This post is third in a series of profiles featuring currently unpublished and self-published authors. These interviews focus on three areas where both those writers who are looking to find success in traditional publishing and those who are taking the self-publishing path must develop strength: pitching their work, pitching themselves, and creating quality, well-edited work. None of what is shared in these posts is intended to be prescriptive. Also, a profile is not to be viewed as an endorsement of the author or her/his work. If you'd like to be featured, email your responses to the following prompts to JackDouglasHorn@gmail.com.
JOSH VASQUEZ
Bio
Josh Vasquez is
the author of the Savannah Zombie Series. He lives in Savannah, Georgia with
his wife and daughter.
The city is
currently zombie-free.
100
words or fewer, describe your book or story. This is your pitch. Make it
enticing!
Nineteen, a
college dropout, and working as a grocery store clerk was not how Jeremy
Riggins imagined the prime years of his life. Helping his mother with bills,
while his father lives in luxury not too far away, life does not seem fair.
Then the zombie
apocalypse shambles into Savannah, Georgia.
Jeremy has to
fight his way through the city, search for family, and fight off the undead
horde. He’ll join up with a diverse group of characters to make it out alive.
Could his mother’s religion be right? Is this the end? Can he survive the
zombie apocalypse?
Describe
your editing (not writing) process. What steps have you taken to polish your
story?
*pours whiskey*
Huh, what? Just
kidding folks.
*hides whiskey*
This may be
super weird, but I actually enjoy editing.
Writing is fun, don’t get me wrong. It’s all, “YEAH! WORDS! IDEAS! THIS IS THE
BEST THING THAT HAS EVER BEEN WRITTEN!”
But then it
comes the time to actually read what you wrote and you’re like, “Holy crap on a
mechanical pencil. I wrote this? I wrote this. This is what I wrote.” And you
just sit there and stare at the steaming pile that wafts up from your keyboard.
(Or paper, if you still use that stuff.)
Editing is taking
that pile and molding it, shaping it into what you really meant, taking your
word vomit and turning into a gosh darn novel. You see all the little nuances
and side stories you subconscious put there, because you’re freaking awesome
and that’s how you roll. (Go you!)
For me, what
this looks like is taking my first draft and shaping it into a longer 2nd
draft. THIS IS FOR MY EYES ONLY! I read it, add to it what it needs, and
subtract what it doesn’t. Then I copyedit the thing and let some trusted people
read it. Since I’m self-published, this is a list of people who know books and
love books. But, I also try and get someone who is not a reader, because if I
can keep their attention, I can keep anyone’s attention.
From there a
third draft fixing anything they caught or stuff I missed the first couple go
arounds. Then I hit that scary little button that says, “PUBLISH.”
What
steps have you taken/are you considering taking to build a social platform to
promote your work?
Originally, I
had a Facebook page, a personal Twitter account, a book Twitter account, and a
website/blog. I ran a Facebook ad for my Facebook page and got a bunch of
Facebook likes, which in the end, was really only a waste of my Facebook
dollars. So, I dropped that platform. To be honest though, I’m at an age where
Facebook is super lame, but I’m still like, “Snapchat can suck it.”
Right now I
focus on hanging out on Twitter. The important thing with social media is do
what YOU like to do. It’s not to sell books. Don’t be a spam bot. Nobody wants
that. Be a human being.
I like playing
hashtag games and will RT/Like you if you’re funny. There’s enough negativity
in this world; I’d rather share some laughter.
@beencalled
@SavZombieNovel
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