Author Interview – Terry Easley

Terry Easley  is an award-winning poet, songwriter, and novelist. His current novel, The Kismet Blade, is available on Amazon, Kindle, and in selected bookstores. He conducts webinars with his fellow writers, has been a newspaper columnist, has a Masters Degree in business management, and has taught at college level. He has worked at everything from lumberjack to locomotive engineer. As a storyteller he communicates through writing, music, photography, film and sculpture. He is insatiably curious about all things spiritual, social and natural.

What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing vs being published?

I went the traditional route with the first novel I wrote about 25 years ago and it nearly killed me. It was an historical fiction story about a contemporary family and its original Mexican land grant, located in the central San Joaquin Valley of California. My agent could never figure out how to market it and I got discouraged and moved on to other writing ventures. Mind you, that was before self-publishing was even a viable option.

Now, with the advent of technology, the world of publishing has changed dramatically. It has ushered in what I believe is a golden age for writers. However, the landscape is loaded with minefields, and the author has to find his own way through the morass.

If I conquer the fear of death, I may decide to go the traditional route again.  But, I have to say, being the master of my own fate has allowed me to be independent and rediscover my unique voice.

Is there any marketing technique you used that had an immediate impact on your sales figures?

I use Facebook primarily to announce book signings and other happenings surrounding my writing career. I also try to inform and entertain. In my research, I’m always looking for the wow factor. If it stuns me, I’m certain it will stun my audience.

What do you think of “trailers” for books?  Do you have one/ intend to create one for your own books?

The world of film has influenced the literary realm more than most traditionalists would care to acknowledge. Consequently, movie-like trailers are going to reach a broader audience than the old-fashioned methods.

I made a trailer for The Kismet Blade, using friends and family that I posted on my YouTube channel under my handle, MrTahoeluke.

Your book falls under the main International Thriller genre. Do you tag it with other genres? What do you see as the pros and cons of writing International Thriller fiction on the publishing scene?

I have tagged it under thrillers, mysticism, politics, the Middle East, and tangentially, Jerusalem, Armageddon, and the New World Order.

After the success of the Dan Brown novels, the field is crowded and people want to pigeonhole my work into his slot. That’s okay, he’s great. The challenge is to distinguish myself and my cosmology; to move away from the crowd.

Publishers rejected you at the last stage of the submission process, could you elaborate on that?

I sent out about five query letters (which isn’t many) for The Kismet Blade, and after five rejections, I’d had enough. I remembered what appalled me the last time. They say that the multiple rejection process is the name of the game. But, to me, the name of the game is to publish and move on. So, self-publishing engaged all of my creative inclinations and relieved me from the torment and the sense that I was wasting my time.

That’s not to say there isn’t some torment in this game too, but now it stems from my own lack of patience and not the hassle from the multitudes that were trying to change my voice. I sink or swim under my own merits, but with my story intact.

Your last book, The Kismet Blade, was made available to the public on 08/2011. How well has it been received by the public so far?

The Kismet Blade reception has been better than I thought it would be. The last book signing I had, the owner said it was the most attended book signing she’d ever had in her store. So, I’m encouraged by the legs my book seems to have grown.

Thank you Terry for taking the time to answer a few questions for us and best of luck with your writing career.

Buy The Kismet Blade

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