Sherry Allred
asked
Martha Hall Kelly:
Hi Martha! I had a few questions about being an author. How do you decide on a price for your novels? How do you find readers that are interested in your stories? What has been some keys to your success? What are the biggest problems you have faced? And finally, what do readers like the most about your writings? Thank you! -Sherry
Martha Hall Kelly
Hi Sherry,
Some interesting questions here...
-My publisher and others price my novel. Glad I don't have to worry about that one!
-I'm lucky that my publisher Ballantine Books has a great marketing team that works hard to get the book to people who would like it. I try and reach out a lot on social media myself and that is something any author can do to find interested readers. Goodreads has been amazing for that.
-Keys to my success? Wow, that's a good one. I guess being consumed with a love for the true story behind Lilac Girls? Everything I do is focused on getting that story out to readers so those women are not forgotten. Also caffeine.
-Biggest problems? Hmmmm. Waiting. I'm terrible at being patient. Publishing a novel with a traditional publisher can take a long time and it was hard to wait. Also, learning to write a novel took some work.
-What do readers like most about Lilac Girls? (the only thing I've written so far.) They seem to like the way it takes them places-- they feel like they are really there at Ravensbruck and in NYC during WWII. They like the relationships between the women at the camp and between the sisters and the mother. They also like seeing the story from the POV of a Nazi doctor.
Some interesting questions here...
-My publisher and others price my novel. Glad I don't have to worry about that one!
-I'm lucky that my publisher Ballantine Books has a great marketing team that works hard to get the book to people who would like it. I try and reach out a lot on social media myself and that is something any author can do to find interested readers. Goodreads has been amazing for that.
-Keys to my success? Wow, that's a good one. I guess being consumed with a love for the true story behind Lilac Girls? Everything I do is focused on getting that story out to readers so those women are not forgotten. Also caffeine.
-Biggest problems? Hmmmm. Waiting. I'm terrible at being patient. Publishing a novel with a traditional publisher can take a long time and it was hard to wait. Also, learning to write a novel took some work.
-What do readers like most about Lilac Girls? (the only thing I've written so far.) They seem to like the way it takes them places-- they feel like they are really there at Ravensbruck and in NYC during WWII. They like the relationships between the women at the camp and between the sisters and the mother. They also like seeing the story from the POV of a Nazi doctor.
More Answered Questions
Nancy
asked
Martha Hall Kelly:
Just finished listening to Lilac Girls and was blown away. I have listened to audio books now since they came out on cassette tapes and the narrators used for Lilac Girls were tremendous!! I also very much appreciated the end of the book where you go into explaining all of the research, travel, and hard work that went into writing it. You could tell!! I loved it!! MORE???
A Goodreads user
asked
Martha Hall Kelly:
Did you read Ravensbruck by Sarah Helm? I did and in your book Im flawed by its veracity (page 106) when the doctor arrives Herta.. Thank you! Judy
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