Kelly Jensen

An Interview with author Kelly Jensen

If aliens ever do land on Earth, Kelly Jensen will not be prepared, despite having read over a hundred stories of the apocalypse. Still, she will pack her precious books into a box and carry them with her as she strives to survive. It’s what bibliophiles do.

Kelly is the author of twelve novels–including the Chaos Station series, co-written with Jenn Burke–and several novellas and short stories. Some of what she writes is speculative in nature, but mostly it’s just about a guy losing his socks and/or burning dinner. Because life isn’t all conquering aliens and mountain peaks. Sometimes finding a happy ever after is all the adventure we need.

Interview by BWG member Ralph Hieb

BETHLEHEM WRITERS GROUP: I understand that you write in the romance genre. Are there any other genres that you write in?

KELLY JENSEN: My current project is more science fiction, less romance. There might not be a happy ever after this time. Not right away, anyway. But generally, my books fall into romance subgenres such as contemporary romance, science fiction romance, and paranormal romance.

BWG: Why did you choose these as opposed to other genres?

KJ: I didn’t actually set out to be a romance writer. The first story I ever submitted to a publisher was a post-apocalyptic adventure with a geeky girl as the heroine. She had a love interest because I’ve always liked a little romance with my adventure. The publisher was romance-focused, however, and during the editing process, we refined the romantic arc of the story to better fit their audience.

I had mixed feelings about this, as I didn’t really want to write romance, I wanted to write science fiction. But I did enjoy giving my characters a win on two fronts – against the aliens and with each other. So it seemed only natural that my next project (co-written with my best friend) was a science fiction series featuring a couple that would, by the end of the fifth book, find a happy ever after.

BWG: What makes your stories unique as opposed to other genres?

KJ: I tend to combine tropes and settings that you wouldn’t normally find side by side. For instance, To See the Sun (Riptide Publishing, August 2018) is a space western male/male romance. I took the mail order bride trope and twisted it slightly. My story features two men who make a connection via a website offering intergalactic companion contracts: Gael, a failed assassin looking to escape a planet where the disadvantaged live in a vast undercity ruled by crime syndicates, and Bram, a lonely miner-turned-colonist from a pioneering planet, who is looking for someone to share his days, his home, and his heart. I loved researching the environments for these two planets and building a space-faring society, but outside airless plateaus, violent storms, and flesh-eating mists, To See the Sun is one of the most romantic stories I’ve ever written.

BWG: Do you find it difficult to put your ideas on paper the way you see them in your mind?

KJ: Not usually. My stories often unfold in my head like a movie and I just sit there and write them down. It’s not always that easy, though. I outline extensively before I begin writing, but my outlines aren’t chapter summaries – not after the first few. More, they consist of scene pointers – events I feel should happen in a particular chapter. When I sit down to write, it’s like joining the dots.

If the flow isn’t there, then the scene isn’t right, and I need to reexamine my character’s motivations and my overall plot to check my direction. When my mental movie reel starts spooling again, I’m set.

BWG: I know that you have an extensive in-home library. Is there any genre that you prefer to collect?

KJ: Science fiction and fantasy! I haven’t actually counted, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I own more fantasy titles than science fiction titles, simply because fantasy series (usually) tend to run longer. Science fiction is my first love, though, followed closely by epic fantasy. Of the two thousand books housed on my shelves, SF&F would easily account for three-quarters.

The rest would be mysteries, a little horror, the romance novels that broke my heart and put it back together again, some historical fiction, dog-eared classics from my school days and beyond, and a smattering of literary fiction.

BWG: Do you use this library for as a source of information or research for your books?

KJ: I do. I collect history and science books for research purposes and often read about things I’d like to write about one day. My latest acquisition is a pocket book on edible roots and flowers for this post-apocalyptic world I’ve been playing with for a while now.

I also consider all the fiction viable research. I’ll often pick out one element of a novel that I love and base a story idea around it: a character-type, a setting, a trope, or an impossible question.

BWG: What do you think of self-publishing verses traditional publishing?

KJ: Let me see if I can confine my answer to less than a page! When I started out (about six years ago), I wanted to be published traditionally because I wanted to see my books on bookstore shelves. What I didn’t know back then was that my first six books would be digital only and not available in brick and mortar stores. This was very frustrating as I had nothing to give away or sell at book fairs and conferences. I could tell people that I had six books out, five part of a series with Harlequin, but had nothing to show for it.

I submitted all subsequent novels to publishers who promised print, but have learned since then that smaller, independent publishers don’t have the same relationships with bookstores that the Big Five do. So while I now have a lot of gorgeous paperbacks to give away and sell at signings, my dream of seeing my name on a bookstore shelf has yet to be realized.

What this has taught me is that traditional publishing isn’t the clear path to seeing a book in print that a lot of people think it is. A part of it is approaching the right publisher, a larger part is securing the right contract, and the best instrument for both is having the right agent.

While the majority of my books are traditionally published, I have also tried self-publishing, and it was another journey of discovery. It’s not quick, it’s not easy, and it’s not cheap. Not if you want to do it properly. I’m glad I approached self-publishing after having been traditionally published a dozen times first, so that I knew what went into putting out a good book – as far as getting it edited properly, acquiring decent cover art, writing compelling cover copy, and hiring the right team to help me market it. All the things a publisher would do.

The reward for all that work is a bigger slice of the pie and retaining control of your work. I also like being able to track the results of my marketing efforts in real time.

To your question, I think both are valuable. Self-publishing is a fantastic proving ground for new and interesting ideas that traditional publishers might balk at, or not know how to market. Traditional publishing is the essential framework of the industry and has the money to launch careers for promising authors.

BWG: Is it hard to advertise your books and how do you go about it?

KJ: It really depends on who your publisher is, what your genre is, and how big of a deal your book is. If you have a great agent and your book/series bounced through a bidding war and came back to you with a contract and an advance big enough to buy you a new car, then your marketing is taken care of. Your publisher wants to make their money back, so they’ll send out enough review copies and marketing materials to make sure the book is a big hit on release day. As long as the book is good (and it probably is, bidding war, after all), you’re set. Book two might be another story, or your editor might leave, or sales might not quite be what everyone bargained for, and it all might end there, but generally, publishers are great at backing sure things.

For the smaller deal books, with big publishers and small, the bulk of the marketing and advertising will fall to the author and it’s a lot of hard work.

In my opinion, the best marketing tool is word of mouth – friends telling friends about your book. A great way to tap into this tool is to write a great book, one people can’t help but recommend. Good reviews don’t always sell books, though, so it’s a good idea to build a team of first readers who are active in your chosen genre(s). Reader groups, street teams, and dedicated mailing lists are all great ways to build a core readership of (hopefully) super fans that love your work and want to be the first to read and spread the word.

I’m also active in a lot of other author’s groups on Facebook – authors whose books I love. I’m a reader, too. Connecting with other readers is a good way to advertise your own books without even thinking about it – or spending money.

I maintain a blog that is focused on my brand – meaning readers can go there to read about what games I’m playing, what books I’m reading, what I’m thinking about, and what I’m working on. I also post about my new releases and significant discounts.

I have a newsletter with about 500 subscribers collected with giveaways and the promise of extra (free) series shorts. A lot of people sign up via a link on my website or at the back of one of my books. I trim this list regularly to keep only the readers who open the majority of my emails, so I don’t have a huge subscriber base, but it’s focused and loyal.

I’m relatively active on social media – sharing the same stuff I do on my blog, but also sharing the posts of my author friends and talking up their books.

When I have a new release, I organize a virtual book tour, which is something like a blog hop. I offer a prize (usually a gift card, sometimes some book-themed swag), and write a number of posts (10-15) about my new release.

It’s all a lot of work, but none of the above really costs much. It’s spare change.

Last year, I outsourced a lot of this to a PR firm and the results were mixed. For my science fiction romance title (the SF western romance), the gamble paid off. I got a lot more exposure than I would have on my own (including features at Tor.com and The Portalist) and recouped the extra expense with release day sales. My contemporary series didn’t do as well with the same approach – which probably had a lot to do with the time of year it released (fourth quarter) and the glut of holiday books being marketed around then. Looking back, I also think I failed to exploit the right hook in my ads – the parts of the books that most readers seemed to latch onto in the positive reviews.

A lot of marketing is about knowing your audience and finding just the right pitch for your book. There are a bunch of programs out there promising the magic marketing formula, but so often, it comes down to right time, right place, right book. Thankfully, there is a lot you can do to angle your book in that direction, it just takes a lot of hard work.

BWG: Do you have any suggestions for someone starting in the world of writing?

KJ:

1. Write the story that makes your heart sing. Writing to publish is a lot of hard work and it’s not worth it if you don’t love your book – if it’s not the book you always wanted to read.

2. Write fearlessly. Don’t stop to edit along the way, just get to the end of the story. Don’t worry about your word choices or where all the commas go. Just get it down.

3. All a first draft has to do is exist.

4. When you get to the end, let the story sit for a while. Take a break. Then either print it out or load it onto your e-reader and read it. Make some notes if you want, but don’t stop to edit. Consider the whole story, long or short. Does it work? Did it make you feel? When did you get bored? Where were you lost? These are your first round edit notes.

5. Implement these edit notes, then read it again. Make more notes. Edit and read again. Ask someone else to read it. Consider their notes. Edit and read again.

6. Research publishers and/or self-publishing to choose the right avenue for your book.

7. Don’t pay a publisher or agent one single cent. Money should always flow to you.

8. Don’t sign the first contract you’re offered. Read it beginning to end and make notes. Negotiate and don’t give away all your rights. For instance, if you’re signing with a digital first publisher, keep your print and audio rights.

9. Don’t let an editor bully you. Editors are necessary and they will make your book stronger than you can alone. But always remember it’s your book. Find an editor who will help you make the point you want.

10. Ask for help.

11. Take it one day at a time and don’t look too far ahead. Work the plot point you’re at right now, the draft you’re at right now, the book you love right now.

12. Write the story that makes your heart sing.

Thanks, Ralph! These were great questions. I hope your readers find something of value in my answers.