Book Publishing Secrets with Nancy Golden #books #bookpublishing

 

Nancy Golden wears a lot of different hats – She is a wife and mom, author, engineer, professor, horsewoman, and small business owner. She is also the founder of a writing group – the Carrollton League of Writers. Nancy lives in a suburb of Dallas, Texas and she loves to ride bicycles and horses. She is a member of the National Space Society, and she has been a Trekkie for as long as she can remember. Nancy Golden Books provides a great reader experience with well-crafted writing that will brighten your day.

Website ➜ nancygoldenbooks.com

Twitter ➜ https://www.twitter.com/ncgolden1  

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564426002283 

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/ncgolden1 

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216235312-ring-of-rosin 

📙 Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?

Ring of Rosin was the natural next book in my Dynamis series. In Book 1 we learn about the main character and his journey to become king of Elayas. We find out about the three symbols attached to the true ruler of Elayas: the Sword of Fate, the Ring of Rosin, and the Key of Power. The three books in the Dynamis trilogy each draw special significance from one of these symbols. I had a lot of fun with the characters and plot twists, and I think you will, too.

I love having a positive impact on my readers. When my writing touches someone’s heart, or they find themselves immersed in the story as an entertaining haven away from the trials of this world, or the message in its pages provides someone with hope – it doesn’t matter how hard it gets (and being an author gets very hard)– it makes being an author supremely worthwhile.

📙 Is this your first book?

Nancy: Ring of Rosin is actually my sixth book. It is the second in my fantasy trilogy, the Dynamis novels. Sword of Fate is the first book in the trilogy, and I will be releasing Key of Power at the end of March. I have a very fun near-future science fiction book, Alien Neighbors, about a First Contact. I also write nonfiction and have a Christmas Devotional, a Lenten Devotional, and a book about how to share the Gospel. While I write across genres, my books have one thing in common – my tag line is “Light in the Darkness.” My goal is to transport you from the troubles of the world for a while with an entertaining book to brighten your day.

 

📙 With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

 

Nancy: I decided to self-publish (Indie) for numerous reasons. I love having control of my content and book covers. I appreciate scheduling my own publication dates and it is much faster than if it was on a traditional publisher’s schedule. 

 

📙 Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? The pros and cons?

 

Nancy: I must say it is a tremendous amount of work – I have hard-earned knowledge that allows me to do what needs to be done. It is also very expensive. I am very committed to representing myself and my books with integrity and to doing the best job that I am able. This means I hire beta readers to read early versions and provide feedback. This means that I hire a professional editor and even after my final draft is edited, I go through it a final time before publishing. This means I hire a professional graphic artist that (with my input) designs the cover. All of these are very expensive and time-consuming. They are worth it because the book that you, dear reader, will have in your hands, is the best possible version that I can produce and represents my heart and part of my soul. I find tremendous satisfaction in that.

 

📙 What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

 

Nancy: I learned a lot!! When I started pursuing my dream to be an author, I had no idea what the administrative and marketing side would entail. I feel very empowered as an author, but that did not come easily. Years of learning both my craft and the business of my craft has brought me to where I am today. But it is a journey that never ends – we can always improve in our understanding of the publishing process and in our writing.

 

I have learned and grown from each book – applying what I have learned to the next one. The publishing industry is changing as technology changes, but one thing remains the same regardless of which avenue you choose to pursue: you can’t just write your book and publish it. If you want to get it into the hands of your readers, you must market it. With the millions of books on Amazon, it is easy to get drowned out. To rise above the noise, you must market yourself and your books. Connecting with your readers is very powerful but won’t happen unless you initiate it.

 

📙 Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

 

Nancy: I would recommend this method for those who have a continuous learning mindset and are willing to put in the hard work needed to understand the process. I thought writing a book would be hard – but the really hard part is doing all of the administrative tasks that revolve around publishing a book and the marketing during and after the process.

 

📙 What's the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Nancy: My advice to aspiring authors is simple. Keep writing. You will need to spend an inordinate amount of time on administrative stuff, marketing, and researching. It is easy to let those things take over. Make sure you are still making writing a priority. I am thrilled to be able to respond to these questions and to be a part of Book Publishing Secrets and that is a wonderful thing, but you can bet that I will also carve out some time to write today.