Author Interview with Kristen Brand

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Back in October, I reached out to author Kristen Brand. She’s a prolific writer of 7 novels and many short stories (some are even available for free on her website!) She is a writer of superhero fiction, which is super fun. Check out her website for tips on how to write your own superhero fiction or to read some of her work!

Eliza: Kristen, thanks so much for joining me on my blog. I know everyone loves a great superhero story. But not everyone is brave enough to try and write one. What inspired you to tackle this genre?

Kristen: I’m not sure “brave” is the right word. “Obsessed,” maybe? 😀 I’ve loved superheroes ever since I was a kid thanks to cartoons like Batman: The Animated Series, and I started writing books in high school, so it was inevitable that I’d write a superhero novel at some point.

I started one for NaNoWriMo a long time ago but never finished it. Years later, I took another look at that story to see if I could make it work. Most of it wasn’t great, but there were two supporting characters—a retired superhero and ex-supervillain who were happily married—that kept calling me. They became the main characters of The White Knight and Black Valentine Series.

Eliza: Lots of writers have reservations about putting stories up on their websites for free. Has this helped you grow your fanbase?

Kristen: Not significantly, but I think it’s a good way to engage with people who already read my books. A lot of the stories on my website are prequels or extras designed to be read after finishing a series or while waiting for the next installment.

Although some are random stories that I just put up for fun. 😉

Eliza: Do you think social media still works for marketing books?

Kristen: I’m sure there are authors out there nailing it on social media and selling tons of books. I’m just not one of them, lol. I have had instances in which wonderful people I’ve met on Twitter told me they bought my book, but it doesn’t happen often.

I mostly use social media to chat about books and comics—which is something I’d be doing anyway, so it’s not a huge effort to mention my own books every now and then. I also think social media is a great way to connect with other authors.

Eliza: When did you first publish a novel and what route did you go? Self-publish, traditional, or hybrid?

Kristen: I just checked the publication date on Hero Status, and it’s 2014, which blows my mind. I self-published it, and back then the market was pretty different, so it managed to find its audience and do well without me having to pay for ads or run a lot of promotions. I enjoy the control over my work that I have with self-publishing, and superhero fiction is such a niche genre that it seemed like a good fit for that series.

Eliza: Do you feel like a rise in popularity of shows like The Boys and The Tick and other atypical superhero stories has affected your sales?

Kristen: Surprisingly no! I’ve seen other superhero fiction authors talk about the same thing on social media. While superheroes are big in movies, TV, and comics, for whatever reason that popularity doesn’t seem to have spread to prose fiction—which is a shame, because the indie superhero fiction community has put out a ton of excellent novels. I recommend visiting Superhero-Fiction.com to anyone who’s curious about what’s out there.

Eliza: There are a lot of writers, new and experienced, working on NaNoWriMo right now. Do you have any tips for helping a first-time writer finish their book?

Kristen: The internet is full of NaNoWriMo tips. I would say that if you read advice and it resonates with you, give it a try. But if it doesn’t, don’t force yourself to do something that’s not a good fit for you. Every writer is different.

For me personally, it helps to have a detailed outline before I start writing. I also give myself permission to write placeholder names in the first draft like “John Smith” or “X City” so I don’t stop writing to spend twenty minutes researching a name that I’m probably going to change five times before the final draft anyway.

Eliza: Thank you so much for joining me today! Please tell us about any upcoming projects or events you might have.

Kristen: I’m currently writing an urban fantasy series with a grumpy, knife-wielding heroine and a villainous fae prince. The final book in the trilogy comes out this month, so now’s a good time to get the first book, Poison and Honey.

And if anybody’s interested in the superhero fiction we discussed, a free prequel to The White Knight and Black Valentine Series is available on my website here.

You can find out more about Kristen by following the links below:

Website

Twitter

Goodreads