Author Interview: Collette Scott
The interview series with authors in my Twitter community continues with Collette Scott. Happy reading!
Website: www.collettescott.com
Twitter: @ColletteScott
Q: What is your genre? Why did you choose it?
CS: I write a mixture of women’s fiction/romance. All of my novels are thematic in that my heroines face very real situations with strength and courage and along the way tend to find love and support.
Q: How many books have you published? Legacy published, self-published, or a combination?
CS: I have recently self-published my third novel, If We Dare to Dream.
Q: Tell us more about your December Blogathon featuring three bloggers and 30 authors — WOW!
CS: When I first published Forever Sunshine last April, I was lucky enough to meet fellow author, Patti Roberts. She is an innovative and talented author that I admire greatly. She started by putting together a blogathon with two fairly new review bloggers. In the competition, each reviewer gains 100 new followers, and then a drawing is completed with the new members for copies of the books donated. This is now our third one together. We have three bloggers competing to gain 100 new followers for their review blogs, and in the process we have 30 authors willing to donate an ebook to the winners of the drawing. I have read quite a few of these books myself, and I must admit we have a lot of good ones up for grabs this holiday season!
Q: Do you sell copies of your novel, or other works, directly from your website?
CS: I plan to offer signed paperbacks in the near future, but for now my links send my readers to Amazon. I hope to have the autographed books up right after the New Year.
Q: How much time do you spend on Twitter each week? Do you have a Facebook Fan Page?
CS: I tend to go in to Twitter a few times a day to retweet my followers’ tweets. I also schedule Tweets for anyone who requests it through Hootsuite. I’m still fairly new to Twitter, but I always refollow and thank my followers, and I love to retweet.
Yes, I do have a Facebook Fan Page up and running. You can find it here.
Q: Do you blog? How often? Strictly professional or a blend of all things?
CS: For the most part I keep it professional, but I have snuck in a personal comment or two in there. Lately with the blogathon going on, I’ve been interviewing authors to help promote the upcoming giveaway. Once we have that underway, I plan to post a little more on my writing projects, just to give readers and potential readers a little more insight into my series.
Q: Do you have a motto or favorite quote you turn to on tough writing days?
CS: You know, I think I’m normal in saying that I have my moments where I feel as though my writing is not going well and I should just shelve the project. Then I sit back and remember reader comments. I’ve received some glowing comments from people, and that is the best pump me up I could ever come up with!
Q: Have you outsourced editing, cover design, formatting, web design, marketing, etc?
CS: No, I have pretty much completed everything on my own so far. However, Patti put together my first book trailer for Forever Sunshine, and I think I may be using more outsourced material in the future for the sake of saving time.
Q: Do you work with a writing group?
CS: I would never release a novel without having others read it first, but I have not worked with an organized ‘writing group’ up to this point. My first reader is my husband, who is the most critical reader I have yet to meet. Once I have recovered from his verbal venom, I pass it along to my teenage daughter, who then tears it apart. After that, I ask fellow authors and friends to take a look. It’s all very casual, but their eyes are priceless to me!
Q: When you did you first decide to self-publish? How much time did it take to get from an idea to an ebook on Amazon?
CS: It was actually pretty quick for me. I had worked with an agent years ago when Forever Sunshine was first completed, but we lapsed in communication. So when I pulled it back out, my daughter of all people mentioned that Amazon now helped others publish and there was no need to resume the long search for representation. I looked into it, read some tips in the Createspace forums, found Smashwords through there, and the next thing I knew I was submitting all my files and crossing my fingers. I think from beginning to end it was only a few weeks.
Q: Have you published any of your work for free? Why or why not?
CS: I have done giveaways and run promotions for free, so I guess I should say ‘yes’.
Q: What tips or advice would you offer to writers who are about to join the self-published community?
CS: Edit! Make sure you have a highly polished and readable story. Too often I have seen reviewers go in and destroy a potentially good book due to poor formatting or bad grammar. In addition, the self-publishing industry as a whole is still under the stigma of ‘unprofessional’ writers. In order to find success and gain respect as an author, you need to put out your best story with the polishing that would even outdo one of the major publishing houses. I know it’s hard, and there’s always a mistake here and there that you can’t catch, but the more eyes you have read it the better off you’ll be.
Q: Is there another writer (or two) in the Twitterverse that you would recommend newbies follow?
CS: Oh gosh, I have met so many talented authors through Twitter that I would not even know where to start. There is one talented children’s book writer, Mandi Tillotson Williams who I’ve been helping get started on Twitter. She’s still fairly new and would love new followers I’m sure.
Q: What is coming up for you in the next few months?
CS: I have been writing the Evans Family series nonstop since April of 2011. I am currently working on book five and have book six in mind. I think that will be the last in that series, so in between writing those final two, I’ll be putting out books 2, 3, and 4 over 2012. Book two, Through Winter Skies, is scheduled for Valentine’s Day 2012.
Q: Do you have (or are planning) any audio books?
CS: I don’t yet, but I haven’t ruled it out. I’ve had requests for them, so I know it’s something I need to look into.
Q: Have you done a blog tour? Any advice or cautions?
CS: I’ve done mostly blog appearances rather than hiring anyone for a blog tour. I believe they are a great way to get to know authors, reviewers, potential readers, and to generally get your name out there. Cautions? Well, I’d have to say that you should make sure you’re aware of the time needed to get involved in one, because if you start and become overwhelmed you can hurt your credibility. Otherwise, I think they’re great.
Q: Do you create an outline before beginning a new book?
CS: Not at all. Most of my ideas come to me through a dream, and I expand from there. I have found that if I take the time to outline, my characters send me on such a different journey that it’s not useful. I basically just write what they tell me to.
Q: Do you work on more than one manuscript at a time?
CS: Only if I pause in my current project to edit or touch up a soon to be released novel. I cannot write two novels at the same time. The cacophony of noise in my head would drive me crazy, LOL.
Q: Do you use specialty software?
CS: No. I work from Microsoft Office 2010 and Adobe Photoshop Elements.
Q: Tell us about some of the hurdles you've cleared on the path to becoming an author. Did you have any idea at the start what the process really entailed?
CS: I’ve been writing my entire life, but was fearful of sharing it with others, so my biggest obstacle was my own fear. After I gained the courage to take it on, it was mostly a matter of following directions to reformat for the various versions (print versus ebook, etc.), and then I was published. After that, well, I cannot even begin to tell you how overwhelmed I was with all the networking involved. No, I really had no idea just how imperative it was to get out there and show your ‘face’. That has been one of my largest hurdles to overcome, and I’m still working on that. I’m a private person and have difficulty with self-promotion.
Q: What is the best comment/compliment you have received about your work?
CS: Oh, hands down I would have to say that one of my readers contacted me to say that she felt my first novel, Forever Sunshine, was a powerful and strong book meant to teach others about the realities of domestic violence.
Q: Let's flip things around for a moment. As a reader, which of the following do you take into consideration when deciding whether or not to purchase a book?
CS: Reader reviews: Absolutely. A good, thorough, honest review can give further
insight into the story that the blurb may not share.
Number of books already sold: Not at all. Just because it’s a bestseller doesn’t
mean it’s any good. On the flip side, there are so many authors that I’ve found
to be just as good if not better than many of the bestsellers out there.
Book cover: Not really. Sometimes a cover will catch my eye, but I’m of the firm
belief to ‘not judge a book by its cover’.
Word-of-mouth: Sometimes, depending on the genre. I realize that my tastes may
differ dramatically from someone I know, but if they gush enough I definitely look
into it.
Book summary: Definitely. It’s the first thing I look at.
Author's blog: Sure. If I stumble on the blog first and find the information on the
book interesting, I may proceed to the blurb and then the reviews.
Author's Facebook, Twitter, and other social media: I have met many authors
through there and have gone on to try out their books, so yes, absolutely.
Book price: It depends. I take it into consideration, but if I like the author enough
the price doesn’t matter.
Thank you, Collette, for sharing your publishing experiences with us! We wish you continued success, and hope you'll come back and share updates with us in the spring.
Thank you so much, Ashley. I had a great time speaking with you and am so very pleased to have met you. I can’t wait to see more of your work!
Collette Scott on the web:
Website: www.collettescott.com
Twitter: @ColletteScott
Q: What is your genre? Why did you choose it?
CS: I write a mixture of women’s fiction/romance. All of my novels are thematic in that my heroines face very real situations with strength and courage and along the way tend to find love and support.
Q: How many books have you published? Legacy published, self-published, or a combination?
CS: I have recently self-published my third novel, If We Dare to Dream.
Q: Tell us more about your December Blogathon featuring three bloggers and 30 authors — WOW!
CS: When I first published Forever Sunshine last April, I was lucky enough to meet fellow author, Patti Roberts. She is an innovative and talented author that I admire greatly. She started by putting together a blogathon with two fairly new review bloggers. In the competition, each reviewer gains 100 new followers, and then a drawing is completed with the new members for copies of the books donated. This is now our third one together. We have three bloggers competing to gain 100 new followers for their review blogs, and in the process we have 30 authors willing to donate an ebook to the winners of the drawing. I have read quite a few of these books myself, and I must admit we have a lot of good ones up for grabs this holiday season!
Q: Do you sell copies of your novel, or other works, directly from your website?
CS: I plan to offer signed paperbacks in the near future, but for now my links send my readers to Amazon. I hope to have the autographed books up right after the New Year.
Q: How much time do you spend on Twitter each week? Do you have a Facebook Fan Page?
CS: I tend to go in to Twitter a few times a day to retweet my followers’ tweets. I also schedule Tweets for anyone who requests it through Hootsuite. I’m still fairly new to Twitter, but I always refollow and thank my followers, and I love to retweet.
Yes, I do have a Facebook Fan Page up and running. You can find it here.
Q: Do you blog? How often? Strictly professional or a blend of all things?
CS: For the most part I keep it professional, but I have snuck in a personal comment or two in there. Lately with the blogathon going on, I’ve been interviewing authors to help promote the upcoming giveaway. Once we have that underway, I plan to post a little more on my writing projects, just to give readers and potential readers a little more insight into my series.
Q: Do you have a motto or favorite quote you turn to on tough writing days?
CS: You know, I think I’m normal in saying that I have my moments where I feel as though my writing is not going well and I should just shelve the project. Then I sit back and remember reader comments. I’ve received some glowing comments from people, and that is the best pump me up I could ever come up with!
Q: Have you outsourced editing, cover design, formatting, web design, marketing, etc?
CS: No, I have pretty much completed everything on my own so far. However, Patti put together my first book trailer for Forever Sunshine, and I think I may be using more outsourced material in the future for the sake of saving time.
Q: Do you work with a writing group?
CS: I would never release a novel without having others read it first, but I have not worked with an organized ‘writing group’ up to this point. My first reader is my husband, who is the most critical reader I have yet to meet. Once I have recovered from his verbal venom, I pass it along to my teenage daughter, who then tears it apart. After that, I ask fellow authors and friends to take a look. It’s all very casual, but their eyes are priceless to me!
Q: When you did you first decide to self-publish? How much time did it take to get from an idea to an ebook on Amazon?
CS: It was actually pretty quick for me. I had worked with an agent years ago when Forever Sunshine was first completed, but we lapsed in communication. So when I pulled it back out, my daughter of all people mentioned that Amazon now helped others publish and there was no need to resume the long search for representation. I looked into it, read some tips in the Createspace forums, found Smashwords through there, and the next thing I knew I was submitting all my files and crossing my fingers. I think from beginning to end it was only a few weeks.
Q: Have you published any of your work for free? Why or why not?
CS: I have done giveaways and run promotions for free, so I guess I should say ‘yes’.
Q: What tips or advice would you offer to writers who are about to join the self-published community?
CS: Edit! Make sure you have a highly polished and readable story. Too often I have seen reviewers go in and destroy a potentially good book due to poor formatting or bad grammar. In addition, the self-publishing industry as a whole is still under the stigma of ‘unprofessional’ writers. In order to find success and gain respect as an author, you need to put out your best story with the polishing that would even outdo one of the major publishing houses. I know it’s hard, and there’s always a mistake here and there that you can’t catch, but the more eyes you have read it the better off you’ll be.
Q: Is there another writer (or two) in the Twitterverse that you would recommend newbies follow?
CS: Oh gosh, I have met so many talented authors through Twitter that I would not even know where to start. There is one talented children’s book writer, Mandi Tillotson Williams who I’ve been helping get started on Twitter. She’s still fairly new and would love new followers I’m sure.
Q: What is coming up for you in the next few months?
CS: I have been writing the Evans Family series nonstop since April of 2011. I am currently working on book five and have book six in mind. I think that will be the last in that series, so in between writing those final two, I’ll be putting out books 2, 3, and 4 over 2012. Book two, Through Winter Skies, is scheduled for Valentine’s Day 2012.
Q: Do you have (or are planning) any audio books?
CS: I don’t yet, but I haven’t ruled it out. I’ve had requests for them, so I know it’s something I need to look into.
Q: Have you done a blog tour? Any advice or cautions?
CS: I’ve done mostly blog appearances rather than hiring anyone for a blog tour. I believe they are a great way to get to know authors, reviewers, potential readers, and to generally get your name out there. Cautions? Well, I’d have to say that you should make sure you’re aware of the time needed to get involved in one, because if you start and become overwhelmed you can hurt your credibility. Otherwise, I think they’re great.
Q: Do you create an outline before beginning a new book?
CS: Not at all. Most of my ideas come to me through a dream, and I expand from there. I have found that if I take the time to outline, my characters send me on such a different journey that it’s not useful. I basically just write what they tell me to.
Q: Do you work on more than one manuscript at a time?
CS: Only if I pause in my current project to edit or touch up a soon to be released novel. I cannot write two novels at the same time. The cacophony of noise in my head would drive me crazy, LOL.
Q: Do you use specialty software?
CS: No. I work from Microsoft Office 2010 and Adobe Photoshop Elements.
Q: Tell us about some of the hurdles you've cleared on the path to becoming an author. Did you have any idea at the start what the process really entailed?
CS: I’ve been writing my entire life, but was fearful of sharing it with others, so my biggest obstacle was my own fear. After I gained the courage to take it on, it was mostly a matter of following directions to reformat for the various versions (print versus ebook, etc.), and then I was published. After that, well, I cannot even begin to tell you how overwhelmed I was with all the networking involved. No, I really had no idea just how imperative it was to get out there and show your ‘face’. That has been one of my largest hurdles to overcome, and I’m still working on that. I’m a private person and have difficulty with self-promotion.
Q: What is the best comment/compliment you have received about your work?
CS: Oh, hands down I would have to say that one of my readers contacted me to say that she felt my first novel, Forever Sunshine, was a powerful and strong book meant to teach others about the realities of domestic violence.
Q: Let's flip things around for a moment. As a reader, which of the following do you take into consideration when deciding whether or not to purchase a book?
CS: Reader reviews: Absolutely. A good, thorough, honest review can give further
insight into the story that the blurb may not share.
Number of books already sold: Not at all. Just because it’s a bestseller doesn’t
mean it’s any good. On the flip side, there are so many authors that I’ve found
to be just as good if not better than many of the bestsellers out there.
Book cover: Not really. Sometimes a cover will catch my eye, but I’m of the firm
belief to ‘not judge a book by its cover’.
Word-of-mouth: Sometimes, depending on the genre. I realize that my tastes may
differ dramatically from someone I know, but if they gush enough I definitely look
into it.
Book summary: Definitely. It’s the first thing I look at.
Author's blog: Sure. If I stumble on the blog first and find the information on the
book interesting, I may proceed to the blurb and then the reviews.
Author's Facebook, Twitter, and other social media: I have met many authors
through there and have gone on to try out their books, so yes, absolutely.
Book price: It depends. I take it into consideration, but if I like the author enough
the price doesn’t matter.
Thank you, Collette, for sharing your publishing experiences with us! We wish you continued success, and hope you'll come back and share updates with us in the spring.
Thank you so much, Ashley. I had a great time speaking with you and am so very pleased to have met you. I can’t wait to see more of your work!
Collette Scott on the web:
Posted by A Priya In Washington at 12/5/2011 10:00 AM 
Categories: Author Interviews
Tags: Collette Scott Forever Sunshine Hannah's Blessing If We Dare to Dream December Blogathon Patti Roberts Facebook Twitter HootSuite Mandi Tillotson Williams @MortimerCrump Through Winter Skies Selfpublishing Newbie Writer social media authors eBook Covers @kindleauthors
Categories: Author Interviews
Tags: Collette Scott Forever Sunshine Hannah's Blessing If We Dare to Dream December Blogathon Patti Roberts Facebook Twitter HootSuite Mandi Tillotson Williams @MortimerCrump Through Winter Skies Selfpublishing Newbie Writer social media authors eBook Covers @kindleauthors
Ashley, thank you so much for featuring me on your blog. I had so much fun answering your very interesting questions, my friend. Happy holidays!
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Thanks for being here, Collette! Your candid answers, and your 'pay-it-forward' philosophy, shine in your interview. Happy holidays to you, too!! (Is it really December, already?)
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Terrific interview, Collette. I, too, especially like your "pay it forward" philosophy. It's one I try to live by, too. Keep 'emcoming.
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That was not only really interesting, but also inspiring. I'm new to Twitter and still trying to find my way around (this series is great) so I'll try some of the tips you've given here. Thanks!
Reply to this
Thank you, Jemima! Yourcomment underscores perfectly the purpose of this series. We will continue to have more wonderful authors and other members of the publishingcommunitycoming to this blog over the next several months. We hope to "see" you here again!
Reply to this
Collette, your interview responses clearlycommunicate yourcommitment to the writing profession. Your self-publishing tips are priceless. Thank you for providing insight into your literary development processes.
Reply to this
Joe, Jemima and Robert,
Thank you all for responding. It's so awesome to hear yourcomments. I do hope that my tips help. I'm still by no means a Twitter-pro, but I have made so many friends there and met many wonderful people (Ashley included).
With so many authors out there now, it's hard to stand out. With the support and assistance of one another, we can all help spread the word.
Thank you all again and happy holidays!
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Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth
Reply to this
Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth
Reply to this
Great Interview. So glad I found this - thank you for sharing!
Sylvia
http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/
Reply to this
Hi Sylvia and Airbrush,
Thanks so much for checking out my interview with Ashley. She's a great interviewer, isn't she? It's nice to hear from you, and I hope all is well
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