Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elle Backenstor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

My desire to be a published author came about a few years after joining the Bookstagram community. I’d been a writer since my teen years, but had never pursued any type of publication. In my late twenties and early thirties, I began to take part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a month where authors around the world commit to writing 50,000 words. I joined a group of fellow bookstagrammers one year for NaNoWriMo, and discovered that many of them were self-published or planning to publish in the near future. That year I decided I would try my hand submitting to short story anthologies and contests. My first short story was rejected. When I started to write my second planned submission, I quickly exceeded the maximum word count and decided to make it my first novel. With the help and wisdom from my writer’s group, I navigated the first draft, editing, endless revisions, and all the ins-and-outs of self-publishing. In fifteen months, I had a published novel.

Elle , 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’m Elle Backenstoe and I am a self-published author of romantasy books. I write romance heavy stories with elements of magic and lore that feature green flag men with tragic back stories and women who are searching for their place in a world that seems pitted against them. I take a lot of inspiration from fairytales and myths, but add in some of my favorite tropes.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The Author community is vast and wide. I’ve found endless resources through my connections on social media including Threads, Instagram, and Discord. I recommend any writer starting out to start building a community as soon as possible. Look for local writing groups, find genre specific discords, build a group chat with other authors. It can be difficult to navigate publishing on your own, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. The writing community will answer.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building a social media presence is one of the most important things you can do to start promoting your books, even before they are published. As soon as possible, create an identifiable brand. Choose handles that match your author name and start posting as much as you can. Share about yourself, your writing journey, your inspiration, your characters, quotes from your work-in-progress, mood boards, comps, anything you can think of. When I was first starting out, I posted a lot of quotes, anesthetic reels, mood boards, inspirations, about me. The goal is to connect with your readers and get them excited about your books early.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ellebackenstoe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellebackenstoewrites
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellebackenstoe