Amanda Ramirez asked Isaac Marion:

I know you self-published three other novels before Atria Books picked up Warm Bodies, and I was wondering if it was ever discouraging or if there was ever a point where you wondered if you would ever get a novel published "mainstream," so to speak. And, maybe, if you had any advice for how to work through that? I try to remember that I write for me, but some days it's harder to remember than others.

Isaac Marion If I never "wondered if" I'd get published, I would have been delusional. Even as a teenager, I had a healthy understanding of how hard it is to break into this industry. One of my classmates was writing a book and without a hint of irony he would say stuff like "I just need to hurry and finish this book so I can quit my stupid job." In his mind it was that simple. It was so hard not to laugh at him.

Every book I wrote, I desperately hoped it was the one, but I didn't "expect" it to be. I was fully prepared to keep at this until deep into middle age, which is how old the majority of writers are when they step onto the scene. Twenty-something authors are kind of an anomaly.

My self-publishing efforts were basically just a way of giving myself an outlet while I waited for my break. I wanted to have something to show for my efforts when I finished something. I wanted people to read it and respond to it so I could feel like I was making something real and not just daydreaming. I think it's crucial to have this. I would have given up on writing a long time ago if I never got to taste the satisfaction of sharing it.

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