It’s been over a year since we talked last. What’s been happening?
From July 2010 to Spring, 2011, I had two books on Amazon and sold a total of one hundred copies, averaging ten copies a month. One of which is where a few of the stories here in Gates, were, in a collection called Man in the Background. Now while some reviews were very good- I’ll be quite honest- there were one or two private comments as to my self-editing. So I took the books off the market last spring and re-grouped.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
Yes! This time out, with this collection, Guarding Andrew Gates, I hired an editor and it has been properly formatted as well so we’ll see what happens. My editor, Amy, can be contacted here
Tell me about your background & what led you to fiction writing.
In the 80’s and 90’s I did a bunch of cartooning and while I made did make some money at it, I wanted to try my hand at writing. So over the past few years I wrote a dozen short stories and sold three. Considering the competition out there, I think that’s pretty darn good.
Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?
Guarding Andrew Gates, an e-book, is 95 pages and costs $ 1.99. It’s about common people facing problems. From bad relationships to normal every day challenges to encountering quirky behavior in strangers. Of the fifteen stories, the first thirteen are adult literature.
One of the last stories in the book has a horror element to it and the final story, the longest at 25 pages, has a touch of the paranormal. It deals with a Cleveland cop who lands a case involving two people who have died from the phenomenon, Spontaneous Human Combustion. So there is a mix of genres but the core of most of the stories are about people facing some sort of problem and how they either handle that problem or at minimum, discovering that there is something wrong that needs fixing. Also, the stories are linked on the contents page so readers can jump from one story to another with ease.
What kinds of social media [twitter, facebook, webpage, blog, writing forums] are you involved with trying to garner attention for your book(s)?
The Kindleboards http://www.kindleboards.com/index.php is a good place for both readers and writers to get info about e-books. I am also on Facebook and Twitter (@frankzubek)
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book?
Yes. But then, the book will not write itself. So you have to carve out the time from each day and sit down and hammer out a story. The better you are, in theory, at juggling your time as well as getting finished pages done, the more books you can write. The sooner you get a final draft completed the sooner you’ll get others to read it. Aside from some financial return, I think that’s why most writers do this. They have a story to tell and they want to share it.
Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your books are for sale?
Right now I’m letting people know that its on Amazon and for those who have iPhones, iPads and other devices they can always get an APP. You don’t really need an actual Kindle to read my books. But yes, I am exploring a few other formats to expand my reach.
Did you do your own cover?
No. This time I found a picture I liked online and I tracked down the photographer, Roben Marie, and she has a credit line in my book. Her webpage can be found here: http://www.robenmarie.com
What’s next?
The main character in the final story of this collection, Nick Crowell, is going to be featured in the novel called ‘A Strange Life’ that I’m hoping to release this spring.
Nick Crowell is a cop who, after surviving getting shot, encounters people who have weird problems. Strange, Twilight Zone kind of problems. What happens is that he has no idea why this is happening to him and most of the time there is little that he can do for these people. This weighs on him but he still does what he can for them. If sales are good I am thinking of doing a series of e-books with this character.
I also have a fantasy and a space thriller I want to finish this year. They are both pretty unique stories and are unlike anything else out there. They are planned as novellas for Amazon.
Anyone who wants to keep updated on my work can see it all on my blog: www.whatbrickwall.blogspot.com/
If anyone wants to get in touch with me I can be reached here: frank.zubek@yahoo.com
Thanks for the interview!
My pleasure.
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