Taking control of every aspect of your writing career, from writing to marketing to standing proud behind the results of your efforts, is something that Jessica Aspen is passionate about. Jessica has a list of books, FB group, newsletter, mailing list and is currently in the running for a Kindle Scout publishing deal. We chat about the benefits of contests to build your email list and readership, the difference between warm and cold leads, and the benefits of belonging to a writing group. Oh, and pen names and winning awards, the importance of measuring your success and keeping up with trends in your genre. Jessica writes twisted fairytales in the paranormal genre and new adult novellas found their way into our conversation. As did Jessica starting her own Wiki. You can find out more about Jessica – and vote for her in Kindle Scout – here.
My sponsor for this episode is fitness coach, Jennifer Gale, at Fit ‘n Fifty Plus. You can visit Jennifer here.
Duration [00:41:31]
Melinda: Welcome to another episode of Writer on the Road. Today we're crossing to the other side of the world and I am really naughty, I forgot to ask where. So I have the beautiful Jessica Aspen with me this morning and she lives in a world of spicy, twisted fairy tale romances. Now what a great way, it's five am here in Australia, what a great way to start the day, spicy, twisted fairy tale romances. Good morning Jessica.
Jessica Aspen: Good morning.
Melinda: Good morning, where are you?
Jessica Aspen: I am at the foothills of the Colorado Rockies near Boulder, Colorado.
Melinda: Welcome to Australia, welcome to Writer on the Road. Tell us what you do, it sounds intriguing.
Jessica Aspen: Well I do exactly what you said, I write twisted fairy tales, I have two different series out currently, one is more of Tolkien, modern Tolkien twists on fairy tales set in a Faye world of Underhill that intersects with our and the other one are short, and a little bit spicier novellas set in the modern Colorado Rockies, so right in my backyard pretty much.
Melinda: The thing I want to unpack with Jessica today everybody is that short writing and I guess novella length leads to a lot of creativity, I'm pretty excited about this form of writing as everybody knows because I keep raving about it now. You said you have quite a few in your novella series?
Jessica Aspen: I have six, I have six in the novella series. One's a little long to be a novella, I struggled with that one but it's a little long. But the rest are all between about 32 and 36,000 words, they're long novellas, they're not the super short.
Melinda: They sell very well. I notice that there is some awards on your webpage here, you've won the OK RWA International Digital Award 2014 Finalist.
Jessica Aspen: Yeah I finaled a lot. So always a finalist never a bride.
Melinda: Hey I think being able to put those things on your website is pretty impressive and here in Australia there is a lot of women who or some of my writing friends they're always putting up these little red signs saying I'm a finalist in this and I'm a finalist in that, readers I think appreciate those kinds of things.
Jessica Aspen: I hope so, I enjoy entering them. I particularly enjoy entering contests that are judged by readers and librarians rather than authors, I think there's a different view on books that...
