No constraints for the multifaceted
Whether it's genre or social media, indie author Kayla Hicks attacks it all.
The CHOW (Clueless Hack on Writing) interview is my look into the minds of writers, whose books haven’t been optioned for Netflix, but are finding ways to be shared with the world. These writers are booktrepreneurs who are hustling to get one small bit of attention for their books and trying to make a business out of it. If you like the specific genre, I encourage you to find it and buy. I’ll tell you, they’ll know and celebrate your purchase.
Kayla Hicks is a multi-genre independent author who has a large social media presence. A lifetime voracious reader, Kayla's goal is to create stories that readers love and connect with. A fan of genre fiction, Kayla writes in Fantasy, Sci-Fi and now Romance genres and gives these readers a great story to sink their teeth into.
Kayla also writes great advice posts for independent authors on her website. Whether it is maximizing social media analytics to catching the audience's attention, Kayla provides helpful hints to authors trying to get in front of readers.
In her spare time, you can find her reading, playing video games, watching movies, or spending family time with her daughter and husband.
THE CHOW: Welcome, Kayla Thanks so much for joining me on the CHOW, otherwise known as the Clueless Hack on Writing.
What made you decide to branch out into all sorts of genres?
KH: If I am being honest, I tend to read lots of different genres as a reader and I think that it bled over to my writing. I wanted to write stories that interested me and they didn't always fall under one genre.
THE CHOW: Has there been crossover? Have readers of, say, your superhero books moved over to Romance? I'm sure you are finding similar themes that appeal to all.
KH: For this, I would say yes and no.
I have had readers reach out to me who have read my superhero series and say that they tried my young adult contemporary romance and even though it's not something they usually enjoy, ended up really enjoying that book as well. And then other readers ask when my next superhero book is coming out because it's been a book or two of another genre in between.
So really a mixed result I would say.
THE CHOW: What was the first series you wrote and what got you excited to take that plunge into writing?
KH: My first book was the start of the Outliers Series, but I would say the first real plunge I took was the one into The Backup Superhero series. I took it because one, the reader's interest was higher there, and two, because I felt there was way more story to spread around.
THE CHOW: Is writing a series the way to go for indie writers? That way you develop a following that spans several books?
KH: Yes and no. I say yes because you can build out a universe and build an audience with it which is wonderful. But I say no because I think what most writers don't know is that it takes 3 to 5 books to really start gaining a reader following. Mainly because when they finish one of your books, they are more likely to jump into another one of yours if it's already there.
THE CHOW: What is your process? Do you map out every book in the series? Then methodically work through the story arcs? Or do you have an end point and write one book at a time?
KH: I would say my process is something that I'm still working on because it wholly depends on the genre I'm writing in. For example, my superhero series of novellas has 6 books now, so I need to keep a timeline and notes on what has happened in the storyline and what has happened with the characters to keep everything straight.
But, for my next book Escape City which is based on zombies in an escape room-style amusement park, I outlined it first, made character outlines, and then started writing it.
THE CHOW: When you first started, what was the biggest eye-opener about the business of publishing and indie publishing?
KH: Mainly how fast-paced it all is and how difficult it is to market. I feel that new authors feel this the most because they are trying to gain an audience and instill trust in new readers, which causes this feeling of a small fish in a big ocean.
When I first started, I jumped in without knowing anything, which was a mistake, because I was so ready to publish my book. And the momentum I had from my word-of-mouth sales was short-lived and then I had nothing to show for it because I needed to release another book or gather more reviews for the one I'd published in order to grow my audience.
THE CHOW: How have you adjusted and pivoted to meet changes in platforms? What are you always looking out for?
KH: In terms of social media platforms, it's making sure that as well as posting several times during the times my audience is active so I can reappear in their news feed, it's also talking with other people and being social. I really try to lift other writers and help provide insight and tips I didn't have starting out.
In terms of publishing platforms, it's keeping myself up to date on what other authors are doing to help their books stand out. And it's seeing what platforms like Draft2Digital, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble Press are doing to help authors and taking advantage of that.
THE CHOW: You are so prolific on social media. You're on everything. I mean your LinkTree is a mile long. On X, you engage with some great questions. What is your strategy and how do you keep it consistent and fresh?
KH: I honestly started on X and felt like my posts got nowhere. So I began my social media journey focusing on X by seeing what other people were doing and commenting on their posts. Then I decided that since I was still learning about publishing, I could ask the questions I had and see what answers I got. When I started asking questions, it turned out that tons of other people needed these answers too and my following started to grow.
Now that all of my questions have been answered and I have 31k followers on X, I am pivoting some of my attention to other platforms where I am cross-posting my content to see how it does with other platforms. Now I focus on sharing things I've learned about publishing, audience building, and such, as well as book marketing and lifting other authors and book bloggers/reviewers up.
The main way that I keep my content fresh and consistent is by looking at the stats of my posts. I pay attention to what does well and what people respond to and see how I can branch off that topic or expand on it for interested people. I also ask other people to join the conversation and share their insights because I have learned so much from people answering my questions.
And to be honest, for all of us self-publishing authors out there, the best thing we can do for the future of self-publishing is to help one another and come off strong and professional so we can change readers' perspectives on self-published books.
THE CHOW: What do you think about social media and the indie author business? What should be our relationship with social media?
KH: Social media, for the most part, is a free and easy way to be where readers already are. And once you expand to other social media platforms, having a consistent look not only shows your professionalism but creates brand recognition for authors.
Social media should be indie authors' top priority for marketing and making connections in the publishing world because everyone is there already. And it's much easier to meet them where they already are than it is to get them to follow you to your website where no one else is all the time.
And if you are set on building that newsletter, there are social websites you can build a newsletter on where people already are, like Substack. I found this out the hard way and was using Drip to try to send my newsletter and drive people to my website. I was stuck at 30 subscribers for like 7 years. Then I found out about Substack and moved my newsletter there and now I'm up to 150 subscribers.
Social media is where people are, and social websites make it easier for people to find you.
THE CHOW: As Indie authors continue to find their space in publishing, what is the best advice in making the most out of the opportunity?
KH: The thing about publishing that many indie authors don't realize is that unfortunately, to be successful in finding your space in the publishing world is not set on publishing the book, but rather a bunch of aspects in addition to this.
You want to make opportunities for yourself. This may mean :
- stepping out of your comfort zone and talking with people whether it be podcasters, book bloggers/reviewers, bigger social media accounts, newspapers, and more.
- working hard to research your genre and audience to see what they are looking for
- learning the trade so you can compete with other books and authors
- building a process to help you publish and stay on a timeline
- growing your social media bLosey not only sharing yourself but others
Publishing success is built on a bunch of different aspects that grow into something great for your book.
THE CHOW: We mentioned you play video games, read and watch TV with your family. What is a show that you like to watch on your own? Maybe, it's not suitable for your child and maybe your husband doesn't want to watch it.
KH: Oh my, it sounds strange. But I really love watching anything on HGTV. I love shows like HomeTown, No Demo Reno, Help I Wrecked My House, and such. I find them interesting and I dream of ways I could improve our own home.
THE CHOW: Thank you so much for joining me today.
Side of Mustard
I’m in the middle of my press tour for Lose Yourself. This week, I was interviewed by the United States of Baseball. It’s a very sweeping interview about my sportswriting career, being cussed out by Tommy Lasorda, my writing process and more.
This week, at the Fictionistas April's Let's Write Together (substack.com), Nicole Rivera and Sara Hildreth shared another prompt tool: Rory’s Story Cubes! It’s a box of nine cubes with images on them. After a roll of the dice, we were presented a prompt. As a result, here’s the story: