Post date: Jan 16, 2016 4:13:05 PM
Author-Singer-Songwriter Korby Lenker interview by David Alan Binder
Korby is my first ever phone interview and he made it easy which I appreciate. Korby has many talents and has opened for Willie Nelson and Keith Urban, a couple out the many, but ones that I know well.
Korby was a supreme pleasure to talk with and made the interview effortless on my part. I could just listen and tape him and he just kept giving me all the information I needed and was very interesting.
The answer to question 8 is very interesting for us writers, but the whole interview is fascinating for looking into the life of a creative person.
His website: www.korbylenker.com
His Twitter: https://twitter.com/korbykorby
His Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KorbyLenker
Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Korby-Lenker/e/B001LHS3Z0
One of his You Tube videos is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JE5BNx9MVw
1. How do you pronounce your name?
It is pretty straight forward, Kor-by Len-ker
2. Where are you currently living?
Nashville, TN
3. When did you first realize you wanted to be a singer?
He started playing when he was 8 and his first record was at age 23 which was 16 years ago.
4. How did you get your connections?
Basically Korby did this the hard way from open mike in college to just making music and being in many bands and playing rock, pop, and bluegrass with a band named the Barb Wire Cutters.
5. What type of music would you say you play?
Folk / Pop like Jackson Browne and others, he does not play country western at all.
6. So you play any other musical instruments other than guitar?
Ukulele, mandolin, piano and dabbles in others, his music albums include King of Hearts, Ghost of Whiteboy, First Takes
He plays up to 150 shows a year as well.
7. You are on tour currently (see his website for dates and cities); exactly what are you performing?
He plays a song or two then performs some readings from his book then continues with some more songs. He just left Philadephia.
8. Did you self-publish or have a publisher?
He self-published his book of short stories Medium Hero and had hard copies at his concerts for sale alongside his CD’s
9. How did you get into writing?
Korby was a fan of literature and found time to read a lot growing up, literature and the classics. He read throughout grade school and high school. He called himself a book nerd. He used reading to get through depression as well. Eight or so years ago he tried to get into it in earnest writing stories.
10. Do you have any tips for writers on getting a book published?
Korby’s story is unique. He wrote stories and included them as a by the way in his music newsletters that he would send to fans as well as posting them on Facebook.
Finally he decided to put some of those 60 plus stories together and found the top 25 and put them into a book of the most interesting and compelling.
Also in getting his book noticed by a publisher is very interesting. He self-published his book and had hard copies at his concerts for sale alongside his CD’s at his concerts. After a show in Nashville he was approached by a woman asked where she could get a copy and he pointed at the sales table. She went over and bought one. Later she told him she was the acquisitions manager for a publishing company and he thought nothing of it. Later she contacted him. She had passed it around at her office and several liked it. She met with him and they talked. Then he got an advance and added some stories to it and it is now published by Turner Publishing. The book just came out formally in hard copy and eBook now as well, in December 2015. See site: http://www.turnerpublishing.com/books/detail/medium-hero/
11. What is your most interesting writing quirk?
Korby says he was drawn to it (writing) and was a great fan of writing. He also recognized a good story when he read one.
12. What are some of your interesting day jobs that you have held?
He stated that he had been fired from a lot of his jobs (which he is not proud of) except one and that was floor sweeper in a cabinet making shop. He liked that job since it gave him time to think.
He has parked cars and met interesting people. He was an AM radio DJ at night on weekends and was fired for playing Pearl Jam. It turns out that was not their music genre and the station manager who was listening late at night called up and said stop playing that S***. He did and the next day he was handed his check and told to leave.
13. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Korby is now working on a novel. He said his own creative process is unpredictable. He comes at it every day like it is brand new. That may not be unusual, just because you have a good day one day does not make it. You have to make sure you show up. Some days you have 4000 words and somedays none. Doing the work is the work. [This may not sound profound but it is. Think about it if you don’t show up then you may not have what you were supposed to get out of that day-writing wise.]
He was drawn to writing being a fan of great writing. He knows some writers that do not read but his route was different. He acknowledges that everyone’s path is probably different. (That, Dear Writers and Dear Readers is what we have to figure out and how to go about it.) He did not set out to write a book, it just came out organically from his writing stories and posting them on Facebook. He did not charge money at that time either.
14. What are your stories like in Medium Hero?
They are a work of fiction but it reads like a memoir. Some are based in truth and some are complete fabrications and hopefully you cannot tell the difference.
END OF INTERVIEW
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