We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lindsey Hobson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lindsey, thanks for joining 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?

Many hours spent reading! I know everyone hears that a lot, but when it comes to learning how to write, there’s really no substitute for reading books in the genre in which you want to write. There are also so many resources available online to learn the craft of writing. I remember telling my daughter when she was first learning to read, “Once you start reading, you can learn anything you want to know.” I don’t think there’s really a “fast-track” to becoming a writer–the important thing is just to begin. Make time to write every day, or every other day. It doesn’t have a to be a large amount of words, just stretching those writing muscles will help you become more productive over time. Submit to contests. Even if you don’t place, you will learn something about writing, and about yourself. Lastly, find a critique group. Writing is a lonely business, it’s so important to find people to share in your successes and also pick you up when you’re feeling down.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I self-published my first picture book in 2020 (a terrible year for a debut!). This story was one that I made up for my daughter, and I chose the self-publishing route because I knew I wanted full control over how it came out, from keeping the story intact to how the illustrations looked. I learned a lot about publishing in the process! I decided after that I wanted to pursue the traditional publishing route, and although the road has been bumpy at times (a small press published my second picture book, then went bankrupt, I signed with an agent that didn’t sell any manuscripts…) I feel thankful for what I have accomplished. I pursued opportunities that I discovered online and in April of 2024, my debut middle-grade novel, The Girl in the Window, came out which was followed by the sale of my third picture book, Dark Skies, that will be released in October of this year. My dream is to be able to support myself with my writing, and maybe one day I will get that Big 5 deal with a Netflix special, but in the meantime, writing brings me a lot of joy and I will continue to carve out time to write, read, and learn about my craft.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I think people who haven’t written or published a book don’t understand the process in general. People tend to think you put some words down on a page, and BAM!, you have a book. That viewpoint can be very disheartening to writers and puts doubts in our minds about why we have been writing but don’t have a book to show for it. Publishing is a dreadfully slow business. Whether you self-publish or traditionally publish, we writers know it’s a long road to those words becoming a book you can hold in your hands! There’s so much that goes into writing and publishing. There’s finishing the manuscript, which is a huge accomplishment, then there are endless rounds of editing, formatting, finding an agent/publisher, or deciding which platform on which to self-publish, just to name a few. For the writer, I would encourage you to find joy in the process. Try to remember why it is that you write. For the non-writer, instead of asking “When is your book coming out?” just ask “What are you working on?” or “What are you reading?” If there’s one thing we love to talk about, it’s books!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

For books, I think one of the best things you can do is just to talk about them. Something I struggle with a lot is self-promotion. I’ve never been comfortable talking about myself or my work. Even though I know what an accomplishment it is to have a published book, I’m often afraid I’m annoying people by posting too much about it (and I know I’m not alone in feeling this way). Reviews are a great way to support an author and help boost their visibility. I often use snippets of positive reviews in social media posts. Plus, it’s a great way to help drive additional sales. If someone I know likes a book, I’m more apt to buy it or borrow it from the library. Which brings up another idea: Request books at your local library! This is another great way for the author to get their name out there, increase their reviews… and it’s a really great feeling to see your book on the shelf!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lindseybhobson.wixsite.com/lindseyhobsonauthor
• Instagram: @lindseyhobson.author
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindseybhobson
• Other: https://linktr.ee/lindseyhobsonauthor

Image Credits

Headshot: Brook Morrow, New View Photography