Ask the Author: Gerald Simpkins
Answered Questions (1)
Gerald Simpkins
Helen,
Hello and thank you for your kind comment. I rarely visit Goodreads being as I have seen some well-meaning authors skewered mercilessly on this site. After seeing that a few times, I figured I'd best not make myself any more of a target than to post my work here.
Regarding how to reach more readers, I'd like to know the answer to that one myself. I know nothing of promotional processes except that if one hires a 'professional' it is prohibitively expensive for the paltry return one can expect as a seller of novels online. The field of novelist is greatly overcrowded and it seems there are nearly as many writers of fiction as there are readers. I feel that the risk / reward factor is too great to even think about spending my money on professional promotion of my work.
As far as self-promotion goes, it is the one thing about writing that I genuinely hate. I know nothing about how one does it on social media as is often suggested to all authors. I know that if I did engage in promoting my three novels on social media, that is about all that I would be able to do, day and night. How does anyone ever do that, while they write, edit, proof, design and make cover art, publish, etc and still have a life? Everything I love about life would have to be put on hold for me to learn and pursue aggressive promotional skills and contacts. So although I love writing, I have simply stopped at this time. I don't know how you can help me, but it is so kind of you to offer.
Yes, some of my characters are of the Christian faith in spite of what has happened to them. I don't pursue that line in my novels though, as you know, but I did establish a biblical reference to what was believed in the novels to be the origin of vampires. And I do try to be historically accurate whenever bringing in actual events and making them a part of my stories.
I have long been baffled by how I can have so many readers (several thousands if the stats are correct) and yet have so few reviews. The reviews I do get are quite gratifying, even flattering it seems. But they are few and really far between. I don't pursue that sort of thing though, in the belief that one shouldn't do so. I suppose I am quite naive about that aspect of writing.
About three years ago, I came to the conclusion that I had picked an undesirable genre. (By then it was too late, being as I had written three novels) Vampire novels were all the rage in the 80's and 90's, but have fallen from favor since. It seems that dystopian and post apocalyptic novels are the hot ticket today. I'm not offering that as an excuse by any means, but the numbers of new novels and writers is so staggering, that a prospective writer would do well to pick a popular genre so as to have a greater chance of more readers seeing his or her work.
You are too kind, and I thank you for your praise and encouragement. Congratulations on your newest novel and I must say, the cover art is striking.
Kindest regards,
Gerry
Hello and thank you for your kind comment. I rarely visit Goodreads being as I have seen some well-meaning authors skewered mercilessly on this site. After seeing that a few times, I figured I'd best not make myself any more of a target than to post my work here.
Regarding how to reach more readers, I'd like to know the answer to that one myself. I know nothing of promotional processes except that if one hires a 'professional' it is prohibitively expensive for the paltry return one can expect as a seller of novels online. The field of novelist is greatly overcrowded and it seems there are nearly as many writers of fiction as there are readers. I feel that the risk / reward factor is too great to even think about spending my money on professional promotion of my work.
As far as self-promotion goes, it is the one thing about writing that I genuinely hate. I know nothing about how one does it on social media as is often suggested to all authors. I know that if I did engage in promoting my three novels on social media, that is about all that I would be able to do, day and night. How does anyone ever do that, while they write, edit, proof, design and make cover art, publish, etc and still have a life? Everything I love about life would have to be put on hold for me to learn and pursue aggressive promotional skills and contacts. So although I love writing, I have simply stopped at this time. I don't know how you can help me, but it is so kind of you to offer.
Yes, some of my characters are of the Christian faith in spite of what has happened to them. I don't pursue that line in my novels though, as you know, but I did establish a biblical reference to what was believed in the novels to be the origin of vampires. And I do try to be historically accurate whenever bringing in actual events and making them a part of my stories.
I have long been baffled by how I can have so many readers (several thousands if the stats are correct) and yet have so few reviews. The reviews I do get are quite gratifying, even flattering it seems. But they are few and really far between. I don't pursue that sort of thing though, in the belief that one shouldn't do so. I suppose I am quite naive about that aspect of writing.
About three years ago, I came to the conclusion that I had picked an undesirable genre. (By then it was too late, being as I had written three novels) Vampire novels were all the rage in the 80's and 90's, but have fallen from favor since. It seems that dystopian and post apocalyptic novels are the hot ticket today. I'm not offering that as an excuse by any means, but the numbers of new novels and writers is so staggering, that a prospective writer would do well to pick a popular genre so as to have a greater chance of more readers seeing his or her work.
You are too kind, and I thank you for your praise and encouragement. Congratulations on your newest novel and I must say, the cover art is striking.
Kindest regards,
Gerry
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