We were lucky to catch up with Dana Lockhart recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dana thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with 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?
Most writers are introverts. You can successfully be an introverted author, but the best way for writers to succeed is by being collaborative: sharing knowledge, ideas, and safe spaces. It can be scary to get started and to put yourself out there, but it really makes all the difference in the world. You can do it all on your own, sure, as you probably have done all your life. But it’s a lot easier with help.
I had reached that breaking point myself. I was muddling through trying to get published. A vanity publisher had tried to scam me once (luckily I didn’t fall for it) and I just came off a fresh loss in a publishing contest that would have awarded me a small advance if I had won. It was back to the querying board, or to try and figure out self-publishing by myself. I was the only serious writer I knew, and felt overwhelmed by how much I had to learn about the publishing industry to try and get my foot in the door. At just the right time, I discovered my local writers guild and I cannot imagine the struggle I would have gone through if not for their help.
I wouldn’t be the writer I am now if not for writer organizations. I’m talking your non-profit, educational organizations built around building up writers for the sake of supporting art, not because they’re looking to make a quick buck on selling you their “writing tips”. Local writers guilds, on the state and city level, are a huge wealth of (often free) knowledge and resources to put you on the path to success. It is through local writers guild that I actually got to meet acquisition editors, agents, and editors to ask them what they look for in books and how to best approach them with a pitch/query. Getting that insider knowledge already puts you leagues ahead of other writers just trying to do it on their own.
They also often hold classes and workshops on a wide range of topics, from improving your writing in some way to navigating the imposing world of publishing. Some writing conferences put on by these organizations even bring in agents and editors for you to pitch your book to, in person. While I recommend writer guilds above all others, even hobbyist groups, critique groups, and open mics do wonders to help you improve your writing while also dipping your toes into pretending to be an extrovert.
I’ve seen other writers who gave into vanity publishers, got scammed by “author services” companies, or roughed it on their own to put out unedited and poorly formatted works. They flounder, and sometimes completely kill their career before it even got started. However, sometimes they didn’t know any better. Or maybe they were blinded by just the sweet promise of getting published by any means necessary. They could have done better if just given the chance to step out of their comfort zone and get the help they needed.
Independent publishing doesn’t have to be for the quitters and rejects that didn’t make it into traditional publishing. Put your all into delivering the best story. That means not just writing it, but properly editing it, formatting it, and publishing it. These are all things local writers guild can help you with. If you’re going to have a voice, have a good, strong voice. Say it right. Do it right.
Dana, 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 am an author of urban fantasy and other fiction, as well as the occasional poet and artist. Despite being quiet, introverted, and a bit reclusive all my life, I’ve always had a voice – a voice so strong, so loud, that it bubbles up inside of me and demands to be heard. I filter that voice into stories, poems, and art.
I find meaning in all things, from the mundane to the extraordinary. Stories hidden in every footprint. Art on display in every leaf. Poetry unfolding in a single breath. I particularly exude this sort of energy with the poetry, such as in my collection In the Deluge. But I also like to explore great concepts of humanity, love, and life’s meaning through my stories. I’m particularly fascinated by monsters, and how they can tell the most heart-wrenching tales of humanity’s flaws and triumphs. I explore what it means to be human and what it means to be a monster in my novel The Un-Life of William Moore.
The writing community has become such an important part of my life that I became involved in it not only as a learner, but now as a leader. I have been serving as the president of my local writers guild for 5 years, taking what I learned from other groups and passing it along to others. It’s an extremely rewarding community to be a part of. Much like how a library is a pool of all knowledge freely given, so too are writers guilds havens of free learning. While I do occasional formatting and cover art work for hire, I find more pride and satisfaction in volunteering at the writers guild than I have ever felt with any traditional job setting.
Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?
I highly recommend any author to also have a side-hustle for their vendor table. Let’s be real – writing books often doesn’t put enough money on the table. We write because the muses command us to, not because we expect to be a millionaire.
Firstly, I use my primary day job to support my book “hobby”. It keeps the revenue coming in so I can pay for things like editing and cover art. While writing books is technically a hobby for me right now, as it is unable to support me on its own, I still treat it like it has the potential to become a real career someday. I feel like that is an important mindset to have. Work at it like it’s going to go somewhere, and it’s more likely that it will.
That said, you will see when you attend events/book signings there is a lot of crossover with literature. Art, cosplay, crafting, to name a few. If you are a multi-talented person, try dabbling in other side-hustles as well, especially when you are a first-time author with only a book or two. I see a lot of authors, myself included, also making handcrafted items like jewelry, art, resin products, and 3D prints. Those types of items sell well alongside books and are generally on-point with any comic con or other event you may be attending. It broadens your audience and your revenue streams. Since implementing handcrafted jewelry at my author tables, I have doubled my revenue from when I had books alone.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
At my very first book signing, I wasn’t very well equipped for being a salesperson. I was still breaking out of my introvert shell and struggled to reach out and talk to strangers. A lot of first time authors probably have the same problem; they just quietly let people walk by your table, afraid to ask them to stop and check out your book. I had some idea of technique and strategies from what I had learned over the last year from writing workshops, but implementing it was easier said than done. It’s like knowing your lines but losing your voice when you try to say them.
Toward the afternoon, I had fallen into a sort of giddy mood. I had just finished having dinner with my at-the-time crush. I was hopeful, star-struck, and feeling like my life was falling into place. And that is when an unsuspecting passerby walked by my table, gave my table a hesitant glance like he was going to stop, but then kept walking. “No you don’t,” I said as I casted an invisible fishing pole at him. He saw me do it, and stopped. I pulled back on my “fishing reel” like I had him on the hook, bending the pole and reeling, saying, “Come on back! Take another look!” He grinned at me, and backed up, and came over to my table.
And yes, he bought a book!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danalockhart.com
- Instagram: DanaLockhart411
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDanaLockhart
- Twitter: DanaLockhart411
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dana-Lockhart/author/B07RJPQV3C
Image Credits
Dana Lockhart profile picture taken by Margarita Oguilve
All poetry by Dana Lockhart
Art and additional photos by K. Surls.