engage your readers?
By giving them insight into the story and the story behind the story. I also like creating entertaining content that’s either relatable or easy to connect with. A lot of it is experimenting and finding what they enjoy.
What do you feel are the biggest advantages of self-publishing?
There’s a lot more freedom and say in how one releases and certain creative decisions.
That seems to be a common theme I hear from self-publishing authors. What do you feel are the biggest challenges?
You’re responsible for every part of the process and have to learn about more than just the writing process. Marketing for writing is quite unique.
That has to put a lot of pressure on the writer. What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned as a writer?
To keep going and make a habit of it. Since writing is such a creative and intimate journey, it’s very easy to put it off and give “valid” reasons for it. Discipline is quite an important part of it and can help accelerate your writing process.
“A creative and intimate journey.” How true. 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?
To not tune into the comparisons. It’s great to be inspired by those that have that success and it helps to learn from those who have succeeded. Yet if you’re feeling discouraged, it might be great to focus that energy on yourself. What also helps me is watching interviews or motivational talks from some of my favorite authors. You’ll find that a lot of them go through similar feelings. It’s about keeping on anyway.
That’s such great advice. Do you have Any last thoughts to share?
Your story matters. The fun is in discovering different ways of shaping and sharing it for others to enjoy.
