The Author Interviews: Ant Richards

About Ant:I was born at St. Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, London, however spent the formative part of my life in Caracas, Venezuela. For some reason unknown to the general public the hospital no longer exists. After finishing High School and clueless as to what I wished to become professionally, I eventually heard the calling and trained as a recording engineer, working in leading dubbing and voiceover studios in my adopted hometown. In the mid nineties, and looking to widen my horizons, I returned to my native London where I ended up working in the Travel Industry. Despite it no longer being the glamorous career it was portrayed to be, I was still able to indulge in my other passion, which is travelling. Unable yet to become a millionaire and live the debonair lifestyle I craved, the dormant writing talent in me began to flourish. Or so I believed. At first, I thought it could be a rash.​ For better or for worse, I began a new side career as an accomplished travel writer, reviewing destinations, accommodation, flights and other unrelated nonsense. ​It was only a matter of time before I seriously considered writing my first novel. After many failed attempts, years of solitary confinement (in pubs, cafes, airport lounges, hotel rooms... and more bars) IN YOUR DREAMS came to life, and terrorised the literary world, again with a with a varying degree of success - within my neighbourhood and local pub in Lee. ​I currently live in South East London with my family. I support Liverpool; therefore, I am definitely a hopeless dreamer.Ant writes short stories and fiction. His latest release is DAMNED IF I DON’T (Short thrills).Website: https://www.antrichards.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntRichardsAuthor/?ref=hlTwitter: antrichards2014What made you want to become a writer?I have always been drawn to all things creative, be it music, literature, design and I have a nomadic spirit so to say. I love travelling, discovering new places, meeting new people, talking, socialising. My love for music drew me to the technical side of it, hence my becoming a recording engineer. Unfortunately, I was never disciplined enough to follow the musical path, so I think writing was the natural progression for me.What are your thoughts on the indie vs traditional publishing argument?Indie publishing gives you more control of your work – not to mention the royalties – and you are basically, your own boss. That has its pros & cons, of course. You have to become pretty much a one-man-band. Traditional publishing, provided you are lucky enough to get the break and join a decent Publishing Company, obviously gives you the support, both financial and logistical, but only a few chosen, lucky ones get that break.Indie on the other hand has helped the likes of people like me for example to reach a wider audience. It is however, up to me, to make it work in my favour. That said, it’s also fertile ground for vanity writing and sometimes the content quality is not all that good.Tell us about your latest novel.DAMNED IF I DON’T. This is a collection of short stories, seven of them, which explore human’s fickle and sometimes indecisive nature. The ‘what ifs’, ‘should I’, ‘maybe if...’ that we fall into during the course of our lives. There are different genres in it – romance, humour (very dark, by the way), a bit of crime, and soul-searching. It’s the choice between opportunity and regret, playing it safe or going on a wing and a prayer.Please give us your top 3 marketing tips.I’m still learning the trade, but if I had to choose it would be:Engage with your readers.Write, write, and keep on writing.Talk about what you’re doing. Even if you have to throw in the odd bull*** occasionally, keep the engine running, so to say.Please give us your top 3 productivity tips.Be selfish – when you need to write, put yourself first, second and third.Set deadlines – make yourself panic if you don’t meet it.Stay clear of the internet.Tell us about your typical writing day.That’s a good one... I can’t say I have a typical writing day as they tend to be random for me. But if I had one it’d be usually, when I am away from family and friends – holidays, sneaking out to my local pub or café. No internet. Phone in my ruckie (only call me if you’re dying, or discover I am about to die).What is your definition of success? Would you say you are a successful author?Regardless of financial gains (which why not, we all want that in the end), it’s recognition for the right or wrong reasons through my craft. I’d rather a reader hate me for the way I ended a story or twisted a plot than a lukewarm ‘yeah, it’s ok...’Am I successful? I’m probably not the right person to judge that quite yet.Share some of your writing goals with us. Have you met any of them yet?I published my first book three years ago and am in the process of publishing my second on 28 November. I would eventually like to make a living out of my writing – not necessarily be a best seller, but be able to pay my bills and secure my future through my writing.How do you deal with negative reviews and criticism?Depends. If it’s negative for the sake of it, just ignore it. If it’s constructive, take a deep breath and if it is well based, take it as a learning step.Do you have a favourite author for fiction and non-fiction? Why are they your favourite and which of their books would you recommend? Why?Right now I am into Rock n roll autobiographies (you know, me & my music) but I am a huge fan of Peter Robinson, Karin Slaughter, Charles Bukowski, Iain Rankin and Jeffrey Archer. Recommendation? From Peter Robinson, all the Inspector Banks series, of the others... I just can’t think of a favourite right now. Just read ‘em all!Where do you get your ideas/ how do you find inspiration?Personal experience sometimes. Listening to people. Travelling. My first book however, came from a dream I had (and some personal experiences I added as a cathartic way of dealing with them).Can you share any free resources or tools you have found helpful?Go out. See the world. Talk. Listen.Please give us your top 3 world-building tips.Read as much as you can. Broaden your interests. Get a hobby.Do you outsource your work (editing and cover design specifically)?I did with this book (editing, proofreading and cover design). Sometimes, we need different eyes, fresh point of views to avoid setting in our own bad habits.Are you a plotter or a pantser? Please tell us why and what your pre-writing processes are.Probably a plotter. I love building up a story, making the reader comfortable, gaining their trust, then... exacting the coup de grace.Why do you write?Because through my written word, I can get away with things I couldn’t in real life.What is your mission statement?Do what makes you happy without damaging others. Chase your dreams. Don’t take life too seriously; you ain’t getting out of it alive.What do you love the most about writing and why?It’s liberating, cathartic, and well, I just love telling stories.What do you dislike about writing and why?It can be lonely sometimes and requires a lot of discipline.Do you ever visit other authors' websites and if so, what do you look for? Why?Oh yes, I definitely do. I look for ways to improve my writing, I just want to learn from the best.In order of importance (most important first) when shopping online, what do you look at first? Cover design, formatting, reviews, description, price, publisher, author name, page count, preview, formats available.Description 1Cover designs 3Reviews 2Author name 4Preview 5Formatting 10Price 8Formats available 6Page count 7Publisher 9I agree that indie publishing gives the author more control. YesI agree that indie books should be difficult to identify amongst traditionally published books. NoIn order of usefulness (most useful first) when marketing your book, which techniques do you recommend from these options? Social media. Media coverage (newspaper, TV, podcasts etc). Blog tours. Perma-free/ giveaways. Writing more books.1. Social media2. Writing more books3. Blog tours4. Media coverage5. Perma-fee giveawaysWriting is my dream. YesI agree the ideal price for an e-book on Amazon is 99c-$2.99. NoI have suffered writer's block in the past. YesCause of writer's block: Usually distractions around me. Anxiety.How you resolved it: Go to the gym, take a walk, listen to music (if at home), get away from people for a while so I can brainstorm with myself.I use: Microsoft Word.I tried and failed to get a publishing deal and/ or literary agent or had one in the past. NoI outsource my editing. YesI outsource my cover design. YesI outsource my formatting. NoI write to a specific word count every day. NoI set goals and frequently review them. YesI write across genres. YesDAMNED IF I DON’T (Short thrills)“DAMNED IF I DORecovering unexpectedly after a long illness can be hard to accept. A painful decision made over a decade ago eventually has its consequences. A life-changing opportunity missed can lead to bitter disappointment. Settling old scores can mean having to make brave choices. Love sometimes requires brutal compromises. You never appreciate what you have, until it gets you arrested. Memory loss and a missing mobile phone, what can possibly go wrong?DAMNED IF I DON’TThese seven tales will take you on a tour of the human psyche, showing you both sides of that old adage. Buckle up and prepare for a bumpy ride as life, friendship, love, loyalty, passion, revenge, and fear meet at every twist and turn resulting in the difference between opportunity and regret.Where would you turn at that fork in the road? Do you follow your heart and make a deal with the devil, or play it safe and just take the high road?But hurry, you won’t always get a second chance...”From the author: I would like to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of those who have supported my writing career, either by buying my first book, by helping crowdfund my second one, and basically those of you who have believed in me, encouraged me to challenge myself further and never give up.I hope you enjoy reading DAMNED IF I DON’T as much as I enjoyed writing it.I also hope to continue entertaining you for many more years (and books) to come.