Today on Paper Hangover, Megan Curd joins the table. She has her steaming mug of coffee and is set to answer my probing questions on her new life as an indie debut author.
I met Megan a few years or so ago, before BRIDGER was finished, before the agent and the submission process and here she is all published and totally in control of the destiny of her publishing career.
Megan is wicked fun on Twitter, by the way!
Bridger is a self-published novel, what made you decide that path was for you?
I actually had an agent at one point, and was pursuing the traditional publishing route, but decided it wasn't for me. Some people may call me crazy for letting go of that option, but for me, I wanted to be able to be involved in the publication process. I wanted to see how the publishing process worked and get a good feel for everything. Going indie allowed me to stay involved in the process and be able to build a trust with the people I worked with. I know who is publishing my book. Soul Fire Press, Christopher Matthews Publishing, and Jeremy Soldevilla have been amazing to work with and we've come up with a great plan for Bridger. I'm confident in my decision to go indie, because it gives me the versatility to still be a part of the process, but also provides my readers with the best prices for my books. That's a win-win for me.
Tell us about Bridger...but don’t spoil it, I’m almost done...
Bridger was actually written after my friend encouraged me to try my hand at writing a novel. It was during winter finals at college in 2009, and I figured writing a book was a great way to put off studying. :) I remember calling my mom and telling her I was going to write a book, but I had to figure out what to write about. We Googled "cool legends" (super scientific, I know), and I found the Irish folklore than became the bedrock of Bridger. It was a lot of fun to write, and in the span of 5 weeks, the first draft was done. Of course the final version is quite different, but it was a blast laying down the first draft and watching where the characters drove the story. I have never experienced anything quite like creating Ashlyn's world. I owe my friend a huge thanks for pushing me to write. :)
Are there any sequels in the works, or is Bridger a stand alone novel?
I am already working on Bridger's sequel, TRAITOR. It's about a third of the way done, I think... but that'll depend on where Ashlyn and co. decide to take me. :) I'm hoping it will be available this coming spring, if everything works out the way I hope it will.
I’m sure you could publish a book already on Self-publishing, what have you learned that you never knew before?
Just to cover your bases on all the legalities that go into it! Book covers, images, even fonts need to be allowed to be used for commercial use. I never thought about things like that until I began this process. It's a huge deal to make sure your bases are covered and everything is legal. It's also a huge headache sometimes, haha. :)
You also make book trailers, pretty amazing ones too. How did you get in to that side business and how does it feel when the author loves the finish product?
I actually used my good friend and fellow author, Hope Collier, as my first guinea pig for a book trailer. I just decided one evening to try my hand at it. I absolutely love anything to do with graphic design and social media outlets. I'm actually designing my new webpage right now, as well. Anything that has to do with audio/visual outlets, I enjoy. I guess I'm just a creative soul. I love to create things, be it via my books, book covers, or trailers. I love watching them come to life. Working with fellow authors and knowing I'm meeting their needs, fulfilling what they "see" for their book, that's huge to me. I love it when they're gushing about something, and I love it even when they're saying, "hey, this isn't right." Coming up with the feel for the book and the look they're going for is such a rush. I love the creation process. The end results when they're happy, that's just something that can't be explained. It makes the job worth it when they're happy.
What’s next for Megan Curd?
Next on the docket is getting THE GUARDIAN CHRONICLES: FORBIDDEN, primed and ready for public consumption! It's being edited right now, adding some fun stuff in places, cleaning up other areas. It's a new YA series I'm working on, but it can stand alone as well. I'm kind of wanting to see how readers take to it. If there's a good response, I've left it open for future novels. I'm hoping people like it... the main character and I really bonded, so I'd love to keep him alive for a while. :)
And just for fun...What can’t you write without?
I can't write without music, and while it's not a necessity, I write better when I'm at Acoustic Cafe. It's a little local cafe in Eau Claire, WI, and I LOVE their chili and turtle mochas. I could take stock in them. It's sad when they all know what you're going to order before you even get up to the register, but I go there a lot just to people watch, be in the nice environment, and enjoy the music. They have live music a lot of nights, so it's a pretty cool place to go. If anyone ever ends up passing through Eau Claire, you definitely have to hit up the Acoustic. Get the Texas Chili. :)
Thanks so much Megan for joining us on Paper Hangover today, please come back later in the year and update us on your progress. Wishing you lots of luck as you travel through your publishing career.
You can purchase BRIDGER
here and follow Megan on
Twitter, she is even on
Facebook and has a
blog.
