We recently connected with K.N. Lee and have shared our conversation below.
K.N., thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
As an author, business owner, and host, I’d say the best investment you can make is in yourself. In the beginning of my writing journey, I was quite different from the confident author I am today. I was plagued with anxiety about sharing my stories, and feared public opinion if I took the leap of faith towards publishing. So, I took a creative writing course at my local community college and decided to share some of the stories I’d written with my classmates. It was the best decision I could have made. Not only did I gain additional storytelling skills, but I received positive feedback from my peers. This gave me the confidence to pursue publication and I took that experience with me throughout my journey. I believe that investing in furthering your skills, courses that will refine your craft, marketing courses, and anything that can add to your ability to improve your work is totally worth it. Your knowledge is something that is invaluable and can not only give you more confidence in yourself and what you’re capable of, but it translates into the quality of your work.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling fantasy author who has been published since 2013 under the pen name K.N. Lee. After a car crash one New Year’s Eve, I had to spend months nursing a concussion. Once I healed from that experience, I decided I would take the leap and pursue publication. I wrote my first book when I was eleven-years-old and spent my childhood, teen years, and early twenties refining my debut novel. But because I felt that traditional publishing was the only option, I traveled all the way to England to meet my favorite author’s agent. I met him, and pitched, and ultimately got a no once I submitted. However, I was so energized by the experience of meeting him and having him like my pitch, that I decided to do something unconventional. I wrote an entirely new story and self-published it so that I could still shop my other novel to agents. Ultimately, I ended up selling well as an independent author and made several bestseller lists that agents began writing me and inviting me to sign with them. I’ve learned that there isn’t one road toward your goal. There are several, and sometimes you can pave a road of your own. I’ve since published over 45 novels with traditional publishers, through self-publishing, and through my own small press. I also mentor aspiring and experienced authors in writing, publishing, and marketing through my company The Book Nymph, and host a podcast called Needed on Set. I’ve gained valuable experience and knowledge on my publishing journey, that I feel a strong call to share it with anyone interested in taking this path.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
As I mentioned, I wrote my first book when I was eleven-years-old. I spent the following years adding to it, refining it, and polishing it for an editor. However, when I was in my early twenties, a young man I’d gone on a date with broke into my house while I was at work. He stole two things; my tv and my laptop. Unfortunately, my only draft of the story was on that laptop. To say that I was devastated is an understatement. I went into an almost year-long depression where I simply went to work and played video games to cope with that loss. Something sparked within me that urged me to start over. I’d had trouble even opening a Word file without grief. But, I knew I couldn’t give up on those characters and their story. We’d spent too much time together to give up. Besides, I knew the story in and out. I gathered notes from my notebooks, emails I’d sent to myself with scenes, and started from scratch. Ultimately, the story turned out way better than the lost version. And, I was able to add deeper layers to the story; layers on loss, guilt, and picking oneself back up after being beaten down. Now, I am grateful for the experience. I proved to myself how strong and resilient I am, and Rise of the Flame is one of my bestsellers to this day.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
My writing business became my full-time career back in 2015. Up until then, I’d been a nanny and freelance writer. Despite having a demanding day job, I spent every evening, weekend, and nap time writing and working on my books. My creative writing professor got me in contact with a famous writer who became my mentor, and we’d write together every Monday at Panera. Having her read my work and share her thoughts on its originality and how much she liked it helped me gain more confidence and drive to keep writing, as well as experiment with other forms of writing. I started seeking out more writers and found groups on Facebook where I was able to connect on a wider scale. I think that might have been the biggest turning point in taking my writing career to the next level. After publishing several books, I began to join other authors in anthologies, and box sets, and this helped me gain a wider reader base as well as opened the doors to more opportunities. I’d been making a decent royalty check at that time, one that could support me and my lifestyle. However, it was the winter of 2017 that took my business to a level I hadn’t anticipated, and I attribute this increase in readers and royalties to writing books that fit a craving in my genre. From there, I simply continued releasing books regularly, and watching those royalties grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.authorknlee.cm
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/officialknlee
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/officialknlee
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenyancooper
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/officialknlee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KNycoleLee
- Other: Tiktok @officialknlee
Image Credits
Yocla Amalia Chitulescu Moonchild Ljilja