Today, on the blog, I have Elisa Leigh and I’m just going to put it out there – she is awesome! She’s my “go to” when I need to ask how to do something, book cover advice, or even for a pick me up after a bad review. Everyone needs an Elisa in their life – I’m just sayin’! Anyway, here she is.
An Interview with Elisa Leigh
Tell me about you and your books (how many books have you written, when did you start, what type of books, etc.)
Hi J I’ve been publishing since April 2017 and have written 27 books including short stories, novellas, and full-length novels. I recently quit teaching elementary school and became a full-time author. I write a little bit of everything, but all romance. All of my books have an HEA and there’s always plenty of steamy scenes.
How do you come up with your ideas for your books?
Sometimes I’ll hear a line in a song that makes me want to explore it and turn it into a book. Other times I’ll see a real-life situation and think hmmm that would be awesome in a book lol.
What are your tips for choosing a cover?
When choosing a cover picture you want to choose something that really catches your eye and makes you stop and want to know more. It just has to pop!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
If I’m stuck in the middle of a book, I’ll go back and reread what I’ve already written. This usually helps to give me ideas about what should happen next or helps me remember an element I need to touch on again. If I’m stuck on starting a book, I’ll read a book in the genre I’m writing in to help get my juices flowing.
Do you write to market? Why or why not?
I think I’ve unintentionally written to market and the book did well. When I tried writing to market to replicate my success with the previous book it didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Now I just write what I want to write. I do not think writing to market is bad, in fact I think it’s smart. You are giving readers what they want, so how can that be a bad thing?
What are five things you do to market your book, after you hit publish?
- Claim my book on BookBub. If my book is long enough, they will send an alert out to all of my followers on BookBub that I have a new release. BookBub is consistent with sending out alerts while Amazon sends alerts, but you don’t know when they will go out. Building your followers on BookBub can be very helpful.
- Claim my book on Author Central. This makes my book visible on my author page of Amazon.
- I have a part of a group of authors who all share everyone’s new releases. Finding authors with similar readers is great. They put your book in front of their readers to promote you and might eventually give you a try.
- Share my new release on my Facebook page, Facebook profile, and in my Facebook group. I also share my new release in book groups that allow sharing.
- Finally, I send out a newsletter to all of my subscribers to let them know about my new release.
What do you do if a book is just not selling?
I move on to the next book I’m working on. Dwelling on a bad book release won’t help me in the future.
What advice would you give a brand new author, just starting out?
Don’t give up. I’m not saying it won’t happen but having a bestseller on your first book is unlikely. Don’t compare yourself to authors who have been doing this for a while. They’ve built their brand and their readership. They’ve done the time just like you will need to. The best advice I received from another author was “I didn’t really start selling any books until my 8th release.” That was the same for me. I’m not saying you won’t sell books, but if you’re writing and wanting to make this a career, you’re going to have to keep at it and keep publishing to see some success.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
If the reviews are constructive and give feedback that I can learn from to improve my writing I listen to it and move on. The bad review stings, but at least it helps in some way. If the review is pure bashing, I will vent to another author about it and then get over it within a couple of days. It’s not easy, but the best thing to do is move on.
How do you build relationships with your readers?
I enjoy interacting with my readers in my reader group Elisa’s Book Beauties. When you make an engagement post, you need to engage with your reader’s responses by replying to a comment or at least liking it. Also, the more real and personable the posts are, the more people can relate. Also, half naked guys and food posts get lots of responses lol. I’ve started doing Facebook Lives in my group and while scary at first, they are really fun.
How do you build relationships with other authors?
That’s a hard one. I guess I start out by sharing author’s posts and commenting on their posts. I’m kind of shy, but I love to help so I offer my support whenever I can.
What are your plans for future books?
Honestly, I want to finish all of my open series so that I can focus on all of the new series ideas I have. The problem is, I keep coming up with new ideas and wanting to write those books instead. Probably not the best idea lol.
Is there any other advice you would like to give?
I’d like to reiterate not to give up. You’ll get out of it what you put into it. I also find that publishing once a month helps too. I hope something I said helps. Also, if you have any questions feel free to message me on Facebook or send me an email at elisaleighauthor@gmail.com.
Do you want to know more about Elisa Leigh? Find her here:
Website: www.elisaleigh.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/df1Zkr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elisaleighauthor
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/eleighauthor/
Reader Group: www.facebook.com/elisasbookbeauties
Forever Love Covers & Design: www.facebook.com/groups/foreverlovecoveranddesigns/
Instagram: @elisaleighauthor
