An Interview with S. Usher Evans

*Waves* Hi there, I'm S. Usher Evans, author of the Razia series, and taking over Tammy’s blog today. Don't worry, she'll get it back.

Maybe.

I'm here promoting my new book Alliances, the second book in the Razia series, which is available for pre-order on Amazon Kindle. Book 1, Double Life, is out and is abso-toot-ly free. (Obvs, you should read that first…)

The Razia series is about a woman dealing with a lot of inner demons while trying to balance lives as a scientist and space pirate bounty hunter. In Double Life, she comes to understand that she has to accept both sides of herself in order to be happy. Alliances is all about trust and friendship between Lyssa and another very strong-willed woman. In the spirit of their friendship, I've swapped blogs with Tammy for the day (be sure to check out her post here). But before you do, stick around for my author interview:

Fill in the blank: If you like ________, you'll love my book.
If you're a fan of Joss Whedon, specifically Firefly (my new favorite show) or Buffy, you'll totally dig this series.

Why did you choose to go indie?
I decided to go independent initially because I just wanted to publish something. I realized about halfway through the process that I was enjoying it immensely, and that I was able to use my day job skills as a consultant and really do it right. Two months after I published Double Life, I set up a publishing company, Sun's Golden Ray Publishing, LLC, which I now use to publish all of my work.

What's the worst part about being an indie author?
Screaming in a vacuum that is social media, and having to be patient.

Twitter is a vacuum, and most of the time, I'm tweeting (screaming) into it and I feel like no one hears me (or if they do, they don't process it). It's very frustrating to put forth all of this effort and to not see a return on the investment.

The patience thing is more about being measured in responses and sticking to timelines. I'm a mega-uber planner, so every book release or event has a vision, goals, and objectives, a detailed timeline of activities to be completed, from the writing of the book, to the cover design, to when I'm going to write the blogs associated with the release.

But that doesn't mean I don't have the strong urge to release everything all at once.

Coupled with the frustration mentioned above, I have to remember to stick to the plan, because the plan is working.

What's the best part about being an indie author?
All of those plans I mentioned above? I get to plan them. And I don't have to ask for approval.

What is the hardest part about publishing (to include writing, editing, marketing, branding, etc)
FOR
     MAT
           TING

In the Razia books, there are pirate tables. You do not know the pain in my ass that is formatting tables for Print.

And multiply that by 10,000,000 for Smashwords.

What's your opinion on bad reviews?
1-2 star reviews happen, but this is generally my standpoint

Where do you see the publishing industry going in the future?
I don't knock anyone who opted to go traditional publishing, but I think the model will have to change. Traditional publishers don't have the money to continue supporting unknown authors (back to that return on investment idea), and so I think you will see them lean more heavily on the indie author market, those with a proven track record of understanding not only how to write, but the market they're writing in.

I think the indie market rush will die down as well. It's no longer about just having a quality product - almost every book I've read this year  was perfectly formatted and edited. Marketing becomes even more crucial, because there's so many people vying for readers' eyes and dollars.

What advice would you give your younger self?
Everything happens exactly when it is supposed to. Just hang on.

What advice would you give to other writers?
Everyone has an opinion about everything you have done or will do. People bring their own hang-ups and histories to the table, and every person that reads your book will walk away with something different.

It's up to you and your inner compass to know what is a real, legitimate criticism, and what is just noise.

But when two or more people say the same thing, that's a hint that you need to listen. :)

Don't forget to pre-order Alliances for Kindle today!