Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Susan Shepard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Susan , thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

The first time I self-published a book, it was a massive flop. I hired a professional editor, formatter, and cover designer and felt I had all the pieces needed to have a successful book launch. The day came! I released my book and plastered it all over my social media, only to walk away with 100 sales over the course of one year. All purchased by family and friends.

The problem was, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Though the manuscript was clean and my editors did a phenomenal job on it, my writing was still pretty amateur. The cover, though designed by a professional who was an expert with Photoshop, did not fit in with the genre I was advertising for. And I know I’m not the only self-published author who has experienced this kind of a flop. But it goes a little deeper.

One day, I attended my first writer’s conference. The conference had a store that allowed authors to sell their books to each other. Authors poured in to set up their corner of the store, their books in tow. But they also had custom bookmarks, themed shirts, character candles and other book related merch. Some of it free. Their covers were better. Their merch was better (I had nothing except my book). I stood in the corner and watched as these professionals who knew what they were doing took up all the table space. I hauled my meager box of twenty books back up the stairs to my hotel room and shut the door. The tears came. Hard.

I knew, without a doubt in that moment, that I was not cut out to be an author. My book was awful. My writing mediocre. Who was I to think I could measure up to these people who were selling hundreds and maybe thousands of copies a month? Who’s writing was far better than mine? A voice inside me to told me to take my books back downstairs and set up my corner of the store. I fought it for about forty-five minutes. Then I went back downstairs to check out the store again and all the table space had been taken. They would have made room for me, I knew this, but I was too embarrassed. Too self-conscious.

I never did the brave thing. My books stayed upstairs in the hotel room enclosed in the cardboard box the entire conference. That weekend, I was not true to myself. I was not brave. I had zero courage. I cried. A lot. I second guessed everything I was doing as a brand new author, and I regretted not being strong enough to just put my books out for others to see.

To make the sting of these thoughts burn just a little more, I decided to invest in writing classes and workshops. As I learned, as I grew in my writing skills and figured out a lot more about marketing and cover designs that attract readers, I looked back on my first book and saw how bad it was/is. It didn’t sell because it wasn’t the greatest story and I didn’t write it as well as I could have. Eventually, I got to a point where I wished I had never published it. It wasn’t ready. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. I thought long and hard about unpublishing it. Maybe starting completely over. Then I had one of the biggest realizations of my life. My first book, even with all of its flaws, was like a stepping stone.

Life stepping stones are kind of important. A life stepping stone is a moment, a choice, an event–anything that sets you on a certain path. Subsequent events or choices are, similarly, stepping stones. Every moment you move forward on your life course, you’re placing a stepping stone. One stepping stone leads to another, and another, until one day you have a path behind you that you yourself paved. You pioneered that trail. And the absolutely beautiful thing is you don’t know where it’s going. Not until you make that first stepping stone and the next, and the next.

I realized that if I had never jumped in and published the first book–if I had waited until it was “ready” or my skills were “up to standard”, I never would have published anything. I had to start somewhere. And I have every right to be proud of the things I create, even if others think poorly of them. Though my first book is still not selling well, I haven’t taken it down. In fact, I published book 2 a year later. Then I published a completely unrelated novel two years after that. Currently, I’m finishing the that series and am aiming to publish book three this fall. I also have two other manuscripts I’m working on.

My book one failure taught me to be a little more resilient. To be a little more brave. It taught me to be proud of my stepping stones, as I build and grow one after the other, even if they aren’t perfect according to other people’s standards.

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

I am a self-published fantasy author and wrote novels for years as a secret hobby. The first novel I ever wrote was called Trusted Enemy. I was in 9th grade and my mom printed out the manuscript for me so I could put it in a binder. I love true crime and my main character in that story is an FBI agent. It is so silly to go back and read it! But I still have the binder in all its glory.

One day, I decided to turn my hobby into a reality. In 2020, I decided to take the plunge and go for publication. I picked the self-publishing route pretty early on because I like the idea of having full creative control over my work. I like keeping all the royalties I earn, keeping the rights to my work, and really being hands-on throughout the whole process of publication.

I released my first book under Susan Shepard Books in 2021. Warriors of the Wood (book 1) is part of a new adult series called The Gardiens Series. Defenders of the Crown (book 2) was released in 2022. In this series readers follow Samara Wells, heir to the Gardien people, and Nickson Montcroix, heir to the Cascadian throne. The plot focuses a lot on war and how this fictional nation resolves their political conflicts with their toughest enemies. The characters are facing battles constantly, not only with domestic and international enemies, but with themselves. Book 3 is scheduled for release in November 2025. Though I’m branching out and exploring my genre preference, I have to finish this series. It is too close to my heart to leave it unfinished.

My third published book veers from that genre quite a bit. Curse of the Winter Lord was released in January of 2024. It is a standalone YA fantasy novel with Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast elements/vibes. We follow Athena Landley, a simple farm girl who had no idea a magic world existed, and Edur Northcote, a great and powerful lord of the Winter Realm. They have to unite to defeat the witch fighting against Edur, and soon they’re also battling feelings for each other.

I believe I shifted gears for book number three because I’m still exploring what genre I prefer to write in. I love fantasy worlds, which Curse of the Winter Lord reflects very well. But I love military tactics and strategy and my first two books reflect that preference.

True to form, I have two projects I’m currently working on. One is a new adult fantasy book that I’m really excited about. The other is a new adult political book following the battles of countries! So, I guess I am still figuring out which direction I want to go. The nice thing about being an indie author is I can decide to keep doing both. As long as I make it clear to my readers what they’re getting with each book.

Though I’m still figuring a lot of things out, I put a lot of effort and focus on good quality writing and storytelling. I want my readers to walk away feeling like they’ve just lived an adventure. Writing to me is the avenue by which I express my imagination. Without that part of myself, my life would be dull and empty.

Not only do I write, but for the last couple of years I’ve been developmentally editing manuscripts. I recently launched Prose Blossom Editorial and am having a lot of fun working on that side of my business. I love editing and helping writers shape their story in ways that will be meaningful to both them and their readers. Currently, Prose Blossom Editorial offers only developmental edits, character arc edits, and scene edits. Line editing and copy editing are forthcoming! One day I hope to offer a full package of editing options.

For me, it’s not just about the publication of books and the editing of manuscripts. The end goal is highly important to me. I have a big endgame, one that will probably take me years to build. But I am looking forward to the challenge of constructing it. While Susan Shepard Books is a single-person self-publishing entity, one day that will evolve. I feel it deeply in my bones and wish for it on every birthday candle I blow out–Susan Shepard Books is still growing. I can’t wait to see where it goes.

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

I do have a particular goal driving my creative journey. Right now I self publish books and edit manuscripts. Sometime in the near future, I hope to be able to create my own publishing business and help others achieve their goals of publishing books. I think there is a lot of room in the writing industry to build each other up and to help educate writers on how to write a compelling story and how to publish it successfully. I want to be that for other writers. To help me get there, I’m currently back in school and taking business classes. For a while I felt that going back to school equated to a slowing down of my goals, but it’s not. It’s just part of the stepping stones of my life–the path I am paving.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I self-published my first book, Warriors of the Wood, I had NO idea about the writing resources available to writers. Writers Conferences are a huge tool and benefit to budding authors. Conferences exist all over, you just have to find ones close to you or ones that have a good reputation. I wish I had known about them before I started publishing. I also am amazed at the number of writing classes available online for authors. I enrolled and completed three online writing class in a two year period to help me better hone my craft. These are amazing resources often given by successful authors of both the traditional and indie varieties. There are a number of books on writing that I have turned to, as well. Perhaps the number one resource I couldn’t live without is a trusted critique partner or partners. Having people in your corner who can read your work and offer constructive feedback is invaluable. If you are a secret writer like I was, branch out and find that trust writer friend that will reciprocate writing feedback with you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.susanshepardwrites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanshepardbooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanShepardAuthor
• Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21635085.Susan_Shepard

Image Credits

Ashlyn Sadler
Ally Mills