Ask the Author: Mi Ae Lipe
Answered Questions (5)
Mi Ae Lipe
I tend to hold ideas in my head for sometimes years before I write, so I usually have very specific visions to carry out. I'm also in the business of helping other authors self-publish, so I can completely visualize a final book even in the early stages. For me, it is not hard to get inspired—the difficulty is clearing the life space in large enough blocks to write what a book needs.
Mi Ae Lipe
Be really realistic on what market your book is for. I hate to say it, but it's not enough to have that vision of what you want your book to be—it won't go anywhere if it doesn't capture your readers. The quality of your book will depend completely on hitting what your readers want, which will drive everything else behind it—marketing, sales, promotions, and talks. Most writers don't want to think about this part, but there is no point in investing enormously in creating a book if it's not what readers want or they don't know about it.
Mi Ae Lipe
That you get to procrastinate for a pretty long time. There is always another day to work on a book. Then eventually you run out of those days and have to just get 'er done. But seriously, being a writer is a blessed thing—it's an honor to be able to express and share your ideas in a way that can offer different perspectives and hopefully change things for the better.
Mi Ae Lipe
Like most writers, I can be a huge procrastinator. I tend to start on the parts that interest me the most—it could be easier research, or writing a section I particularly like. Once I get into the flow of things, or feel better because I know I'm producing anything—something—then it makes it easier to stay in that zone and continue on to the harder stuff.
Mi Ae Lipe
It actually started when years ago a Minnesota CSA farmer asked me to do his farm logo, but he didn't have the funds to pay for the project in full cash. So we did part of the deal as barter, with him giving me a CSA (community-supported agriculture) box. Just like everyone else who gets all this fresh produce every week, I wondered what you could do with all this stuff. I had a background in food and also in book editing, design, and production, so I started thinking that it would be fun and useful to put together a guide for CSAers. That was 16 years ago!
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