Immogen Keeper – Author Interview

I know, it’s the end of February. I got January’s interview posted late. At least I’m getting Feb’s posted in the right month. 😀

And have I got a great cold season warmer for you. This interview is with Immy Keeper, author or what I would say was Romantica; very romantic erotica. The Bonding, her first in a series is available and is an incredible universe with amazing characters. I had to put the story down because I was over-sympathizing. But I was so moved by the love story, one of these days, I’ll finish it, because it is that good.

J.W.  So Immy, you’ve started out published by a small press and now you’re self-published. What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

I.K.  Well, when I first started, I was published by a small publishing house. And the advantages are enormous, especially for someone who’s just starting out. I had no clue what I was doing. So it was great. It felt like someone was holding my hand and teaching me a new industry. Free editorial services, free cover design. They put my books up on all the big vender sites. All I had to do was approve stuff.

But then it was over, my book was live and it was my job to sell it… but I was only going to get a small piece of the profits. That’s totally fair. They invested the money. They deserved to get their money back, but it definitely lowered my incentive to try to market. So my book just kind of flopped, and spending money on reviews or marketing seemed silly, since the money wouldn’t come back to me in any major way.

So when that publishing house closed it’s doors and my book rights reverted back to me, there was no doubt in my mind. I was going indie. If I had to market, and spend money on marketing, only one person was going to take the profits… Me.

Self-publishing is a tremendous amount of work. I barely have time to write now. I haven’t figured out how that balance works yet. Nor have I really figured out how to start selling either, but I will get there.

J.W.  It’s great to hear that from someone I know, who’s really been there, because when I
heard that with a house, you have to do your own publishing. It made me wonder what the point was. So on that note, do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

I.K.  I wish! If I were in a position to give advice, I’d be thrilled. But I’m not. Marketing is so hard. My only word of advice would be this. Be careful. For every piece of useful information online, there are a hundred people waiting in the wings with their hands out trying to take your money. Be careful. It’s a jungle out there.

J.W.  Wow! Good to know. What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?

I.K.  Far too much. But I’m still learning how to use social media and what’s worth spending money on and what isn’t. It will get easier. I keep telling myself this and someday I hope it comes true.

J.W.  LOL I’m sure it will. I hear it gets easier. You learn what works and streamline your process. You always astound me. You are such a go-getter. 😀 With marketing out of hte way, what are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?

I.K.  Any review is a good review.

J.W.  I’ve heard that. I hope so. 😀 Any tips on what to do and what not to do when writing?

I.K.  Not really anything specific. But I do think that my writing improved dramatically, I started writing so much faster, and it became so much more fun when I got to know myself better. Trying to force myself to write at bad times, or if I hadn’t figured out the plotting, or if I’d figured out the plotting too much, or if I just didn’t want to… was a fool’s errand. I work best when I want to. And forcing it is no good. There are plenty of other useful things for me to do, so why force the words down?

Learning how to manage myself was the single biggest hurdle I had to overcome. I’m a tricky employee.

J.W.  I think I can relate. LOL And that is great advice. 😀

Thank you for taking a few minutes from your writing and your crew. 😀

I.K.  Thank you Julia!!!

BIO: I’m Imogen Keeper. But please, call me Immy. I’m from the East Coast, born and raised and back here now with my husband and our son, who is a handful and a half. We just had a baby girl a couple weeks ago, so life just got even more hectic.

I discovered writing when my son was about six months old. It was something I’d always

dabbled at in the past, but never really put on my serious hat. So, bored at home with a kid who truly took magnificent naps, I started studying up on the how-to’s and the how-not-to’s of writing. With about six active works in progress, I decided to knuckle down and focus on one.

It made me blush, and it made me sweat, and it made me cry a few times, but The Bonding came out. I had to get over the embarrassment of having people read sex that came out of my head, but get over it I did.

My first novel was just published, (see note at bottom) and I have to admit, I’m proud of it. Dirty sex and all.

www.ImogenKeeper.com

@Imogen_keeper

https://imogenkeeper.wordpress.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/ImogenKeeper/

Immy lives on the East Coast with her husband and child. It was a long road to writing. College brought a passion for literary analysis and art history. So many papers written in those four years. An MFA in design, and a brief career in Interior Design, followed by the hard decision to be a stay-at-home mom resulted in a lady who didn’t enjoy sitting idle, a long-napping baby, and a lot of time on her hands. The result was a series of experiments with a variety of hobbies – cooking, baking, painting, gardening, DIY, knitting, filmography, obsessive reading, yoga, you name it until finally, one day she just sat down at her computer – and voila her fantasies finally were put down on the blank page!