We recently connected with Alexandrea Weis and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandrea, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
When I began as an author, my definition of success was much different that it is today. I wanted to publish my stories, see my books in print and have people read and enjoy them. That was it. I did have lofty expectations about how many books I would sell a year and the size of the publishing company I wanted representing my work. That concept of success reflected my knowledge of the book business at the time which was pretty slim. That knowledge has expanded dramatically after 38 published novels under my name with four different publishers and almost a dozen ghostwritten books, and just as many screenplays and teleplays. I have a much more open definition of success nowadays-create stories I love, and the rest will figure itself out. What it takes to be successful is not to limit your definition of success. As you move through a career, accept that your desire and goals will change as much as you do. There might always be the brass ring you envision when you started out, but understand as you learn more about your field, that brass ring might get shinier or duller depending on how you shape your career, And one person’s success is not yours. Don’t look at someone getting what you wanted as a failure. Its a bump in the road that might send you in a different direction and garner you a type of success you never thought you wanted for yourself, but discovered was much more your style. Success is never what other envision for you, It’s what you want, and what makes you happy. YOU being the key word here. Don’t limit yourself and embrace every opportunity because it may lead you to the success you’ve always craved.
Alexandrea, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I grew up in the motion picture industry. My father had an independent production company in the French Quarter of New Orleans., I learned at an early age about the importance of characters in a story and how to tell those stories while building worlds that could transport readers to another time and place. I even got some tips from an old family friend on writing. Tennessee Williams lived around the corner from us on Royal Street. I did not pursue writing in college but studied nursing. I’m a registered nurse by training and after receiving my doctorate taught nursing at local universities. It wasn’t enough. I eventually went back to doing what I loved in high school, writing. I would write novels while sitting on my sofa in the evenings and discovered I never felt so fulfilled. Writing always made me feel as if I were using both sides of my brain. I published my first novel in 2007 and never looked back. I have written romance, thriller, suspense, paranormal, and horror novels. What I am most proud of is the over 80 book awards I’ve won for my novels, and the launching of my most successful series into a television show., eventually sending me back to what I grew up in. I have learned what I equate to another doctorate about writing and the publishing industry since releasing my first book. It is not an easy career, and you need a thick skin to survive cutting reviews, and scathing critiques by editors. I have a lot more determination than I’d imagined, and all my nursing experience has made be a better writer. Who else knows more about the human condition than someone who has seen individuals on their best days and their worst. Weaving everything I have absorbed in life into my books is the biggest thrill. There is no greater fulfillment than holding the book you have slaved over, cried over, and sometimes cursed in your hands for the first time.
How did you build your audience on social media?
Building a fanbase on social media is important to writers. You need to keep everyone abreast of your current work in progress and future releases. It is important that you also need to let readers learn about you. Your life, how you spend your days, where you get your story ideas. That matters to readers. Offering insights into you helps bring you closer. I find readers always reach out and responding to social media messages and requests is important. I have seen writers loose hundreds or thousands of fans because of ugly remarks to a reader. Always be courteous and grateful for anyone wanting to reach out. I also caution new writers about posting controversial or divisive things. Save that for a personal page. Not all your readers may share your viewpoint, but they will remember if you do not see eye to eye with them and that could affect sales. Some writers might disagree with me on this or not care what readers think, but I feel they should. That is your audience, and you never want to alienate them. I keep my social media posts related to my books, cute animals, and the weather. In a climate where everything you post is scrutinized, think carefully about what you put out there. I have seen publishing deals go up in smoke because a writer posted something too controversial.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
This isn’t so much about a co-founder but someone everyone in the writing game is desperate to have-an agent. I never thought I wanted an agent. I was happy where I was and didn’t think an agent could help me much more. I was wrong. A fellow writer bugged me to contact her agent and see if she was willing to take me on. We spoke on the phone and got along well. I met her at a writer’s convention a short time later and we hit it off. That meeting led to her asking me to pick up an unfinished novel with a co-author that had a hard time finding someone to give the story the right voice. That book opened a whole new world for me and changed the course of my writing. I discovered a love for dark tales and horror, thriller stories. That initial book, Blackwell, became a series, and other books with this co-author, Lucas Astor, lead to where I am now. We have an international bestselling books series called St. Bendict, that is optioned for TV and in development with a major studio and well-known actor attached. I would never have fallen into any of this without meeting my agent, who has also become a very dear friend. So, never pass up an opportunity to expand your horizons and network of associates. It might just lead you to bigger and better things.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandreaweis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralexandreaweis/
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandrea-weis-2470798/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandrea_Weis
- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alexandrea-Weis/e/B0028OJO6C/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1433989356&sr=1-3
Image Credits
I own all rights to my photos.