When author Jen Craven made the decision to self-publish her latest contemporary novel, Best Years of Your Life, she knew she chose the right path. She said retaining control over her book’s content, title, cover design and release timing outweighed everything else. Craven, author of two historical fiction novels, All That Shines and Whispers and A Long Way From Blair Street, said traditional publishing is no longer the gold standard and more authors are turning to indie publishing as their first choice. Technology and a variety of social media platforms create opportunities to propel self-published authors onto success. Currently a full-time copywriter for a global company that provides trend-driven activity kits for kids, Craven has written for The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, Motherly and the Huffington Post. A former fashion merchandising instructor for 11 years at Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania, she penned a piece for the Huffington Post that detailed her experience not purchasing anything new for a whole year. Today, you’ll find her in northwestern Pennsylvania where she writes, spends time with her family and delivers dynamic content on Instagram @jencravenauthor.        

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I chatted with Jen to ask eleven questions that will give you an inside look at the author behind the books. This is part one of a two-part interview. 

 

1.   How would you describe yourself in five words?

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Homebody, driven, planner, realist, creative.

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2.   How would your family describe you in five words?

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Fun-loving, organized, dedicated, intelligent, inspiring (these are according to my husband!).

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3.   How would you describe two of the main characters in your new book, Best Years of Your Life?

 

Christine: A middle-aged woman who’s searching for youth in all the wrong places.

Abbie: A college freshman figuring out identity and the importance of true friends.

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4.   What kind of trends are you seeing in the publishing industry today?

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Publishing is constantly evolving. I think there’s been a huge surge in audio books, and e-books continue to grow as well. Traditional authors know the leadtimes for deals and publication keeps inching longer and longer. Consequently (or as a complete separate trend), indie publishing is on the rise, as authors have so many more tools at their disposal. I think we’ll continue to see more and more authors go indie, build their brands, find their audience, and make it big.

 

5.   Why do you think more authors are deciding to self-publish today?

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To tag team off the previous question, I feel that self-publishing is slowly losing the stigma it’s held for so long. It’s not just the “Plan B” option anymore—lots of authors go directly to self-publishing without ever querying agents. There’s pros and cons to both, but some of the perks of self-publishing are that authors can control the timing, content, and keep all the royalties.

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6.   What is your top advice for authors who are considering self-publishing?

 

Know what you can do yourself and what you need help with. You won’t be able to do it all—and fortunately there are so many experts out there you can hire for things like cover design, formatting, editing and so forth. You want to produce the most polished, professional product, so that requires spending money.

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7.  Have you made any mistakes along the way in your self-publishing journey that you have learned from?

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There are always mistakes, but I view them as learning opportunities. Being an indie author—new in my career—I’m constantly watching, listening and trying to soak in all the tips and tricks from authors who’ve been successful. It’s no small task to publish a book, so I feel like I’ve taken a crash course, with highs and lows, things I’ll do again and things I won’t. Ultimately, you won’t know unless you try, and in the grand scheme of life, it’s not life and death. It’s a book (a precious, worked-so-hard-on-it book…but still).

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8.   What have been your biggest successes in your self-publishing journey that you can share?

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Writing a book is a success in and of itself! After that, I’ve been proud how I’ve marketed it so far. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone by getting myself and my book in front of people. Going to bookstores to pitch in person, sending press releases to the media, reaching out to authors I love and respect for blurbs… I consider those successes because I did them and had positive results.

 

9.   What part of the self-publishing process do you enjoy the most?

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I mean, I obviously love writing, and I’ve learned to love social media. It’s fun to talk about your book, make fun posts and memes to get people interested.

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10.  What part of the self-publishing process has been the biggest challenge?

 

Formatting the book for the various platforms/retailers. Paperback vs. e-book vs. hard cover—they all require different formatting, cover size, etc. I faced a major learning curve there, but dug my heels in and taught myself. It can be done! (But if you’re less stubborn than me, you’ll just hire someone to do this for you.)

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11.   Where did the idea for Best Years of Your Life come from?

 

I spent eleven years teaching higher education and I’ve always loved novels set on campuses or boarding schools. So, I suppose the idea stemmed from those two things. The story is fictional, but my experience working on a college campus undoubtedly influenced the book in terms of setting. As for the plot, I surely witnessed lots of questionable moments during my teaching career, but I took it one step further here to really push the scandalous buttons.

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For more information about Jen's books, visit https://www.jencraven.com/   

Connect with her on Instagram @jencravenauthor

On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JenniferCravenAuthor

 

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