We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Meagan Poetschlag. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Meagan below.

Hi Meagan, thanks for joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

Being an indie author has its many challenges. Starting out, I think the most challenging part is how to invest in your book to make it a success. Sure, you can get your ideas onto a page and even get the thing published, but then what?

Being a published independent author for more than ten years, I have definitely discovered some things that I feel were not a worthy money investment, and also some things that I highly recommend spending money on.

Money is precious to most starting out authors. Some things I have learned in my experience is that your book deserves to be the best it can be. This means you should invest in cover art and get your book edited by a professional editor. It can be expensive but is totally worth the money paid to make your story shine. I had made my own book covers before, and it is okay to do this, but it didn’t work well in my experience. A well-done book cover is what will grab your readers first impression. On the same note, if you read a book with several grammatical errors in the first few chapters, you are more likely to put it down and not finish it. get your book edited. It’s worth every penny. They will say they don’t judge a book by its cover, but everyone truly does.

Now some things to avoid are about getting reviews. Every author wants to see the reviews for their book skyrocket. However, paying for reviews, especially on social media is a scam. Sites that demand you pay for reviews are not authentic and should be avoided at all costs. You want genuine readers to love your story, not the fake paid reviews. This is one investment trick I have learned over the years of being an author.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Meagan. I grew up in California where my heart was always filled with love for creatures of all sizes. My deep love for dragons found me at a very young age. My mother thought I would grow out of it, but, as I aged, my desire to tell stories about dragons grew as well.

Eventually reading books was no longer enough and I began my journey of writing my own story. That story evolved a lot over time. It began a short story for a school project. I shared it with my closest friends but never dreamed of publishing. It probably took me 15 years to feel confident in what I had created.

After some friends told me that it was amazing, I decided to submit my manuscript to a vanity publisher. That was only the beginning of my author journey, but I knew that these fantasy characters and stories would live inside me forever unless I gave them a way out. It gave me the courage to let my words be seen by others. The first edition of Angoleth’s Heir was born in 2011. But an author’s learning never ends, and I soon realized the book could be so much better.

There is nothing super special about me, but that is the point. Every single person has a story to share. My heart just wouldn’t let me give up on the characters in my head, so in the end, I finished the book and became an author. Anyone can do it, even you, if you really want to.

I now label myself as a New Adult Fantasy Author, as my books are designed for adults that still love magic and dragons. Think Wings of Fire but for adults. I know I’m not the only grown dragon lover in the world. Let’s be friends!

My two current published novels Angoleth’s Heir and Wolf’s Blood can be found on Amazon or any of the big book retailers as paperback books or in e-book form. Angoleth’s Heir is the story of a young woman who needs to discover herself and doing that takes her through a portal to a world ruled by dragons. Wolf’s Blood is a story that centers on wildlife preservation, specifically wolves, but with a fun twist.

If you want to see what I am up to, or see what books I am working on, you can follow my posts on Instagram at angolethbooks or on X as dragonsluvbooks. I love to host follower giveaways every now and then to engage with my readers, friends, and fellow authors.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Use any social media that you personally enjoy using. Don’t force yourself to use an app you dislike. The tip I can give is just stick with it. Engage, comment, and reply to others just as much as you post yourself. Try to post at least a few times every week to stay relevant. Also, don’t exclusively post about your product that you sell. Of course you should advertise, but don’t ONLY do that or it will be hard for others to connect with you on a personal level. Be available in DMs. Share things about yourself so that your followers can relate to you and feel closer to you. AS an author, I enjoy posting book reviews of other indie author’s books in similar genre to mine. Not only does it show that you are active, but it makes you look like a real person instead of just an AI or company bot. If you are active and engage then your following will build organically. It took me two years to build up to 1k followers on Instagram, so don’t give up and keep at it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As an author I feel like my creative goal is pretty simple. My goal is to tell stories that I love and wish I had when I was younger. That’s it really. Being an author you have the freedom to write anything you desire. My desire just happened to be dragons and other animals that lead to me specializing in characters who shape-shift. I hope that someday others will be inspired by the characters in my stories.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.angoleth.wixsite.com/library
• Instagram: angolethbooks
• Facebook: Auhtor Meagan Poetschlag
• Twitter: dragonsluvbooks
• Youtube: Angoleth’s Library
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Meagan-Poetschlag/author/B0D3BBBC2P?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true