A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to interview Steve Montano author of the Blood Skies Series among other Dark Fantasy novels. Steve, in my opinion, is a success in Indie writing and an example for all of us Indie writers to emulate when building our own writing dreams.
Thanks for joining me today Steve:
1. I’ve read you bio and know that you’ve been writing for some time. But it really wasn’t until Blood Skies that really put you out there. Tell us about how you came up with the idea and a little about the story that set the whole series in motion.
While BLOOD SKIES is ultimately made up of bits and pieces of a bunch of different ideas I’d had over the years, the real catalyst for writing the novel was a dream I had about a nightmarish forest where a bunch of women were being chased by black unicorns. The dream had quite an emotional impact on me and remained fresh in my mind even weeks later, so eventually I decided I needed to figure out a story to go with it.
2. Indie publishing is extremely hard work. From your viewpoint how has the experience been so far? What made you stay and stick with being an Indie Author as opposed to going the traditional publishing route?
Ultimately it comes down to a love of writing. I tend to be somewhat high-strung in the first place, and rather than continue to fill my time with online gaming and Dungeons & Dragons I decided to try out the Indie Author route. I’ve attempted traditional publishing, which is every bit as frustrating as it’s cracked up to be. When Amazon opened the floodgates for self publishing via the KDP program I decided I really didn’t have anything to lose, and 3 years and a dozen or so releases later I’m still enjoying it.
One of the best parts of being an Indie is the interaction I’ve had with other authors, readers and book bloggers. I’ve met some truly fantastic people and built some great relationships, and though my lack of free time lately has made maintaining some of those ties a bit tough I’m still extremely grateful for all of the people I’ve (virtually) met.
3. I’ve written about ebook pricing and hide no thought that the .99cent and below is setting a standard in pricing that is not helpful to the Indie Author. I feel that .99cent and Free should be for extremely short stories and as a promotional tool only. What is your take?
I was fairly opposed to the notion of ultra cheap books at first, but I’ve had a great deal of success offering the first book of the Blood Skies series for free as a way of inviting readers to check it out. Does it devalue the book? Maybe. Does it just get lost in the free shuffle? Most likely. But it also allows me to take advantage of advertising services like BookBub and I hope shows the readers that I’m willing to make a commitment to them (offering a free product), and if they like it they’re welcome to commit back by leaving reviews, recommending the book, or purchasing more from the series.
So I guess I agree with you, since I use free as a promotional tool…it’s just one I use all the time. ;D
4. Thanks to you I was able to get some fantastic artwork done for my novels by Artist Barry Curry II. For those of you who don’t know Steve turned me on to Barry. How did you find him in the first place? Tell us how you get a cover concept done.
I met Barry through one of my wife’s knitting friends (his wife Paula, who owns a comic book store), and we realized we had a mutual love for comic books, role-playing and weird music. It was only later I learned what a great graphic artist he was, and since he was looking to get into book covers as a way of building his portfolio everything just worked out. I regret not having spent more time with Barry before we moved out of Washington (and it wasn’t from lack of effort on his part, but my continual inability to find free time).
I tend to think in very visual terms; I often have some sort of cover concept in mind before I even start writing a novel, often purloined from bits and pieces of other book covers, movie posters, album covers, etc. Barry and I have a good rapport, with me being able to send him sample images and fairly vague ideas and he being able to turn them into something great.
5. I know you are a family man, work full time, among a ton of other things. How do you keep it all together and manage to put out such detailed and fun novels. Do you get any sleep at all?
Not much. LOL. My writing/editing/blogging productivity has gone down since we moved to Michigan, largely because of an exceedingly demanding work schedule. That being said, the trick for me is to set realistic goals (whether daily, monthly, or whatever) and stick to them no matter what. I usually don’t get more than an hour to actually work on stuff in a day, so I do my best to be as efficient as possible and get as much done as I can in that limited time. That means making sure I have a good place to work, that I set time aside, and that I make sure I have all the tools (like privacy, a good playlist, etc.) to get tasks knocked down. Some days are more productive than others, and sometimes I have to lower my expectations a bit when I need to put in an eleven hour shift, but I try to keep those contingencies in mind when I initially set my goals.
Lastly, tell us what you have coming up next now that Blood Skies is over.
Next up is THE BLACK TOWER, Book 3 of the Skullborn Trilogy, which itself is the first of three epic fantasy trilogies I’m working on. I’m also drafting a paranormal thriller called BLOOD ANGEL RISING as well as COLDER (a mystery novel), both of which I hope to release in 2015.
Once again, Thanks Steve for joining me today and I wish you continued success in the world of Indie Publishing, and more importantly keeping the great art of story telling alive.
Steve’s website is: HERE Be sure to check it out.
If you love Fantasy be sure to check out my novel Dark Moon Shadow! Don’t wait! secure your copy today, and thanks for being a patron of the arts.