We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful S.g. Tasz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with S.G. below.

S.G., appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When I first decided to publish my work independently, I wanted to do something that the traditional publishing industry would never do. That’s why my first project was a series of novellas (about 100 pages each) set in a haunted mall, with a story based on an Army of Darkness fan fiction I’d written years earlier. While I didn’t see massive success with it, it does have a bit of a small cult following made up of readers who love it dearly. Over the years, I’ve found that kind of model to be my comfort zone. I don’t do well with the idea of massive success or huge exposure. I’d much rather have a small but dedicated following of fans. I’m also someone who likes to experiment and try different things, which can be challenging in an industry that wants to pigeonhole authors into one genre or another. Being independent means I can choose when to follow the trends and when I think I can stand to be a little more adventurous and forward-thinking. It’s that flexibility to choose my own adventure, so to speak, that keeps my passion for the work alive.

S.G., 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 am an independent author who writes primarily contemporary/urban fantasy and paranormal suspense. I’ve been a writer my whole life, but I came to independent publishing via the independent film industry. After a very intense project where I was wearing about a dozen hats (writer, producer, actor, editor, etc), I desperately needed a change of pace and decided to commit myself to prose writing, which I had previously only done academically or for fun. Currently I have two published series available: the paranormal adventure series Dead Mall and the paranormal suspense series Death by Miss Adventure, both of which can be found for sale on my website www.sgtasz.com

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I think every day in this industry is a lesson in resilience to some degree. The ebook market is saturated beyond belief, the algorithms are complicated and ever-changing, and marketing dollars seem to stretch less and less every year. It is a constant challenge to keep an eye on what’s getting people’s attention and motivating them to click the Buy button while not losing your passion for the art. I’ll be honest, there are days when I think about quitting, but the truth is that telling stories is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, and for whatever it’s worth, it is the thing I do best. It’s a hard thing that passion, quality work, and profit are always commensurate. I have met and read so many talented authors that don’t get their due, but that’s a hazard of any creative industry. I think that as long as the joy for the work is there, then it’s worth the struggles.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being an independent author requires an interesting mix of talents. You need to be creative and skilled to put out a good book. You need to be savvy at marketing and identifying trends to position your work in the right places to reach its likely readership. You also need to be a bit of team player, which may sound strange given that most of us are solo entrepreneurs with no staff and that writing a book is largely done alone. But outside of the production side of things, there is a special appreciation for writers who do what they can to support others, either through word of mouth or career advice or just general commiseration. Personally, I have always been involved in the community arts and I love nothing more than to lift up my fellow artists. Even when I was brand new to the publishing arena, I was participating in local critique groups and using my background as an English major to help other authors with the structure, grammar, etc of their works in progress. As I’ve moved along in my career and learned new skills, I continue to pass on whatever help I can to help my community improve. I think my willingness to share what I’ve learned and support how I can has built my reputation more than my social media following or how much money I make ever could.

Contact Info:

• Website: www,sgtasz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgtasz.author/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sgtaszauthor/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sgtasz.author