Ask the Author: K.D. Proctor
Answered Questions (4)
K.D. Proctor
Answer I tell strangers on the street: I used to work full time for a summer camp and I wanted to write a story about friendships made while working as counselors.
True story: I was at a conference for work listening to a session about federal compliance for colleges & universities when some friends I used to work with at summer camp decided to all text me at once to play a prank on me. We joked back and forth and later that morning (while still sitting in the SAME BORING SESSION) the idea for the book hit me. I scribbled down the idea and by the time my plane landed in Minneapolis on the return trip, I had an outline. A month later, the first draft was written.
True story: I was at a conference for work listening to a session about federal compliance for colleges & universities when some friends I used to work with at summer camp decided to all text me at once to play a prank on me. We joked back and forth and later that morning (while still sitting in the SAME BORING SESSION) the idea for the book hit me. I scribbled down the idea and by the time my plane landed in Minneapolis on the return trip, I had an outline. A month later, the first draft was written.
K.D. Proctor
I'm going to share with you what Colleen Hoover shared with me: don't expect to make it in this business.
Tough love at its finest.
She shared that with me via e-mail a few years ago (ask me about it sometime...I'd love to share the story). Her point wasn't to make me feel bad for even considering the idea of writing a book, but to lay out the realities that success in publishing is glamorized with rags-to-riches stories, seven figure deals and international book tours. That's for a select few. The rest of us? We're on the same street corner as everyone else asking readers to take a chance on us.
Doesn't mean it won't happen for you (if it does, cool!). But for the majority, here are my tips:
Write the stories that speak to you, not the stories someone told you to.
No. You don't have to write every day.
Don't be a dick. People will remember if you're a dick. Be remembered because you were kind and compassionate and genuine. Not because you were a dick.
Self publishing is not the devil and not every self published book is crap. I've met a lot of great authors who self pub and their books are some of my favorites.
With that said, if you self publish--be smart. Hire a good editor. Hire a good cover artist. Pay for some promotion through a PR firm.
No. Your mom, your grandma, your sister, your BFF, your cousin don't count as critique partners, beta readers, editors or cover artists. They can be good at PR though.
For the love of all that is holy--have fun. Do this because it brings you joy!
Tough love at its finest.
She shared that with me via e-mail a few years ago (ask me about it sometime...I'd love to share the story). Her point wasn't to make me feel bad for even considering the idea of writing a book, but to lay out the realities that success in publishing is glamorized with rags-to-riches stories, seven figure deals and international book tours. That's for a select few. The rest of us? We're on the same street corner as everyone else asking readers to take a chance on us.
Doesn't mean it won't happen for you (if it does, cool!). But for the majority, here are my tips:
Write the stories that speak to you, not the stories someone told you to.
No. You don't have to write every day.
Don't be a dick. People will remember if you're a dick. Be remembered because you were kind and compassionate and genuine. Not because you were a dick.
Self publishing is not the devil and not every self published book is crap. I've met a lot of great authors who self pub and their books are some of my favorites.
With that said, if you self publish--be smart. Hire a good editor. Hire a good cover artist. Pay for some promotion through a PR firm.
No. Your mom, your grandma, your sister, your BFF, your cousin don't count as critique partners, beta readers, editors or cover artists. They can be good at PR though.
For the love of all that is holy--have fun. Do this because it brings you joy!
K.D. Proctor
The connections I've made with other authors and readers. I'm about connecting with people--not schlepping my book (okay, I do a *little* schlepping...but that's minimal.)
K.D. Proctor
I don't force it. I step away and take a break. Naturally the ideas come to me when I least expect it. In the shower. At the grocery. While driving. And naturally, they happen when I have nothing to write with or can't open a note on my phone to jot it down.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more