Self-Publisher Interview with Karina Fabian

1.   What can you tell me about your experience as a writer?

I’ve been in this business for 30 years, after I gave up reading for Lent in 2023 and dedicated the time to writing. I asked God to lead me, and it’s been an adventure ever since. At first, I wrote for magazines and newspapers, dabbling in fiction. Now, I split my days between business review articles to pay the bills and fiction to feed my soul.

 

Lesson 1 for Writers: Do not expect fiction to pay the rent. It can for some, but for most of us, it will be supplemental.

 

The non-fiction work has included everything from freelancing articles about pregnancy to writing reviews about security systems (one of the things I do now). I’ve had full-time work in an office for a top online magazine, but now write from home two weeks out of the month.

 

My fiction was first published in 1993, a short story about an AI conducting an experiment on itself with a human as the control subject. Now, I put out two or three novels a year, almost all of which are designed to make people laugh as well as touch heartstrings.

 

My first books (back before self-publishing, but when small presses were The Thing) were anthologies of Christian and Catholic science fiction that included stories my husband and I worked on. We’d wanted to make a story collection, but the publishers asked for a variety of writers. It was a great project with my husband. These are out of print, but I have some copies if anyone is interested.

 

My novel adventures began with a short story for an anthology about dragons. I wrote about a dragon P.I. in a noir setting. A Mensan read it, loved it, and asked me to write a serial story with Vern. A publisher at an online conference asked me to novelize it, and the DragonEye series was born.

 

Lesson 2 for Writers: It’s not enough to write. You need to get yourself out there to meet readers, editors, publishers, and fellow writers. Online conferences are cheaper and easier—take part in networking opportunities there.

 

2.   What made you decide to write a book?

The voices in my head. Literally. I have characters in my head telling me their stories and have as long as I can remember. I finally decided it was sinful to just sit around letting them talk to me. I believed they needed to be shared—plus it got them out of my head to make room for other things! Now, however, they are multiplying and I can’t keep up!

 

I also write because the stories amuse me. I reread my own books at least as often as I read someone else’s. I will laugh for days about something one of them did on the page. I savor the moments when something happens in their lives that touches my heart.

 

Notice that I say “happens” not that “I make happen.” I generally have an idea of how the book begins and ends and the major steps, but I let my characters run the show. I’m always surprised by what they come up with without my direction.

 

Lesson 3 for Writers: You must have a “Why” for your writing that does not involve money or outside readers. This is where you will fall back when things are discouraging.

 

3.   What circumstances brought you to the decision to self-publish your book?

I’d published with small presses and not had luck getting into big presses. The editors loved my books, but they weren’t “enough” somehow or too niche. With small presses, you do a lot of your own work and don’t have a big name to back you up.

 

My books did not sell well. This was a double jeopardy for me because not only did I not get a lot of royalties, but I also felt like I’d failed the publisher. I also felt like I was doing my family a disservice by putting so much time into my silly stories when I could be serving tables for minimum wage and still be doing better financially.

 

I was in a low spot in my life. Money was an issue for us; we’d just moved, so I didn’t have a job and fiction was not cutting it. I was trying to revise the DragonEye series, and the story I was working on did not work and the NYT bestselling mentor I had was essentially advising me to throw out what I’d been imagining and writing about for nearly 20 years and write a cute adventure with a questionable romance which she was sure could sell.

 

I’d fallen completely out of love with writing. I was miserable. So I had to go back to my “Why.” I came to realize that the money didn’t matter, and if I only had a few readers, that was fine.

 

I came to realize that writing was a love. A Hobby. And it was freeing. Now, when I spend hours writing or pay for a cover, if I feel guilty, I think about how much time and finance people spend in making a quilt. More people enjoy my books than a single blanket!

 

Lesson 4 for Writers: Publishing isn’t just about royalties. It’s about sharing your stories with the world.

 

4.   What has your experience as a self-publisher been like?

Freeing. Since I’ve started freelancing (in 2020, of all years!), I’ve published over 30 books. I’ve revised and revitalized my DragonEye world, and am on the eighth book in that series, plus written seven story collections in Space Traipse: Hold My Beer. I republished my backlist and am basically having a blast.

 

I no longer worry about the royalties, which also means, I’m not worrying about marketing nearly as much. Word of mouth seems to be the best way for me, and I rejoice when I discover a fan who I don’t know personally. I am paying for my covers, but I have control over them, and I’m more satisfied with the ones I have than many of the traditional publisher covers I’ve had. I do my own formatting, which was a challenge at first, but is kind of fun now.

 

Am I making money? Not really, to be honest. When I look at the royalties I make vs how much I spend in covers, ISBNs, etc., I probably come out even, but that no longer matters to me. How much do some people spend on hobbies?

 

Lesson 5 for Writers: One great thing about self-publishing is that you are not limited to a given length for your manuscript. Do not sacrifice story quality or cheat them on price, but you can publish short stories to large tomes!

 

The best part for me, however, is how much I can write and get out there. I am not limited to novels for every DragonEye story, for example. I have short stories, novellas, and full-length novels. It takes pressure off and lets my characters do what needs to be done to fulfill the parameters of the story.

 

5.   How do you respond to the negative stigma attached to self-publishing and self-published books?

I was not impressed with self-publishing myself in the early days, and even now, I know some people are using it as an excuse to get a story out too soon. There are some awful books out there—bad editing, bad storytelling—but overall, self-publishing has come a long way. People are taking it more seriously now, and it’s opened up a wide range of books that might otherwise not get out there because publishers cannot cater to niche markets.

 

Lesson 6 for Writers: Don’t be “that” writer. Craft a good story. Get it critiqued by people who understand what makes a good book. Edit it multiple times or hire a professional. Pay to have a good cover. Don’t perpetuate the stigma of self-publishing.

 

6.   What is one very important lesson you have learned as a self-publisher?

LOL. I’m sharing lessons throughout the interview! I think the biggest lesson for me, however, was that I enjoyed the process much more when I removed the pressure of material success from it.

 

7.   What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you knew at the beginning?

I wish I’d known that it would become so mainstream. I probably would have jumped on the bandwagon sooner. If I had, I think I might have been in a place to take advantage of some up-and-coming opportunities (BookBub, etc.) when they weren’t so saturated.

 

Lesson 7 for Writers: If you are serious about marketing, try new things and keep up on growing trends.

 

8.   A lot of authors of self-published books have reservations about promoting and marketing their book. Some even feel that it is a form of vanity or self-importance. What is your opinion about this?

I know the feeling. I hate promoting myself—one reason, I believe, that I’m not successful at it even though I know what to do and how to do it. (It was my job for a couple of years, even, and publishers used to tell me I put in more effort than most of their authors.)

 

The hard truth is: No One is going to promote you unless you promote yourself. However, it is not bragging—when done right!

 

Vanity and self-importance are saying, “Hey, look at me, world! I wrote a book!!” Marketing is saying, “Guys! I wrote a book and I think you’ll love it because…” It’s a matter of focus: one is on yourself, and the other is on your potential reader. Thus, vanity is self-service, while marketing is servicing others.

 

…and yes, if you get sales and reviews from it, that’s a fair consequence, and it means you made good on your promise of giving your reader what they wanted.

 

Lesson 8 for Writers: If you are promoting yourself and your book in a way that says, “This is what I do and why it might appeal to you,” then you are not being vain, but sharing your talents (even if you charge for them).

 

One other note: My full-time job at TopTenReviews, which led directly to successful and lucrative freelance work, came about because I promoted myself and my writing on LinkedIn. Most people I know get writing jobs because of networking. If you are not telling folks you are a writer—and telling them with confidence—you are cheating the world of your contributions.

Lesson 9 for Writers: If you are not discoverable, you will not be discovered.

 

9.   How do you promote your books and what form of book promotion has worked the best for you?

This is a bad question to ask me because I’m not especially interested in sales, so I don’t do what it takes to get widespread attention. However, I think my most consistently effective form is my newsletter. I have a weekly newsletter where I share what’s going on in my world, in the worlds of my characters, and what’s coming in terms of books and classes. I also highlight other authors. It’s satisfying to me because I’m sharing with my readers and helping others.

 

(If interested in seeing it—and getting a free story collection), register at https://sendfox.com/fabianspace

 

Lesson 10 for Writers: The best promotion for your book has 3 qualifications:

1.   It’s where your readers “live.”

2.   It’s something you can be consistent at.

3.   It provides a way for them to take action (like following a purchase link)

 

10.  What are some other important things you have learned as a self-publisher?

 

 For me, personally:

  • Amazon is not as intimidating as it looks, but I needed to keep in practice or I’d forget a preparation step and delay everything.

  • I get a lot of readers through Kindle Unlimited, especially for Space Traipse.

  • Changing keywords and categories didn’t do much for my ratings, so I think word of mouth is my biggest way to sell.

 

Lesson 11 for Writers: Try! You don’t know what you’re capable of until you do. If it does not work out, then you’ve exchanged time and effort for experience, which still puts you ahead of where you’d be if you’d stayed with “I can’t.”

 

11.  Do you feel that self-publishing is a viable choice for other authors?

 

Yes, but the amount of returns you get is proportional to the amount of work you put in. If you are going to self-publish for more than having copies to share with family (in which case, go to a printer rather than Amazon), then you need to learn the craft, hone it, create a beautiful product, and market it.

 

It is not a free nor does it result in more profits than traditional publishing. Many self-publishing “gurus” will tell you that traditional publishers are cheating you out of money you’d earn if you self-publish, but the truth is that traditional publishers can put thousands of dollars into a book before it even comes out. They’re trying to make that back plus pay your royalties. If the book sells well, then that’s great; if not, they eat the losses but they still pay royalties.

 

If you self-publish, you control the expenses as well as how much you make per book, but you are also incurring all the costs. For me, that was a bennie—I don’t feel bad if my books don’t sell. I also control my costs (although my books stand up well against traditional published ones).

 

Lesson 12 for Writers: When considering self-publishing vs. traditional, consider how willing you are to pay the costs of publishing up front vs taking a smaller royalty to have it all done for you.

 

Lesson 13 for Writers: If you have a chance to have your book published by a Big Five publisher—do it! You can always self-publish other books or even that book once the contract runs out. But the experience of working with a large-scale professional with so much knowledge is invaluable.

 

12.  How do you feel that self-publishing their books has helped many unknown authors finally get the recognition their books deserve?

 

Yes and no. Self-publishing is only a vehicle for producing the book. To get recognition, you need to market it. As for what the book deserves, that is too subjective to comment on. For example, my dragon, Vern, believes his books deserve far more popularity and sales than they are receiving. 😊 (Dear readers—want to help him out? Purchase Murder Most Picante here.)

 

Lesson Lucky 13 for Writers: No matter why you decide to self-publish, have fun with it!

 

 

ABOUT KARINA:

Humor with Heart

Karina Fabian writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror, usually with a comedic twist. Her many series include a dragon detective that deals with the unfortunate cross between magic and technology; a fleet of rednecks in space; an order of spacefaring nuns, and a zombie exterminator just trying to keep the world safe from the undead and political stupidity. Read more about her worlds at http://fabianspace.com.

 

When not wrapped up in one of her many universes, she writes business articles and software reviews, helps care for her mother, and enjoys way too much TV.