Ink + Alchemy

MEET THE AUTHOR

When I started talking with Kristen Tate, I knew she was going to have to make an appearance in a Meet the Author interview. You’ll want to read all the way to the end of this one, because Kristen is self-publishing her next book via Kickstarter and she shares some hard-won wisdom about the process. The campaign is live now, so be sure to check it out!​

​Kristen Tate has been a freelance editor for over a decade, helping authors transform their work from rough draft to finished book. She has a PhD in English from Columbia University, with a focus on publishing history. She is the author of the Novel Study series, runs a craft-focused book group for writers and editors, and writes a regular newsletter full of craft advice and encouragement for authors.

This Meet the Author interview was sponsored by...

And now, on to the interview!

How did you decide to start writing your books?

The whole Novel Study series was inspired by a gap in my own knowledge. I’d just spent a year reading craft books, and while I learned a lot, I felt like the theories and templates still didn’t explain things I was seeing on the page when I read.

So, I decided to approach the problem from the other direction and start from a novel I loved—The Dutch House by Ann Patchett—and see how much I could reverse engineer about how it worked (affiliate link*). I learned so much from the exercise that I just kept going and then started sharing what I was seeing.

What mindset challenges do you encounter with writing? How do you overcome them?

For me, writing about something is how I think about it and analyze it, so sitting down to the blank page is exciting because I feel like that’s the moment I’m going to make discoveries.

What’s harder for me is revision—despite continually telling authors I work with how important it is! I get around it by just treating it like I would treat any other editing project, which means giving myself a checklist to work through until it’s done.

I also follow a practice of working in public to sidestep the perfectionist trap. I allow myself to publish rough drafts on the blog and then wait to polish it up for the book.

Can you describe a "day in the life" of your writing practice?

I try to reserve Fridays for my writing, though sometimes that slips into the weekend if I have a big editing project. Sometimes I’ll have made notes during the week for whatever I’m going to write; other times I just sit down to a blank page and a topic and see what comes out.

If I’m in the process of turning a collection of rough blog posts into a book, I like to have a dedicated week for a content pass and then another for a deep line edit, so I can keep the whole book in my brain for that week.

What is something you love about the craft of writing?

I love the surprise. Sometimes I’ll sit down and it’s like my brain has been plugged into a creative socket, and the words just come pouring out. Of course, most days aren’t like that, but you never know when they will come!

I also love the way writing makes my brain feel exercised and alive—the mental equivalent of going on a long hike.

What has your publishing experience been like?

I’ve self-published all of my books and don’t have any plans to change that. I like having complete control of what I publish and when, and figuring out how my writing fits into my overall business goals.

However, today, when I had to spend an hour filling out ISBN forms on the terrible Bowker site (after paying for the privilege), it felt not quite as fun…

What's next for you creatively?

More Novel Study! I’m relaunching the Novel Study Book Club in 2027, and the whole cycle will start again. I’ve spent the last several months going back over work I’ve already done, so I’m itching to start analyzing something new.

And I missed the Zoom calls and reading chats and book recommendations from the group, so I’m excited to gather a community of hard-core readers again.

What advice would you want to offer another writer?

Consider publishing less-polished material more frequently on a blog or in a newsletter! It’s so much less scary to publish a whole book after you get used to sharing pieces on a regular basis.

How did you decide to launch this book as a crowdfunded project (vs. traditional publishing or some other form of self-publishing)?

This will be my third self-published title, and I think I wanted an additional challenge. I’m also pretty terrible at marketing and publicity, and I knew the focus of the Kickstarter campaign would force me to push myself on those things. And it has! Witness this very interview!

What would you tell a writer who is thinking about crowdfunding a book?

It is so much more work! And the extra scrutiny and visibility is intense, which means that whatever anxieties are lurking in your psyche will make an appearance.

At the same time, it’s also been a good excuse for me to pry myself out of my introvert shell and make connections. Publishing is a vulnerable act, and the indie author community is very warm and supportive, especially when you ask for help and advice.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned about crowdfunding at this point in the process?

That the “global marketplace” is a lie. Shipping, customs, taxes, and regulations are all ridiculously complicated, and they are all set up for giant multinational businesses, not for tiny microbusinesses like mine.

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I loved learning about Kristen's experience with self-publishing, and especially the ways running a crowdfunding campaign has pushed her marketing in new directions! Don't forget to check out the Kickstarter campaign!

PS: What was your biggest takeaway from this email? Reply and let me know!