#AuthorInterview Nicholas Sansbury Smith #PostApocalypse

Nicholas Sansbury Smith I first started reading books by Nicholas Sansbury Smith after Anthony J. Melchiorri and Steve Konkoly recommended his books. That was early 2018 and since then I have personally read his Orbs, Trackers, and Hell Divers series. At the moment, I have the Extinction Cycle series on my eReader ready to go. On the whole, as a reader, I was very impressed with his writing style. I am not alone. In the last few months, I have seen many people “sing his praises”. Perhaps that’s why he is among the top-selling authors in the Science Fiction/Post-Apocalyptic genre. Fellow authors, please join me as I ask some questions so we can learn a few things about how to be one of the leaders in the industry. Fellow readers, if the author information is not for you, feel free to skip to the end where you can find information on books and where to follow Nicholas Sansbury Smith.

LH: Thank you for visiting with me today. For those just meeting you, please explain what you did before you were an author?

NSS: I worked for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management in disaster management and recovery. This work has played a vital role in my stories. Before that, I worked in government, and that also helped me understand how our local, state, and federal government responds and operates during emergencies.
 
LH: I can certainly tell that your previous work has played well into your stories. I suspect that is what makes them spookily realistic and you such a great writer. What type of author do you consider yourself – Self-published/Indie author, Traditionally published or Hybrid - a mix of Indie and traditional?

NSS: I’m a hybrid, and always have been. Half of my stories are self-published and the other half are with Orbit/Hachette Publishing, as well as, Blackstone Publishing. I had a series with Simon and Schuster but got the rights back and have self-published those books. I’m also almost exclusively with Blackstone for my audio.
 
LH: You have a lot going on publishing-wise yet it seems to have paid off. I’ve seen your impressive author ranking on Amazon. Many authors would love to be able to obtain that. What do you think helped you attain that level of success?

NSS: Hard work and understanding how to market. For the past six years, I’ve worked pretty much seven days a week on writing and marketing my books. I always strive to release my best work and I think that has helped with the longevity of sales and high ranking. Quality is just as important in self-publishing as it is in traditional.
 
LH: Quality is important, from what I’ve read of your work, you set high standards. I'm sure that takes extra effort from the start. Would you be kind enough to walk us through your process from outlining to proofreading?

NSS: I always start with an in-depth outline that breaks the book out chapter by chapter, and who the POV (Point of View character) for each chapter is. Then I write the first draft. Go over it three times. Once I’m satisfied it goes to a content/line editor. Two passes are done until the book is in good enough shape to go to a copy editor. Once they finish the proofers and beta readers come in. Usually, my books have had at least 10 people read it before it sees print.
 
LH: When you finish this rigorous editing/proofreading process what happens next with the book?

NSS: It goes onto formatting and out to trade magazines and other reviewer type sites.
 
LH: Anthony J. Melchiorri was recently here visiting. I know he works hard on the next book while the previous ones are being edited and so forth. He was kind enough to give his take on working with you. What was that process like from your perspective?

NSS: It was great! He has much more knowledge about science and I have a bit more background in military writing so together I think we made a great team in those regards. We also had a blast outlining and writing and plan on another series together soon.

LH: I’ve enjoyed a few collaborative efforts but you guys make it seem so fun and easy. In my role as a self-published author, I have to wear many hats from marketer to being a financial manager. Do you do everything or do you have a personal assistant?

NSS: I do most everything but I have hired a few people to help me with things like FB ads and editing my newsletters.

LH: That would make life a little easier. Perhaps one day, I’ll get to that point. I’ve learned a lot from working with and reading fellow author’s books. Do you have anything that you would care to share with our fellow authors?

NSS: Never give up. Hard work does pay off. If you’re struggling with sales or marketing reach out to another author that is doing well in those regards and see if they will provide some feedback. Sometimes we can’t see our own flaws and need to count on others to point them out.

LH: Great points. I know that sometimes people make fun of human flaws. There are some movies that were strictly made to be funny. Would you ever consider making a funny Post-Apocalyptic movie? If so, what would the scenario be?

NSS: Probably not to be honest. I don’t think apocalyptic storylines should be funny. I remember getting comments about the second draft of an old novel from my agent and he said there was too much joking and too much smiling in the situation. I agree. It made it seem like it wasn’t very realistic. Now if you’re aim is to make it not realistic that’s another story... I just happen to enjoy writing serious post-apocalyptic stories, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t watch a funny one. : )

LH: I supposed that's why I have a hard time watching one of those "B" movies even if they have my favorite actor in them. Thank you for being here with us today, where can visitors go to learn more about you and your present as well as future books?

NSS: You’re welcome. Thanks for having me here. You can start with any of these links:

Amazon author page: 
https://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-Sansbury-Smith/e/B00BVNB3TC/

Facebook Fan Club:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NSSFanclub/

Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/nicholassansburysmith/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/greatwaveink

Website:
https://nicholassansburysmith.com/

Instagram: 
https://www.instagram.com/author_sansbury/
 
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Nicholas Sansbury Smith is a very busy person yet I know that he has been known to answer questions in his Facebook fan club. Sometimes his fans answer questions as well. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading his stories. I suggest visiting his website. Each book is different in what vendors are available to it. Check out the series, you’d like to know best and start with the first book in the series and go from there. Below is a slideshow of books, I believe I’ve captured the series in the order they came out. All the books link back to Nicholas’s website.
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Thanks for stopping by.
 
Happy Reading,
 
Lynn Hallbrooks
Author Reader Cheerleader
Author/founder of Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC