Self-Publisher Interview with Marisa Noelle
1. What can you tell me about your experience as a writer?
I have been writing for over 15 years and have now published 18 books with more on the way. I started with very little experience (my first book was an adult sci-fi at 45k words with no dialogue – OMG!!!!) and slowly built up my skills through courses and workshops books and anything I could get my hands on until I felt that I could write a book worthy of being published! I love to learn and still try to improve my craft by attending workshops whenever I can. I’ve had a couple of agents over the years, a few minor indie publishing deals, but now all of my books are self-published.
2. What made you decide to write a book?
I have always been a bookworm, but it didn’t occur to me to try writing until I started having problems with anxiety. I turned to poetry to help express what I was feeling and found the experience really cathartic. Bitten by the bug, I decided to play with a novel. It was the adult sci-fi that remains in a drawer. It was a concept that I’d discussed with my dad over the years and still fascinated me today (The idea that entire universes exist within people, and that our universe is like an atom in a giant). I may dig it out of that drawer if I can figure out the science behind it more effectively!
3. What circumstances brought you to the decision to self-publish your book?
After having my first two books published with small presses, and one going out of business and the other being not so honorable, I was devasted to lose my books after I had worked so hard on them. I decided to self-publish them. One was a standalone, and the other the first of a trilogy. I was desperate to see the remaining books of the trilogy out in the world, and so learned the ropes of self-publishing and put them out there!
4. What has your experience as a self-publisher been like?
All the things! All the emotions! It’s hard, it’s rewarding, it’s satisfying, it’s fun…so many different things. I love being in control of my own covers and timelines and edits and not having to give any royalties away! But it’s really hard to market the books and not have a support team (or the budget that comes with it) behind me to ensure my books get into the right hands. But I have found a joy in making social media posts and graphics on Canva – I just wish it wasn’t all so time consuming. Self-publishing is like being a jack of all trades!
5. How do you respond to the negative stigma attached to self-publishing and self-published books?
Ooff. That’s a tricky one. There are times when I myself feel that I’m not good enough b/c I never got that deal with an agent or big publisher. Part of me still wants that validation. And I think that is because of the stigma around it. I’ve read a lot of self-published books. Some are the best books I’ve ever read. Some are really not written well. Which is why the stigma exists and will continue to do so. But I have seen a slow growing respect for the self-published authors. When books do well, and they are doing this more often, it shows people that we are quality writers and often write the things more inline with what readers want to read. All the dark romance and romantasy came from self-published authors. So I love seeing how it’s affected the traditional publishing market. I love how more authors are choosing this path and taking back the control. And to be honest, I’m not sure the average reader even considers whether a book is self-published or who the publisher is! Onwards!
6. What is one very important lesson you have learned as a self-publisher so far?
It’s really important to have other writer friends. With self-publishing, writing is lonely. We don’t have a team of editors and marketers behind us, so it’s really important to build a support network to help us during the tough times. To support each other. And to celebrate the successes together.
7. What do you know now about self-publishing that you wish you knew at the beginning?
Ads! Marketing! I’ve spent so much money on ads courses thinking it was going to be a game changer. At the end of the day, ads are different for everyone. One person’s extremely successful method might not work for you. Algorithms change all the time. What worked last year or last month or even yesterday, changes constantly and ads need continual updating. I could have saved myself a lot of money if I had stuck to the free webinars to learn the ropes, and then tried things out on my own!
8. A lot of authors of self-published books have reservations about promoting and marketing their book. Some even feel that it is a form of vanity or self-importance. What is your opinion about this?
It’s tough. Most authors are introverts. We don’t want to shout about out books or shove them in people’s faces. But if we don’t, then how are people going to find them? Although I am on social media and do promote my books that way, most of my sales come from ads. These ads are aimed at the right readers. Which is much better and more palatable than shouting about my books on TikTok! I, too, struggle to blow my own trumpet, and I do try to put together engaging posts, but it is my hope that my posts will reach interested readers.
9. How do you promote your books and what form of book promotion has worked the best for you?
The spaghetti approach is valid! Ooof, promotion is hard. I am on ALL the socials but my favorite place is TikTok. I do move the occasional book but I don’t rely on it for sales. I have a newsletter, but it’s hard to get people to sign up and stay signed up! Amazon ads have never worked for me, but Facebook ads do. I advertise my mermaid fantasy series and that tends to bring readers through to my other books. I’ve also been running some BookBub ads for my dystopian trilogy, which helps a little. I struggle with staying profitable when scaling up – I’m still working on it! I also attend loads of events. Like I’ll be at the UK MCM ComicCon this year, UK Games Expo, And Authors at the Armories in October.
10. What are some other important things you have learned as a self-publisher?
I’ve learned so many new skills. From cover design, to internal formatting, to all the ads platforms… Self-publishing is so much more than “just writing” (Bummer), and you have to be a jack of all trades. You also have to be doggedly persistent!
11. Do you feel that self-publishing is a viable choice for other authors?
I LOVE this! I adore seeing new authors on TikTok deciding to self-publish and not go anywhere near the query trenches. It gives self-publishing a better reputation. And as more and more indie authors hit the bestseller lists, it shows self-publishing is a force to be reckoned with.
12. How do you feel that self-publishing their books has helped many unknown authors finally get the recognition their books deserve?
I love this too. I just wish there was a winning formula. Aside from the prerequisite of good writing, when an indie book goes big, it’s usually because of one of three reasons: 1: a large social following 2: luck and timing 3: ads. No one method can be copied to launch every indie author, so it’s really important to celebrate the ones who do make it. And it helps build hope that others can too.
ABOUT MARISA:
Marisa Noelle is the author behind a treasure trove of young adult and adult novels across multiple genres, but they all have running themes of mental health or the ocean. She tends to gravitate toward the speculative arena and loves to write science-fiction, fantasy, horror, dystopian, romance, romantasy, or a combination of them all.
Marisa's books include:
The Shadow Keepers—a spine-tingling tale to keep you up all night and semi-finalist of the BBNYA book awards.
The Unraveling of Luna Forester—a novel impossible to talk about because of its huge twist, but it snagged several awards, including: First Place Incipere Award, WriteBlend Finalist, BBYNA Semi-Finalist, Bookshelf Finalist shelf.
Plastic— a powerful eco-thriller exploring grief, corporate corruption, and the fight to save our oceans. This contemporary YA novel blends activism with heartbreak as Sara Monroe battles her brother’s death, a plastic-choked ocean, and the secrets of a billion-dollar beverage empire.
The Unadjusteds Trilogy delves into one of her favourite genres—dystopian. The Unadjusteds, the Rise of the Altereds, and The Reckoning make up the trilogy, but there are eleven further companion novellas that follow the secondary characters. The Unadjusteds also placed as a semi-finalist in the BBNYA awards. There are also eleven origin story novellas set in The Unadjusteds universe that are completely FREE when you subscribe to my website.
The Mermaid Chronicles is a seven book romantasy series that includes: Secrets of the Deep, Quest for Atlantis, Fight for Freedom, Ghost Pirates, Vendetta, Denizens of Darkness, Vorago Returns, as well as its own companion guide. The entire series is coming to audio with Tantor Media soon!
Marisa also writes steamy romance under the pen name Savannah Wilde.
When Marisa's not weaving literary spells, she's helping mold the future of MG and YA authors as a mentor for the Write Mentor program.
When not writing, Marisa likes to imagine herself as a mermaid, and can often be found in the local pool … or lake … or ocean. Despite her undeniable bookworm credentials since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, the author gig took Marisa by surprise. You see, she had a secret past as a bit of a science geek during her school days. But hey, science and storytelling make a surprisingly magical concoction! Currently, Marisa calls Woking, UK, her home sweet home, where she resides with her trusty squad, including her husband, three amazing kids, and a furry four-legged friend named Copper.
Marisa loves to hear from her readers. You can find and connect with her at the links below.
Twitter & Instagram: @MarisaNoelle77
TikTok: @MarisaNoelle12