Kim Sanders is one of the top US romantic fiction authors. Her book Shades of Gray, stormed to No. 1 in the Amazon Top 100 Books in March this year. Kim provides encouragement for those interested in producing an e-book. Thank you Kim for taking time out to chat with us! Can you tell us a little …...
Kim
Sanders is one of the top US romantic fiction authors. Her book Shades of Gray, stormed to No. 1 in the Amazon Top 100 Books in March this year. Kim provides encouragement for those interested in producing an e-book. Thank you Kim for taking time out to chat with us!
Can you tell us a little about yourself please?
My name is Kim Sanders, and I’m the author of the best-selling romantic suspense Shades of Gray. (www.kesanders.com) I love saying this because I am new to the world of fiction writing and the success of my novel still shocks me. In reality, I am just your average person who has written a romance novel. I’ve loved romantic fiction since I was a teenager. I love the escapism and the happily ever after. As an adult, I love this genre for the same reasons.
I grew up in small towns in the southern United States. My mother was an English teacher and my father owned a small variety store. I met my husband in undergraduate school and we have been happily married for 34 years. We have two wonderful adult children who love to read as much as I do.
I majored in journalism in undergraduate school and worked for years as a journalist on small newspapers and as an editor for in-house publications at a couple of universities. When my children were toddlers, I enrolled in law school and became an attorney. Writing fiction was a lifelong dream and it is now my third career.
How did you motivate yourself to keep going, to publish your books?
Over the years, I have published feature stories as a journalist, legal articles as an attorney, and photographs as a photographer. When my husband and I moved to a new city three years ago, I found the time to pursue a new career as a fiction writer. I started small. I wrote a short story and entered a contest with Writer’s Digest. I won a small payment and publication. The win gave me the confidence to finish my book, Shades of Gray, which I had been working on for years. I completely rewrote it.
I sent my novel to numerous publishers and agents, and I entered it in writing contests. The novel placed first in the writing contests and received positive rejections from agents and publishers, but no publishing contracts. As with all writers, I found that waiting months and months to hear back from each agent or publisher was extremely frustrating. My husband suggested that I self-publish the book and move on to the next novel. A few years ago, I would have never considered such an avenue. I’ve always considered self-publishing as a failure and the kiss of death. Publishers still refer to it as vanity publishing. But it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity, and my novel has been a success.
I was recently a featured author at a book festival. I was one of the few self-published authors invited, but I was featured along with published authors like Pat Conroy, Kieran Kramer, and Signe Pike. (http://www.scbookfestival.org) I found a new attitude among many successful authors who have agents and publishers. Several have begun self-publishing some of their novels which are either out-of-print or do not fit the mold desired by their publishers. They admitted loving the monthly paychecks versus the bi-annual payments from publishers.
I admit, I didn’t expect my novel to be successful, but to simply be a publication I released for the enjoyment of a few friends and family while I fine-tuned my writing skills. I wanted to keep revising and editing the book in hopes that I might find the right publisher. Having people read and review Shades of Gray was much more personal than comments on my journalistic or legal writings. I, like most authors, poured a lot of myself into the fiction. When I received a positive review from Kirkus Reviews (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kim-sanders/shades-gray/) and my book became one of their Critics’ Picks, I was thrilled. Shortly thereafter, Shades of Gray climbed to number one in contemporary romance and number two in romantic suspense on Amazon’s Best Seller Lists. My book is currently in its fifth month in the top 100 of romantic suspense.
Keep Going
I’d encourage your readers to publish their own book if they can’t find a publisher, but make sure the final product is high quality. At the very least, hire an editor and a cover designer before releasing a book.
Are e-books the way to go?
I love e-books, but I haven’t always felt this way. I love sitting on the beach with a paperback novel in hand. One Christmas, my husband gave me a Kindle from Amazon. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the gift, but I soon discovered it was like having a library at my fingertips 24 hours a day. The screen of my Kindle is like a book page without the glare of computer screens. It’s wonderful. I even slip it in a Ziplock bag to read in the tub or by the sea.
As an author, I believe e-books have provided a wonderful opportunity into the new world of publishing. For example, Amazon gives authors up to 70 percent profit on the sale of e-books—a much higher profit margin than paperbacks. (I sound like an ad for Amazon, but it is only because publishing with Amazon has worked for me.) Over 60,000 people have downloaded the e-book version of my debut novel Shades of Gray since it was released on in October 2011. I can’t image I would have this many readers on a debut novel that was only available in paperback.
Is it difficult for women writers to get noticed these days?
I don’t believe it is anymore difficult for women than men. In fact, in the romance genre, I’ve found most of the writers getting publicity are women. I think women should promote their books with social media, public appearances, contests, and book reviews. But I’d say the most important step for a woman author to get noticed is to make sure their book is well written. If readers love your book, they will recommend it to other readers
Kim
Can you tell us a little about yourself please?
My name is Kim Sanders, and I’m the author of the best-selling romantic suspense Shades of Gray. (www.kesanders.com) I love saying this because I am new to the world of fiction writing and the success of my novel still shocks me. In reality, I am just your average person who has written a romance novel. I’ve loved romantic fiction since I was a teenager. I love the escapism and the happily ever after. As an adult, I love this genre for the same reasons.
I grew up in small towns in the southern United States. My mother was an English teacher and my father owned a small variety store. I met my husband in undergraduate school and we have been happily married for 34 years. We have two wonderful adult children who love to read as much as I do.
I majored in journalism in undergraduate school and worked for years as a journalist on small newspapers and as an editor for in-house publications at a couple of universities. When my children were toddlers, I enrolled in law school and became an attorney. Writing fiction was a lifelong dream and it is now my third career.
How did you motivate yourself to keep going, to publish your books?
Shades of Gray
I sent my novel to numerous publishers and agents, and I entered it in writing contests. The novel placed first in the writing contests and received positive rejections from agents and publishers, but no publishing contracts. As with all writers, I found that waiting months and months to hear back from each agent or publisher was extremely frustrating. My husband suggested that I self-publish the book and move on to the next novel. A few years ago, I would have never considered such an avenue. I’ve always considered self-publishing as a failure and the kiss of death. Publishers still refer to it as vanity publishing. But it turned out to be a wonderful opportunity, and my novel has been a success.
I was recently a featured author at a book festival. I was one of the few self-published authors invited, but I was featured along with published authors like Pat Conroy, Kieran Kramer, and Signe Pike. (http://www.scbookfestival.org) I found a new attitude among many successful authors who have agents and publishers. Several have begun self-publishing some of their novels which are either out-of-print or do not fit the mold desired by their publishers. They admitted loving the monthly paychecks versus the bi-annual payments from publishers.
I admit, I didn’t expect my novel to be successful, but to simply be a publication I released for the enjoyment of a few friends and family while I fine-tuned my writing skills. I wanted to keep revising and editing the book in hopes that I might find the right publisher. Having people read and review Shades of Gray was much more personal than comments on my journalistic or legal writings. I, like most authors, poured a lot of myself into the fiction. When I received a positive review from Kirkus Reviews (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kim-sanders/shades-gray/) and my book became one of their Critics’ Picks, I was thrilled. Shortly thereafter, Shades of Gray climbed to number one in contemporary romance and number two in romantic suspense on Amazon’s Best Seller Lists. My book is currently in its fifth month in the top 100 of romantic suspense.
Keep Going
I’d encourage your readers to publish their own book if they can’t find a publisher, but make sure the final product is high quality. At the very least, hire an editor and a cover designer before releasing a book.
Are e-books the way to go?
I love e-books, but I haven’t always felt this way. I love sitting on the beach with a paperback novel in hand. One Christmas, my husband gave me a Kindle from Amazon. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the gift, but I soon discovered it was like having a library at my fingertips 24 hours a day. The screen of my Kindle is like a book page without the glare of computer screens. It’s wonderful. I even slip it in a Ziplock bag to read in the tub or by the sea.
As an author, I believe e-books have provided a wonderful opportunity into the new world of publishing. For example, Amazon gives authors up to 70 percent profit on the sale of e-books—a much higher profit margin than paperbacks. (I sound like an ad for Amazon, but it is only because publishing with Amazon has worked for me.) Over 60,000 people have downloaded the e-book version of my debut novel Shades of Gray since it was released on in October 2011. I can’t image I would have this many readers on a debut novel that was only available in paperback.
Is it difficult for women writers to get noticed these days?
I don’t believe it is anymore difficult for women than men. In fact, in the romance genre, I’ve found most of the writers getting publicity are women. I think women should promote their books with social media, public appearances, contests, and book reviews. But I’d say the most important step for a woman author to get noticed is to make sure their book is well written. If readers love your book, they will recommend it to other readers
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