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I found author Syntell Smith on Youtube. I was interested in the premise of his book, Call Numbers, because it’s a drama about librarians. How dramatic could they be? As it turns out, very. Smith writes about Librarians in the 90s in New York City where returning a book is anything but boring.
Eliza: Syntell, thank you for joining me on my blog! I’m excited to chat with you about your books because I haven’t ever heard of a story like it. And I mean that in the best way. Your books are set in the 90s in New York City. What inspired you to choose the 90s for your time period?
Syntell: It’s a pleasure to be featured on your blog, thank you! This story is drawn from my personal work experiences at the time I worked for the New York Public Library back from 1994 – 1997. I went through a lot of drama at that workplace so I figured it would be a great book one day. It was originally written as a TV Show pitch and after awhile I decided to self publish.
Eliza: Your books are about librarians and I love that your descriptions are very on theme. Do you have personal experience working in a library or was that setting just something that sparked an idea?
Syntell: It was an idea I had never seen done before and I was inspired by Kevin Smith’s film Clerks and the TV Show The West Wing, so yes I drew in everything from when I worked there.
Eliza: I read that you’ve been writing since you were fresh out of high school. How long did it take you before you finished your book?
Syntell: I started in 2004 with blogs, I used to do reviews for movies, music and TV Shows, then I started blogging about my life and a following just came along, reading my entries. I taught myself by reading film screenplays and books. For 10 years I let the work sit, then in 2014 I came back to it and decided to turn it into a novella, but the story grew into 2 books back-to-back.
Eliza: What made self-publishing the best choice for you?
Syntell: I tried the traditional route, querying for an agent, but after so many rejections, I decided to just take matters in my own hands, I like being in charge of my work, going at my own place. I know it’s a lot more work, but I’m learning and getting the hang of it.
Eliza: Many authors struggle to cope with negative reviews. I think getting a review from someone that says, “I hated it!” is every authors worst nightmare. How do you cope when readers just don’t see the book the same way that you do?
Syntell: I keep an open mind and respect their opinion, I realize not everyone is going to like my book, it’s not targeted for everyone. As long as someone out there likes it, I’ll keep writing and believe the fanbase will follow.
Eliza: We can’t please every reader. But we do want readers to enjoy our books. How much do you tone down or take out, for fear of a reader’s reaction or do you just write and worry about their reaction later?
Syntell: I’m writing about a sensitive time period (the 90’s) where not everyone gets along (New York City), but I try not to push the envelope too much. I let Beta Readers or editors tell me if something is a bit over-the-top.
Eliza: What has been the biggest hurdle that you have had in self-publishing and have you found a solution for it?
Syntell: It’s definitely marketing, I really haven’t got the hang of that, most of the things I do haven’t given me that much results, yet. Book reviewers are hard to come by, I appreciate each and every one, regardless of rating I can get.
Eliza: Thank you so much for sharing about your book and your perspective. Please tell everyone what you’ve got going on this month!
Syntell: Thank you very much for this interview, this month I’ll be doing chapter-by-chapter commentary on my youtube channel, and my author website will be launching soon. Look for the audiobook of book 1: The Not So Quiet Life Of Librarians in March of 2021, Book 2: Book Endings: Loss, Pain, and Revelations is out now, Hold Circulation: Trial and Redemption will be out in 2022.
Follow Syntell Smith on Social Media:
https://twitter.com/SyntellSmith
https://neverfearsmithiswriting.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZwmp1erWfGrkb0COHjCfQA
https://www.facebook.com/syntell.smith
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