We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mariah Montoya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mariah below.

Mariah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

On a moral level, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking friends and family to support your business. The people who love you want to see you succeed, and everyone has to start somewhere!

However, I’ve found that there’s a bit of a logistical issue with bringing friends or family into the equation when you’re just starting out–and that has to do with your target audience. Unless the people you know personally are already interested in what you’re selling, it’s likely that asking them to buy your product will actually skew your data and send you in the wrong direction that might lead to a dead-end.

For instance, when I published my first few books, I told everyone I knew in my personal life, hoping they’d buy a copy. Many did, but those people weren’t interested in my books because they like reading; they were interested in my books beccause they know me. Ultimately, this messed up the Amazon algorithm, because instead of pushing my books to actual readers, it pushed them to customers like my friends and family, who were more interested in decor or makeup or fishing supplies.

With my most recent book (my most successful one to date), I focused less on friends and family and more on finding a target audience via online means. The more actual readers found my book, the more those readers recommended to their similar friends, and so on! I believe other small businesses might benefit from leaving friends and family out of the equation unless those friends or family are genuinely interested in their products.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! I am an author who loves writing in the fantasy, sci-fi, and romance genres. I have about a dozen short stories published in various literary magazines, one traditionally published novella, and three indie-published novels. While I love lyrical prose and symbolism, my ultimate goal is to entertain people! I want to provide that same enchanting escape that has always helped me get through the tough parts of life–and I’m so happy that it seems like I’m finally doing that.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I was studying creative writing in college, it seemed that “less is more” was always one of the focal points. They’d tell us to delete every extraneous paragraph, sentence, or even word that we could, to whittle the story down to its most naked truth. While I understand the sentiment, I do think that writing styles are much like interior designs–some people like minimalism, while others might feel more at home in rustic, Regency, or boho-styled rooms. It’s all about being honest with yourself about what you actually like so that you can find the right audience who likes the same thing!

In my case, I had to relearn what I liked about storytelling, and found that I enjoy a bit more “fluff” in my books.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I could probably write a good number of paragraphs about empathy, and how being an artist helps you view humanity through different lenses, and how the creative outlet just feels good for the soul, and so on.

If I’m being honest, though, my biggest reward comes from my readers. Whenever I get a thank you message or a good review or an excited comment from someone who just finished my book, all the hours and tears and headaches spent on writing are suddenly worth it. I think, overall, that both the journey and the destination–the creative process and the final result–are rewards in different ways, but seeing my art actually touch other humans is definitely the light at the end of the tunnel for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @mariah_author
• Other: Goodreads Author Profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/11220957.Mariah_Montoya