We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Duke a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Beth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I feel incredibly fortunate to earn a living with my writing. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly! Far more valuable than any monetary reward, though, is the privilege of connecting to readers through my work. Meeting someone who loved my books and knowing they had impact and value in their lives—that’s the best. I’ve held plenty of traditional jobs in my life. I never think about returning to one, and hope I can continue this writing journey.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been in love with words my entire life. It wasn’t until I’d spent years twisting them into advertising copy that I discovered I enjoyed writing fiction; that was born of living elsewhere and missing my Southern home. It was also a direct reaction to seeing the movie Sweet Home Alabama with an audience that seemed to buy into its hackneyed stereotypes.
My first short stories expressed a love for Alabama and her people I hadn’t seen demonstrated in any other media. They became a vehicle to show the world the Marshall Space Center, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, cool mountain vistas, and warm, welcoming families.
Several of them earned awards in the U.S. and abroad. That eventually led me to launch a career as a full-time writer. My third novel, IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU, became a book club favorite across the country and I found myself joining groups for discussion via Zoom from Maine to Hawaii to Quebec. It’s been a thrill and a joy to meet all these fun, smart, charming, thoughtful women.
The book has been translated for European distribution, too. I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have readers in Zagreb, Croatia learning all about Anniston, Alabama . . . and saying they want to visit!
There are now five of my books in print; I call them all love letters to Alabama. My home is now in the mountains of my home state and, while I adore travel, I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My third book garnered the attention of a big agent in New York City. She told me she was in love with the manuscript and it deserved to be read by the world. That eventually led to a standard traditional publishing offer from a small press. The royalty percentages and initial advance were somewhat insulting to me.
My extremely long and frustrating journey to an agent and publisher had placed me in a position to earn a relatively low amount of money and I decided to pivot to a better situation.
It was a gamble, but I believed in my book.
I had an established audience, a story I felt would succeed, and I decided to invest in my product. It was the best business decision I’ve ever made. Hiring a professional editor and cover designer yielded a book that could easily sit aside bestsellers and book club fiction in any store.
That book made my career as an independent author. I have never looked back, even when a new agent and publisher recently came calling about acquiring my entire catalog.
I want aspiring authors to know you can have a very successful and rewarding career without a traditional path through querying agents—in the current publishing climate, independent authorship can be much more profitable.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had known about an organization I eventually joined and now recommend to any aspiring writer: The Alliance of Independent Authors. They offer expert advice and resources to guide an indie career.
Through my membership I was even able to have foreign translation contracts vetted by an attorney.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bethduke.com
• Instagram: @onlythebethforyou
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bethidee