Birds of a Feather welcomes Shelley Seale to the nest
Shelley Seale’s mantra is “travel with a purpose” and she doesn’t just apply this philosophy to her travel adventures, she writes with a purpose too. Shelly has published a veritable library of books that span different writing styles, and I was intrigued to read how she injects her approach to life and travel into her writing.
Shelley blogs about her travels on her Trading Places Global website, and promotes her books and editorial services on her ShelleySeale.com website. She used her degree in Writing & Cultural Psychology to carve out an area of expertise in travel, green living, sustainability, and nonprofits (to name but a few). She’s tried different publishing paths, and I’m excited to welcome Shelley Seale as a guest on our Author Interview Series.
Guest Travel Writer: Shelley Seale
How would you describe the type of books/genre you write?
Nonfiction. For the most part, I have written creative nonfiction, but have also written straight service nonfiction, such as travel guide books. I have also written some fiction, but more as a personal creativity outlet.
What motivated you to start writing?
I can’t even remember a time I didn’t write, or didn’t want to. Some of my earliest memories are of reading books, and as soon as I could read and write I was creating my own stories – in fact before that, with oral stories and those in my head! I guess my motivation was my love of reading and my great curiosity and imagination about the world.
Tell us the journey you went on to get your books published (e.g. direct on your website, self-published, assisted-publishing, traditional publisher)
Well, it was different with different books. My first major book, The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India, was quite a journey. I began by reaching out to agents, and I did secure an agent. However, I ended up finding my publisher, Dogs Eye View Media, on my own.
With other books, such as the Insiders Guide to Seattle, I contacted the agent and she set up everything with the publisher and contract (the book deal was already in place).
Other books, such as my personal travel advice book How to Travel for Free and my fiction books, I went the self-publishing route and that has been very beneficial.
What publishing elements do you most enjoy and most like to avoid, and why? (e.g. design, marketing, formatting etc.)
What I like the most is the writing; although I’ll be honest and say that sometimes I do get writing or creativity blocks and it feels like a chore. But there is always a breakthrough, and that moment is such a shining moment of elation! The aspect I dislike the most is having to write a book proposal, particularly the market analysis part.
With the hindsight of being a published author, anything you would have done differently?
Hmmm, I’m not sure. That’s a tough one to answer. I’m not one given much to regrets, and I feel like the path I went on was ultimately the right one for me. I’m not sure of anything that sticks out that I would do differently.
What tips or advice would you give an aspiring indie author who is looking to self-publish?
I use CreateSpace, an affiliate of Amazon, and I find them quite easy to use. You really need to have a platform and market the heck out of your book. A blog that is updated frequently, reaching out to book reviewers, podcasts, radio shows and anywhere else you can get an interview or review.
For my book The Weight of Silence: Invisible Children of India, I created a website with a blog that included topical pieces about the subject, as well as progress and news of the book. It also, of course, was where people could buy the book. I created an online “virtual book tour” and every day, I was either featured on a blog, website, podcast, review, radio show, etc. A self-published author has to be their own marketing and PR voice.
What marketing or promotional tools or techniques do you use to reach your readers?
See above.
What impact do you want your books to have on your readers?
If one of my books, or an aspect of one, stays with my reader for a while after they’ve finished it, that is about the best feeling I can have. Just making a reader think, or enjoy your writing – especially enough that it sticks with them a while – is a great reward.
What is your latest book about?
Right now I am working on a book about families’ lives during World War II. My grandfather was an American soldier in the war who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
I have a box of letters between him and my grandmother during the war. I also have letters from a German soldier and his wife; and from a Jewish woman who was in a labor camp and her family. I am interspersing the letters between these 3 families to show the individual journeys and impact felt on different sides of the war, and how it affected them all on an individual basis.
What’s next on your writing journey?
The book above, as well as more travel and lifestyle writing, and just always looking to add clients and mastheads to my portfolio!
Travel with a purpose with @shelleyseale - #AuthorInterview. Click To TweetAuthor Bio
Shelley Seale is a freelance journalist and author in Austin who has written for National Geographic, USA Today, The Guardian and Texas Monthly, among others. She loves yoga, indie movies, wine, and books, though not necessarily in that order. Shelley has performed a catch on the flying trapeze, boarded down a live volcano and was once robbed by a monkey in Nepal. But, she doesn’t know how to whistle.
Follow on Twitter: @shelleyseale
Blog: http://tradingplacesglob
Facebook: www.facebook.com/she
Google+: plus.google.com/11771
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/shelle
Instagram: http://instagram.co
Tumblr: http://shelleyseale.tu
I must say I’m really impressed by the nice write-up you have here. You actually did a great job, unlike most bloggers I’ve seen on the internet talking about this same topic. Just reading the first few paragraphs, I was already locked in the content. Bravo and keep up the good work.