Monday, December 18, 2017

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Darrell Case

     Tell me about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I began writing in 1994 at age 49 after returning from a successful mission trip to the Ukraine. I received a postcard from a literary agent who turned out to be a fraud. For x number of dollars, he would represent me. Of course, all he wanted was my money. Thank God I did some research and found out he was a con artist. Undaunted, I set out to write my book. 2 years later I finished the book only to find no one wanted it. I self-published with one of the first eBooks companies and sold six copies. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. That same year I began writing devotionals for a daily devotional named Call to Glory, which I continue today. I sent out queries and accumulated many rejections over the next few years.



 How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

Early in the morning while the day is fresh and my mind is uncluttered with the things of the day.

     How and where do you write? Do you prefer a laptop or some other method of getting your words down?

When I started writing, I wrote longhand on tablets. I’m a terrible speller and my wife would have to decipher my misspelled words. I now use a desktop. I do most of my writing in my office 200 feet from the house. The office is on the edge of the woods overlooking a creek. My visitors consist of squirrels, deer, turkeys and an occasional raccoon.
  
     What's your favorite part about writing? Your least favorite part about writing?

If the story is good I lose track of time. In other words, I become lost in the story. I feel what the characters feel. I read the book out loud to see if it sounds right, writing and rewriting until the writing is smooth and the book sings. The least favorite part is marketing. I love for people to read to enjoy each book and I love to give books away. As of this writing, we are approaching 16,000 giveaways in 28 months. I’m hoping to reach 21,000 in 36 months, which will be May of 2018. However, I never force people to read my books. To make them feel guilty if they don’t even post a review if they loved my books is not in my nature. I want them to read and enjoy my writing, no matter how they obtained the books.
     
      How did you come up with your book idea? How long did it take you to write your book?
Get the Book at
Amazon

Ideas for a book can come from anywhere. A news story, a stretch of conversation. Many times, it is the thoughts of my own mind. I may think of a story for months or years before writing down a few pages. Such was the case with Deadly Justice. For the most part, it takes at least 12 months, sometimes longer for me to complete a book.

     What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

All types Facebook, twitter youtube and others. I give away books through Smashwords Draft2digtal, Amazon and others. I may have 2 advertisements going on Amazon at the same time. However, I have found the greatest advertisement is word of mouth.
      
     What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

Tales from My Back Porch came out in May this year. I’m working on another thriller and hope to have it ready for release by May of 2018

     Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

I always have something rumbling around in my mind. Sometime my thoughts will end up on paper sometimes not. My wife’s favorite book is Never Ending Spring. She would like me to write a sequel. My most popular book is a small one entitled River of Fire. Some have urged me to write a sequel to it. I don’t know if I will or not. I really have to be engaged with a book to spend a year writing it

     What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish, but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

Read good writing. Writers are readers. Write, write, write. You will never learn without practice. Great painters threw away many paintings others thought good enough. Never settle for good enough, you want the best. This doesn’t come from the first draft or even the second. Also, don’t believe those who try to discourage you. Some of them are jealous, others can’t see your talent. Possibly they are too close to you. Just think John Gresham is Johnny at home. The best piece of advice I can give to the beginning writer is: don’t give up. Look on the internet and you’ll find famous authors who were rejected time and time again. Remember Herman Melville only sold 50 copies of Moby Dick during his lifetime.

A Question for Kathryn:

     The question I believe every writer, whether traditionally or self-published is how to increase your readers. You may have many five star reviews, however, your readership lags. Traditional publishers expect the author to do most of the marketing so it comes down to point of how do you get more eyes for your writing?


Great question! 

You more than likely know that reviews are your best bet, but second to that is everything else. Because it takes a reader about 7 'looks' to consider buying your book, you really have to put the book out there in different ways. Reviews are tough to get, but the other things may help you along to the reviews you need. 

One of my favorite things to do is to give away FREE copies of my eBooks. I have discovered that two-day promotions are best, but not always guaranteed to produce the greatest sales. I recently did a one-day promotion on a book and got more interest than I typically get for a two day. I use Ask David for much of my promotion as well as The Fussy Librarian. They each have a huge readership. Both options, especially done together, have brought me the greatest number of new readers. 

I also love to put together book trailers. People love video more than reading - imagine that - and I have found a great place to assist me in putting together my own professional book trailers. You might just want to try Animoto.com.

For those who are interested, I also put out a marketing book every January with updated listings and new places to market your book. I use this book every year as I go through my own book marketing, and add to it for the next year. This book has helped me to become pretty organized when it comes to marketing. I know it will help you, too. It can be found here.

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