We were lucky to catch up with RuthAnne Snow recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, RuthAnne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
I would focus far more on in-person connections with librarians and booksellers and less on social media. Social media engagement is important, but also, its impact is rarely measurable for an individual creative. Writers especially can get sucked into the world of social media, and not only does that take away from your writing time and mental energy, but it’s unclear what impact it actually has on your sales.
RuthAnne, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’ve always loved writing and storytelling, but it wasn’t until after law school that I started to understand it more from the business side. My law firm job start date was delayed post-2008 crash and a friend hooked me up as a marketing assistant to an independent publisher. Seeing the logistics of how books are selected, edited, and marketed helped me conceptualize the whole process better, and soon I was writing a new project specifically with the goal of securing an agent or independent publisher.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I love hearing from readers who have enjoyed my work. It doesn’t happen often, to be honest, but each time it does, it’s a high that lasts for weeks.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Being a writer is not for the faint of heart! I’ve been doing this for twenty years and I have one published book to my name and more near-misses than I like to remember. But if writing is your passion, the reward of finishing a story is something you will value intrinsically regardless of what happens next.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ruthannesnow.com
- Instagram: @ruthannesnow13
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RuthAnneSnow
Image Credits
Personal headshot: Samantha Nymeyer