Episode 11: Stephanie Churchill and Online Author Etiquette
Writer Mom Life Episode 11: Stephanie Churchill and Online Author Etiquette
For Stephanie Churchill, an encouraging word from her favorite author led her down the path of an indie author. Daphne talks to her about her genre (“fantasy that reads like historical fiction”), how she balances everything (two kids, a nonprofit, a real estate side business – phew!), and how she gets enough sleep (yes it is possible!).
- Her unusual genre
- How she connected with her friend and mentor, historical fiction writer Sharon Kay Penman
- Why she focuses on reviews as her definition of success
- If it’s easier now that her kids are a bit older (spoiler – nope, just different!)
- How she organizes her day
- Why sleep is THE most important thing
- The traditional gender roles in her house that still let her do her own thing
- If it’s important or not for a spouse/partner to read your work
(Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that at no cost to you, we get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.)
Stephanie’s links:
Her website: www.stephaniechurchillauthor.com
Her books
Connect with Stephanie on Facebook
Or Twitter
Or Instagram
J. R.’s tips and links:
In Episode 11’s tips, I talk about how great and giving the indie author community is. This is a great time to be a self-publishing author! But at the same time, there are few things to remember as you’re out there in the online sphere, both when it comes to making an impression on potential readers, AND when talking to your fellow authors.
The most important things to remember are:
- Give more than you take
- Give without expectation of reciprocation (no, seriously. Try it!)
- First impressions matter
- Always say thank you, you never know what might come of it
- This is your business, be professional
- If readers write to you, send at least a short reply to let them know you’re a real person!
- Be aware pretty much everything is searchable online, so be careful if tempted to go on a rant, even if in a private group or forum
- The indie author community is a small world, so don’t be a jerk, or no one will want to work with you/help you out … trust me, word travels fast
- Same thing for readers … don’t be a jerk to or ignore your readers, or soon you’ll have no one buying your books
- Be a human (mistakes and vulnerabilities and all), but be nice (if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all–constructive criticism counts as nice, as long as you actually know how to give concrit properly) and be professional!
A good, quick read on forming relationships with other people as the entire basis of your book marketing is Tim Grahl’s Your First 1000 Copies. (And this is still, by far, the most effective, and cost-effective, method of marketing.)
If you have any other questions about Author Online Etiquette, concrit, or marketing, feel free to join us in our Facebook group, Writer Mom Life! Hope to see you there!
