INTERVIEW 8- KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS BETH YARNALL

INTERVIEW 8

KIRTIDA GAUTAM INTERVIEWS 

BETH YARNALL

Best selling author Beth Yarnall writes romantic suspense, mysteries, and the occasional hilarious Tweets. A storyteller since her playground days, Beth remembers her friends asking her to make up stories of how the person 'died' in the slumber party games Light as a Feather, stiff as a Board, so it's little wonder she prefers writing stories in which people meet unfortunate ends. 

Thanks Beth for taking out time for this interview.

What is your subjective definition of a Hybrid Author?
An author who actively publishes with a publisher and self publishes.

Did you first walk the traditional route or Indie route on your journey as an author?

I had one foot on the traditional path in 2012 when I fought for the rights back to my first novel from my publisher less than a year from its release. My agent shopped that book and we got an offer, but after talking it over my agent suggested I self publish it. In early 2014 my second book came out with a publisher and later that year I self published that first book. Since then I’ve self published a total of 4 novels and 2 novellas and traditionally published 4 novels and 3 novellas. I’ve also self-published 3 audio books.

Can you state three advantages of being an Indie author?

I make all of the decisions, I control my release schedule, and I decide length, format, and how those books are marketed and sold.

Can you state three advantages of being a traditional author?

With traditional publishing I can tap into a ready made audience of readers who like books that are similar to mine, I don’t have to pay any of the costs of publishing such as cover design, editing, reviews, and promotion, and I feel as though I have a partner helping me to make those books a success.

Can you state three disadvantage of being an Indie author?

I have to come up with all up front costs, not all freelance professionals are reliable, and I have to try to find my audience on my own.

Can you state three disadvantage of being a traditional author?

The publisher takes a cut, I don’t have as much control (although I have to say that my publishers have been very open to my suggestions, including allowing me to put chapters of their books in a free sampler to help push sales), and I don’t get to control when my books release and in what format.

Do you think Hybrid Authorship is a win-win and best-of-both-the-worlds situation for everyone involved? Kindly elaborate your reasons.

For me, at this time in my career—yes. That may not be the case for everyone and it may not be the case a year or two or five from now. My publishers have been willing to work with me and have put some of my suggestions for my books into practice. I can control my release schedule by self-publishing books between publisher releases. I can write under a pen name. My publisher contracts don’t have the typical clauses that inhibit some traditional only authors. I feel very lucky to be where I am and I love writing books for my publishers and for myself.

Can you state three advantages that a literary agent and traditional publishing house get when they work with a Hybrid Author?

Interesting question. Both my agent and my publishers have told me that they’ve learned from me, which was surprising to me. I think they get a savvier author, one who sees beyond this book or this series. I look at my career as a long road and make decisions based on that attitude. I like to think it makes me someone others want to work with.

What is the opinion of your literary agent about your Indie work?

Courtney Miller-Callihan has no problem with it and has, in 3 different cases, suggested I self publish work that she previously shopped. She knows I publish under two different names. She doesn’t take a cut of my self-published work. There are agents who insist on taking 15% of self-published work and the author has to get their permission before self-publishing a book. I would never work with an agent who takes a percentage of my self-published work and tries to control when and how I publish.

Do you think Hybrid Authorship is the future of publishing industry? Kindly elaborate your answer.

For now it’s my future. I try to steer clear of the ‘my way is the right way’ attitude authors on all sides sometimes take. Hybrid publishing isn’t for everyone. Not everyone can write fast enough to feed two beasts. Not everyone can keep up with the demands and scheduling. Not everyone wants to. I think it’s important that we be supportive of our fellow authors no matter what path they choose and I feel fortunate to be publishing in a time when I have choices.

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Kirtida Gautam is a clinical psychologist and an author. Follow her on Twitter @KirtidaGautam