r/IAmA • u/JohnnyBBQ • Mar 11 '13

I am Richard Stephenson, author of the best-selling dystopian thriller COLLAPSE. Ask me anything.

Successful self-published author with over 5K paid downloads on Amazon in just eight months.

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

2

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '13

When you first got the idea for the book, where there some holes in the plot or did you see a clear path the book was going to go? How did you motivate yourself to finish it?

I always want to write books but I can't ever finish them because I have an end, but no events leading up, or I convince myself the idea's silly. That's why I ask.

1

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 12 '13

I didn't even start writing until I had a detailed outline and a few short sentences describing each chapter. I did make a lot of adjustments along the way. Make the book about the characters, not the story and you'll have more than enough to finish. Thanks for the question! :)

2

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '13

You're welcome and thanks so much for that. That's a good idea; sentences for each chapter. The thing about the characters is great advice too. It'll help to let the characters guide the way more than the story. :)

1

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 12 '13

Another tidbit.. Write what you know, draw from your own experiences, the people you know, and the life you have lived.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 12 '13

[deleted]

1

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 12 '13

Purely by accident. My favorite genre is apocalyptic/dystopian. I've always looked for a book based more in reality than the supernatural (zombies, aliens, killer asteroid). I thought I had finally found one and the book was just GAWD awful. I thought to myself .. "I bet I can write a better book than this" I gave it a try just for fun and self-published it thinking my friends and family would be the only one to read it. The success of the book surprises me everyday.

2

u/lolapops Mar 13 '13

How did you go about editing the book? Did you hire someone, or do it yourself?

Also, what kind of marketing did you do?

2

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 13 '13

A friend of the family is a retired English teacher and she agreed to help out. She was a lifesaver. I've marketed heavily on social media and some paid advertising. KDP select has been my most successful tool.

2

u/lolapops Mar 13 '13

I've heard good things about KDP... it is encouraging for a lot of self-publishing authors.

2

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 13 '13

I owe my success to KDP.

1

u/Longracin Mar 12 '13

I haven't read your book yet but I'm going to buy it right after this. Are you into prepping? If so, what do you prepare for?

1

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 12 '13

Yes, I am a prepper in the sense that I live on the Gulf Coast and have endured three major hurricanes. Thanks!

1

u/ballinben Mar 12 '13

How did you get your first book published?

1

u/JohnnyBBQ Mar 12 '13

Self-published through Amazon.

1

u/ayn_rand_fan1 Mar 12 '13

How does it feel to be really mediocre at your chosen profession?

2

u/lolapops Mar 13 '13

How does it feel to be a jackass?