We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Caytlyn Brooke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Caytlyn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
When I was first starting out as a writer back in high school, I was under the impression that my friends and family would share in my excitement when I succeeded in publishing my first book. This was back in 2009, before social media really took off so besides word of mouth, I had no way to market the book that I had self-published through CreateSpace. I was a high school senior with no editor, so the book had flaws . . . lots of them. A few of my friends bought the book but no one read it. I kept waiting for one of them to say something about the story. If they enjoyed it, if they didn’t like one of the characters, or if they thought the animals I had created were cool, but . . . nothing. Then, when I finally worked up the courage to ask if they had liked it, they simply shrugged and said, “Oh I lost it.”
I tried not to let their indifference deter me and I kept writing. I published book after book through a hybrid/indie press as well as on my own, thinking that maybe now my friends and family would be proud of me. Yet, every time I tried to talk about being stuck in the writing process or I would show them a new cover, I watched as their eyes glazed over and they disengaged from the conversation. No one ever wanted to hear about my books or my career as an author and that’s when I realized it was because they didn’t care.
Maybe they didn’t like to read or were nervous I was going to try and push them to purchase a book, but whatever the reason, when I publish a new book I no longer tell my friends and family because their obvious lack of interest and support hurts too much. Instead, I have focused on meeting people who live and breathe reading, people who have literally searched for me in a crowded room just to say hi and explain how much they loved a certain story.
Overall, if you rely on friends and family for support, either financially or mentally, you will be sorely disappointed. They are not your target audience and that’s okay, but you need to be able to find people better suited to your product.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Hello! I’m Caytlyn Brooke, an author of all genres with a penchant for the twisted and macabre. Ever since I was nine years old I have wanted to become an author after completing a creative writing prompt in school. It took years and years to nail down a solid idea however in which I could expand upon and create a full novel. I self-published through CreateSpace but at eighteen years old, I had no money or experience with marketing so I shelved my book and continued writing. Over the next several years I queried over 300 agents and pitched them the idea for my books. I received one yes, sent in my manuscript, and never heard from him again. Then, a friend of mine introduced me to BHC Press, a hybrid publisher in 2015. Basically they were a vanity press who assembled the book and created a cover. They eventually offered me a traditional contract, however their demands grew regarding which genres I could write and I no longer had a say in the creation of my books so I left their agency and dipped my toes back into the realm of self-publishing. I have built up an incredible team of editors, beta readers, and cover designers and now get to write whatever genre I like with complete control of the creative process.
Most of my books exist in darker shades. Creepy fae, elemental nymphs, futuristic addictive tech, and grisly nursery rhyme retellings are the subjects of some. Recently I did venture into the landscape of romance novels and much to my surprise I really enjoyed exploring these lighter tales. Of course, every one of my books has a cruel twist, but I love being able to offer a variety of genres because every reader is different.
As far as what sets me apart from other authors, my greatest wish is to write a story that readers fall in love with like every writer. My writing does tend to be very descriptive and the feedback I receive from readers is very positive as they praise the flow and ease of sinking into one of my worlds.
I also do not write to market which has both helped and harmed my career. It’s discouraging when there is a hot new book craze and none of my books fit the mold, but I also am very proud of myself for writing stories that have a significant importance and reflect my own struggles that readers can find relatable. A strong theme I usually incorporate is standing up for yourself and using your voice. I am a survivor of SA and my characters reflect the trauma I endured and the healing journey I am still on. The bond between sisters and female characters is also present as I value the relationship with my own sister and share the same desire to protect her as my characters.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
For many authors, the goal is to get an agent or to find your book a home at a publishing house. From 2015-2021 I was living that dream with BHC Press. I had a traditional contract, I didn’t have to pay for edits, and they used their reach to submit my books for awards and distinguished reviews. I thought I was so lucky that early on in my career I had found a publisher who believed in me and championed for my books.
Then it came time to release the second book in my Skyglass series. The first book, Among the Hunted, is a Greek Mythology reimagining from the elemental nymphs’ perspective. The first book is a dark adventure into the world of the gods, but along with magic and sword fights, it also parallels the world of fear that women must exist in regarding men treating them as nothing more than physical objects and often taking what they think they are entitled to. It reflects my own experience being SA’d and the cocktail of emotions that plagued me in the aftermath and follows as the characters break free from the fear of being silenced and take back their power.
Book 2, Among the Burning, continues the characters’ journey through the healing process and explores the idea of forgiveness as the main character traverses the Underworld to save her sister’s soul. Unfortunately, my publisher canceled the rest of my series stating, “Survivor’s voices are no longer trending,” and “SA voices don’t belong in fantasy genres. People don’t want to read about that stuff.”
Not only was I devastated, but beyond furious. As a survivor, I understand what it means to be silenced and to have my voice buried and here was my publisher doing the same thing again because my book wasn’t going to make him enough money at that time because the market had shifted. I realized they didn’t care about me or the message I was trying to communicate with my books. I was simply a number and they proceeded to use gaslighting techniques in order to save face.
I refused to work with them any longer and for the first time in six years, I had to stand on my own two feet when it came to publishing my next book. I turned to the many friends I had met and networked with via social media and self-published three books in 2023. At first, I was terrified striking out on my own, but with the help of my colleagues, I am so grateful for the freedom and control I now have over all my projects.
How did you build your audience on social media?
As I stated before, I self-published my first book in 2009 before social media had a strong foothold. MySpace was all the rage and Facebook had just popped up, but no one was using social media to market anything yet. Fast forward a few years and Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have debuted and what a difference! Here were millions of readers eager to read your books, all it took was a few viral posts and bam! you have a huge reader base. But achieving that viral success is a lot harder than anticipated so I have taken the slow and steady approach in regards to building my social media presence.
Before Twitter became X, I struggled to carve out a place on that platform. It was hard to compete with so many other authors and stand out. So I began by asking simple questions that yielded a ton of engagement. “Using a gif, describe yourself in high school.” “The color of your shirt and the first object to your left is the title of your next book.” I tried to reply to every single comment and create a fun page for people to share themselves with. From there, I shared lots of pictures of myself at book events, readers holding my books, and transparent numbers of my successes and failures. Today I have over 12k followers on X and although that’s not considered a lot by some, I have met so many incredible people and been invited to participate in so many amazing opportunities for my career.
The other platform I rely on to find my audience is TikTok. I was hesitant to get on because I thought it was for a younger audience. My ex-publisher also made fun of me for thinking I could find readers on there, but low and behold, the Booktok community welcomed me with open arms and are now a force to be reckoned with. I have been on there for 3 years and have around 8k followers. Again, it may not seem like a significant number, but after joining TikTok, I doubled the amount of reviews on my books and have gone viral several times.
The videos I post on this platform tend to be funny where I put myself in my characters’ shoes. I found the simpler the better and a comical, sexy, or dark piece of text works really well to hook viewers that translate to Kindle page reads. The community on TikTok is great. All of my friends in the Booktok community are there to help build one another up. We champion for one another, comment, and boost each other’s books. Being my most authentic self allows readers and other authors to feel comfortable and trust my content and gives a backstory to who I am, why I write the genres I do, and what to expect from my writing. I’ve met so many authors and attended bookish balls and events and cannot wait to see what else is in store.
Contact Info:
- Website: caytlynbrooke.wixsite.com/booksbycaytlyn
- Instagram: @caytlynbrooke_author
- Facebook: Caytlyn Brooke
- Twitter: @caytlyn_brooke
- Other: TikTok: @caytlynbrooke_author