We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Joe Prosit. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Joe below.
Hi Joe, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
I retired from the US Army in 2023 and immediately transitioned into a career as a full-time fiction author. At first glance, the two jobs couldn’t look any more different. In my previous career, I worked as a staff member organizing large operations with a major focus on logistics. The job was all about moving large numbers of people, equipment, and supplies to various locations on sometimes little to no notice.
Being an author is all about creating compelling characters, weaving plot threads, and crafting prose. You know, making art.
At least, that’s all I thought the job entailed.
In reality, as an independent author, I’m also a small business owner. I order supplies. I manage inventory. I schedule events, appearances, and interviews. I plan travel. I budget and pay taxes. I promote and market my books. I (get this) hold staff meetings. Yes, I hold regular staff meetings for my staff of one, just like I participated in during my military career. The truth is, if you want to be an author or an artist, you have to get really good at a whole lot of other skills too.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I write sci-fi, horror, and psychological thrillers. I have eight independently published novels and two collections of short stories. My short stories are regularly published in various magazines and podcasts, most recently, The NoSleep Podcast. I travel all across the Midwest (and sometimes further) to sell my books and speak on panels.
My most recent novel is titled “They Come From Below.” It is a Lovecraft-inspired horror novel set in northern Minnesota. It asks the question, What if our sins and moral failings manifested as physical demons that crawled out of basements and subterranean places to invade our quiet homes, neighborhoods, and communities?
I’m a big proponent of independent publishing. While the “Big 5” publishing houses follow trends, play it safe, and put their authors and books in the backseat so they can drive, independent authors are behind the wheel with their foot on the gas. We are reshaping the industry. It’s a very exciting time!
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Writing novels, by its nature, is often a solitary pursuit. But there are people and organizations who want to support artists and creatives. I’m an active member of Horror Writer’s Association and the Lakes Area Writer’s Alliance. In addition, I’ve made a concerted effort to connect with other authors and creatives. My friends are fellow authors, visual artists, radio personalities, teachers, event organizers, and poets. All of these people are members of my team who help me create my books and get them into the world.
I live in Minnesota, and because of the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment, I’m eligible for a plethora of state and local grants. Before I started down this road, I knew very little about what grants were available, who was eligible, and how I could apply. It takes a little research, but there is money out there for creatives, and it would be foolish of me to pass it up. My recommendation to others is to see what grants are available in your state and region and support legislation and organizations that support creatives. Everyone benefits from more art!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Writing a novel feels like the most ridiculously long and elaborate Ocean’s 11-style plan ever conceived. I spend countless hours playing make-believe alone in my office. I invest my time, energy, emotion, and soul into characters and a story. I hammer out a first draft. I re-write it. I edit it. I send it out for feedback. I re-write it again. I polish it. I hire an editor. Polish it some more. Hire a cover artist. Send it to reviewers and critics. I build up a whole plan to launch this wad of lunatic ideas into the world. I buy hundreds of copies that I load into the trunk of my car and haul across multiple state lines to some convention or hotel or shopping mall or farmer’s market in a town I’ve never heard of before. I set up tables and banners and displays. Then I lure in unsuspecting strangers and prattle on about these fictional people and fictional situations I made up in my head and… they buy a copy. And then they read it. And then they leave a five-star review or come back and buy a second book or tell their friends about it. And it’s only then that I know my insanely complicated and ridiculously drawn-out scheme actually worked.
When a reader gets excited about their favorite character or a specific scene or a particular line… When we make that emotional connection… It feels like I’m walking out the front doors of Caesar’s Palace with duffel bags full of loot. But rather than stealing cold, hard, ill-gotten cash, I got a piece of your heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joeprosit.com
- Instagram: @joeprosit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007561638325
- Linkedin: joe-prosit-72221186
- Twitter: @joeprosit
- Other: TikTok: joe.prosit
Image Credits
Cadence Porisch