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

Simone, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

In my case, success hasn’t been fast, shiny or linear. It has taken persistence. It has been a series of failing forward, learning from mistakes and refusing to give up. I’ve also learned that it’s okay to rest in the fallow seasons and when to ask for help with the things that drain my creativity.

As I writer, I endured several rejections from literary agents over the years. There were times I wanted to quit, but I found loopholes so I could achieve what I wanted, which is publishing books and growing readership. I began self-publishing in 2009 just to test the waters. And I continued to educate myself on the publishing world and how to build my own publishing business. By 2013, I’d studied the industry enough to take it seriously, so I launched my first book series.

Over the years, I kept adjusting to the market and finding areas where I excelled. I also found areas where I did not. But I let go and moved on (after some serious struggling and tears). Any success I have is directly proportional to the time I spend educating myself about my industry and the market.

Today, I’m living my dream as a hybrid author (independent for my ebooks and agented for subsidiary rights). And it only took sixteen years (well, thirty-two if you count the first literary rejection I received just out of college).

I think the most important thing I’ve learned over the years is when I’m in the messy middle, don’t quit. Learn, adapt, rest and keep going. Because success often looks like failure … until it doesn’t.

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

I’m a cozy mystery author living in the charming state of North Carolina with my husband and our dog Cali—a chihuahua mix of mysterious origin and undeniable star power. She’s small, scrappy and adored by all who meet her.

I started indie publishing in 2009, and by 2013, I had studied the industry so thoroughly that I was ready to treat it like a full-fledged business. Since then, I’ve sold over 18,000 books under the pen name Simone Pond. These days, I write under my married name, Simone Stier, and partner with my husband on both the creative and business sides of our publishing journey. We launched our cozy mystery series in October 2024, and it’s held a steady spot on the Amazon cozy culinary mystery bestseller list ever since.

One of the best parts of this path? Connecting with readers. They’re more than fans—they’re part of the world we’ve built. I treat every reader like a valued customer, because they are.

With decades of experience in both indie and traditional publishing, I love sharing what I’ve learned. Whether it’s strategy, encouragement, or a behind-the-scenes peek at the author life, I’m always happy to help serious writers take the next step toward becoming published authors.

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

The most rewarding part of being a writer for me is the connection. I love crafting stories—getting lost in the characters and their world—but what truly fills my cup is hearing from readers who’ve connected with those stories. When someone takes the time to tell me they loved a book or that it made them smile, escape, or feel seen, it’s incredibly encouraging and inspiring. That kind of connection makes all the hard work worth it.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’ve built my social media presence completely organically. I’m very authentically myself, flaws and all. I don’t have a huge following, in fact, it’s very small, but it’s slowly growing. I think because I just keep showing up and posting content consistently. I tailor what I post based on the platform—Instagram is more about pretty photos and cozy aesthetic vibes. On TikTok, I’ve learned that less polished, more authentic videos actually perform better, and I use the creator content section to spot trending gaps and tailor content around what people are searching for.

Facebook feels more like a cozy community of readers, so I share behind-the-scenes content, reader appreciation posts, and fun engagement challenges like “this or that” to keep it interactive.

But honestly, the most important part of my platform is my newsletter. Those subscribers are the ones who truly want to hear from me, and I don’t have to worry about getting buried by an algorithm—they’ll get my emails directly. That’s where the strongest connection happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://simonestier.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simoneygram/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simonestierauthor
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/author/simonestier
  

  @authorsimonestier

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFXGW1J5