We were lucky to catch up with Jonas Saul recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jonas, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

It was a long road paved with perseverance, determination, and a lack of doubt. The first big step was removing that traitor self-doubt. It makes you stand in your own way, slows your progress as you wonder if your actions are worth it, and makes you lose what you might have won. You have to be your biggest supporter, the one who believes in you the most. Otherwise, how can anyone else believe in you?

Once I removed doubt, I was on a mission. I believed my books were good and commercial; people would enjoy them. So, I wrote a lot of words each day and kept doing it until I was making enough money to live off the income from my novels.

Then things took off! Now, I’ve sold millions of novels and my Sarah Roberts Series has been optioned in Hollywood.

Jonas, 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?

As an author, I originally wanted to get into the industry via the traditional route, so I spent years querying literary agents to secure one who would represent me. I began that process in 2000, and after ten years without success, I decided to self-publish in early 2011.

By 2016, I had sold several million books as a self-published author and was pitching studios in Los Angeles. By the time I secured my first Hollywood deal, I had finally signed with an agent (I’m still with the same agent today).

I’ve written over fifty novels, I’m a freelance editor, and a retreat coordinator for Imagine Greece Retreats, which hosts writing and reading retreats annually.

This all happened because I never gave up.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn is that this is a subjective business. For example, I’d get responses from agents I’d queried saying that I should quit writing and that I’m not good enough. One agent told me that no one wants to read about a psychic vigilante like Sarah Roberts.

Well, the Sarah Roberts Series is thirty-seven books long now, and it was optioned by MadRiver Pictures in Hollywood.

So, I learned that the people professing to “know it all” in this business don’t know what they’re talking about. No one person knows or doesn’t know what will work and what won’t.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being an author is seeing and hearing readers comment on my novels in public or private emails. I’ve received hundreds, if not thousands, of letters from readers telling me how this novel or that novel moved them, changed their lives, or brought them to tears.

Several comment, “What would Sarah do?”

I’m moved by these letters and overwhelmed by the fact that I’ve touched so many people.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jonassaul.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonassaul/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonassaul/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-saul-652059159/
• Twitter: https://x.com/jonassaul
• Other: https://imaginegreeceretreats.wetravel.com/trips/writing-retreat-featuring-c-c-humphreys-imagine-greece-retreats-87330234