We recently connected with Adam Snyder and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I think I’ve always had a good ear for language. I started writing short stories as a kid, and eventually got an MFA at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, but still couldn’t quite figure out how to finish a novel.

For years I thought of “The Hero’s Journey” as a model, which I do think is helpful. It wasn’t until I got what you might call the Three Act model into my head that things finally clicked. It might sound obvious, but you really do need to understand the beginning, middle, and end of your story.

Earlier on, I think I was too dismissive of contemporary fiction writers. Now that understand the process better, I tend to give other writers a lot more credit. I see where I can learn from them, and get more enjoyment from reading in the process.

If you’re thinking about writing a novel, rather than reinventing the wheel, I would suggest figuring out which genre is the closest, then read the heck out of other authors that you like (and maybe some you don’t think you like) in that same genre.

Adam, 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 guess I’m equal parts musician and writer. As a musician, I was in a band called Mercury Rev for years, and also played with some other bands like The Waterboys. As a solo musician, I signed with David Gray’s label in the UK and have put out two solo albums so far.

As a writer, I’ve been writing features for magazines and newspapers for years. My secret is that when I’m writing about someone else, it’s not about me, it’s about them. Do your research, ask good questions, be a fan!

When I’m playing music or doing a reading, okay, now it’s about me. So, Kingston 76 is my first published novel. It’s partially based on my actual childhood, then I worked in an amateur detective element because it makes it more fun both to write and for readers.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had written a previous novel and had an agent for several years. He was super smart and a great editor, but despite attracting the attention of some top editors, he was not able to seal the deal.

It was tempting to keep pushing and pushing, but I sat myself down and wrote Kingston 76, which is a completely different type of novel. Everyone who read early versions loved it, but agents have grown extremely cautious, and though some were interested, I’d yet to find representation.

Seemed counter-intuitive, but I made a snap decision to serialize it and start putting it out on Substack for free over the course of several months. So many people loved it, it gave me the courage to try my hand at publishing, which is a different animal than it was several years ago.

Luckily, I feel confident in my own editing ability, and my cousin Jason is a professional book designer who also gave me some pointers. Kingston 76 came out just a month ago and is starting to be carried in stores. I’ve got readings coming up and am about to start broadcasting it on the radio.

I have quite a few writer friends who’ve found success going the traditional route, and also have some with agents who are stalled at the moment as I had been. Seems like a good time to try the new model.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media takes so much time, my wife and I are baffled by it! We prefer spending time with our son rather than sitting around on the computer all the time.

I’d been doing Facebook and Instagram for years. Substack is especially good for writers so this is what I’m concentrating on now. Some writers charge for Substack, I don’t. It’s great that people are reading my installments each week. Now that Kingston 76 is in print, I’m happy to tell people who follow me on Substack, yes, please buy it! Buy one for a friend, too. It’s an actual physical book you can hold in your hands, nothing nebulous about it.

In general, I think one thing about social media is it can’t be sell, sell, sell. You’ve got to give people something. Then when you’ve got something to promote, it seems fair.

My new challenge, because time is an issue: how to keep my Substack going each week and write a new novel at the same time? Can’t seem to do both WELL at the same time (that’s the key word) so, I have just started serializing the new novel as I am writing it. This is actually crazy and I don’t recommend anyone try doing it. But we’re several chapters in, people are digging it, and the novel is getting written, so I guess it’s working!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://adamsnyder.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/adamsnyder845/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.snyder.169/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adamsnyderTV
• Other: https://adamsnyder.substack.com

Image Credits

Both photo and book cover by Jennifer MaHarry