We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Willow Winters a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Willow, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I could talk for days about this. Imposter syndrome is prevalent in the arts but especially so for indie authors. There was a stigma – and still is in some circles – about being indie rather than with a traditional publisher.
I remember how I used to think, back in my first year when I first became successful hitting the top 100 of all Amazon, that Amazon was going to find out I wasn’t a “real” author. I thought one day I was just going to try to login and I wouldn’t be able to and instead there would be an apology email stating they weren’t aware I had no background in writing and that I was just a stay at home mom and I shouldn’t have been allowed to ever make a KDP account. That was just after Shawn (my husband) was able to quit his job to help me with the admin aspect of self publishing and I was absolutely terrified that the rug would be pulled out from under us.
My entire family, a newborn little girl and a toddler, all depended on this working out and my books being successful and there I was, thinking I wasn’t a real author. That somehow I had been able to slip in and write these little love stories that made me happy at my low point but that they would find out I never should have been allowed to write because I had no training whatsoever. I was just a woman who loved to read and thought I could write and make Dunkin Donuts money because we were broke. I had no idea it would ever become this. I could never have imagined that within the first year I would be in the top 100 of Amazon multiple times with multiple books month after month.
With all of the conversations back in 2018/2019 about traditonal v indie, there was an author who I’d read before even thinking I could write my own. I loved her stories. So when I saw a video of her discussing wide v KU I watched it. Now back then, being in KU had a stigma that was akin to being an indie author. And this person I’d put on a pedestal because of how much I loved her book TRASHED Kindle Unlimited authors. I was floored. The hypocrisy, given she had been a KU author, but also the sheer audacity as she was an indie author so she should know that the same arguments could be twisted and regurgitated to insult her. In that moment, as I defended (in my head) the relevancy and positives of KU authors, I found myself feeling “real” and also being needed in the industry. Like this was my place and I belonged here.
I overcame imposter syndrome by sheer persistence and the need to defend the industry. It was my refusal to not be minimized that made me feel like a real author for the first time. Which was roughly two years into writing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I pride myself on removing blocks that keep the romance genre from being read.
The most important thing is getting books into the hands of readers. Obviously there are hurdles to overcome. There’s a stigma about traditional romance covers. Some simply don’t enjoy the aesthetic. More severely, for some having a traditional cover could be a concern for the reader due to religious or cultural reasons and potential backlash. So in the last few years I’ve made a deliberate effort to push both traditional covers and discreet covers that appear to be classic books. It’s a more simple design and allows readers – for whatever their reason may be – to pick up a romance book when they otherwise would not. This endeavor has proven to be very successful and it allows readers to be consumed by the romance genre, when they may have never even read a single one.
More recently, I have also ventured into my “Black Mask” editions which have a more masculine aesthetic because I would love to remove another block that prevents a great portion of people from reading: men and those who prefer masculine aesthetics.
I want everyone to read romance, so if I can create a groove that allows more and more readers to come into the genre, I am more than happy to put every book I’ve ever written into whatever cover will get them to pick up the book so that reader can enjoy it and fall in love with romance books.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
That’s a great question. The three qualities that helped me get to where I am are:
- a stubbornness for this passion
- a desire to learn about the business sides of self publishing
- and comfortability to delegate
Writing love stories for me is easy. I can do it in my sleep (I literally do dream of them and then write them). But self publishing is more than just writing.
The industry changes so dramatically and so frequently that growth and flexibility are required to have stability. Many indie authors are like star athletes. They an amazing season or a few years of success and then they’re gone. Burn out is prevalent. Early on I knew I would need help to create multiple revenue streams and ease the burdens of the high highs and low lows of self publishing so my artist side could continue to write. Because we need money to continue. It’s a simple truth that has to be addressed. So that’s exactly what I did. I studied the industry and I always keep my eyes open for opportunity and then, when I find untapped potential, I hire someone who would love to fill in that position.
For instance, the black mask editions I discussed earlier. There is absolutely a push for men reading romance but the covers we have aren’t necessarily an aesthetic that market would gravitate to naturally. I had the idea for an alternative edition, and then I told my VPO who worked with a team to create the all black with white text interior and the new all black covers, listed them on retailers and in my direct sales shop and then got the Black Mask editions into my hands to post on social media. If I didn’t love social media the way that I do, I would have hired that out too.
The most important thing that I do isn’t continue to write, as much as I wish it was. The most important thing is that I make sure my business has stability so writing can be profitable and sustainable in this ever changing industry. With that security, I’m able to write as many books as my heart desires and keep that passion. Thankfully I have a partner who has helped with creating stability and now we have teams of people who aid us in that endeavor as well. But it took years of hustling and growing to get to this point.
No matter the ups and downs, I refuse to bow out. I would rather learn where the new spaces are for growth and flourish there than ever stop writing. This industry is my heart and soul.
There is so much advice that I could give but to sum it up succinctly:
Write for yourself, edit for the masses, market for the money.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Absolutely. Hundreds, or possibly thousands, of romance books have created my passion. I read them consistently before even considering writing. Which I imagine is the same for some many romance authors. But for business, one book stands out. it was recommended to me by a financial manager early on in my career: Essentialism by Greg McKeown.
I was convinced to read the book because I was so close to burn out. The fairly short read discusses the power of saying no, the power of delegating, and the power of creating a means for you to do what you love and are good at and what the world needs more of, while finding others who can do the same WITH you on a journey together. In the beginning I often felt overwhelmed and like I couldn’t do it all. Which is accurate. There’s no way I could do this all myself. But having the right team, a team who loves what they’re doing, makes all the difference.
I highly recommend the read for everyone. Not just indie authors.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowwintersshouldbewriting/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorWillowWinters
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/[email protected]
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc7vx634Owx9IojGJ2ABMmQ
- Other: All other links: https://geni.us/3B53kF
