How did you get into writing in the first place and what genre are you at home in?
I've been writing since I was a teenager. I've always been fascinated by making up stories. Back then, I wrote poems or short stories just for myself and my friends. But I couldn't stop thinking about writing a "big" novel at some point. I ignored the urge for many years until I wrote my debut novel "Melrose Avenue", a romantic thriller, in my late 30s. And it wasn't until four years later, in 2013, that I finally published it as an eBook, first on Amazon. So you can see how long I was pregnant with this idea, so to speak. But I never gave up on the dream! My genre is now Erotic Romance, although I'm not ruling out other romantic thrillers.
You self-publish your eBooks. Why did you decide to go down the self-publishing route?
To be honest, I didn't know anything about self-publishing at the time. I only knew the traditional route to a publisher. And of these - I had sent out around 40 applications - I only received rejections, even though my novel had already been proofread. Of course, I knew that it is very difficult to be accepted by large to medium-sized publishing houses. So when I discovered self-publishing through a friend, I gave it a try. It was really easy and quick, and when I saw the first signs of success, I was really enthusiastic about it. Now I appreciate the freedom that self-publishing gives me. I plan, organize and manage my books myself, so there's no pressure and it's a wonderful creative process that I can control myself.
You sell your eBooks with great success. How do you manage to attract new readers?
I try to be present on social platforms a lot and let readers participate in my writing and my life. I also organize competitions on Facebook, post snippets from unpublished novels and network with reading groups and bloggers. Being visible is becoming more and more of an issue and ultimately it's nothing more than word of mouth if you're liked, tagged and shared. I have an author page on the eBook platforms and there are also many opportunities for classic advertising. And finally, as a self-publisher, it's important to keep at it, i.e. to publish new books at not too long intervals.
It's important for me to involve readers in my work. I'm a passionate reader myself, and I want to know as much as possible about my favorite authors.
You are not only a successful author, but also a mental coach. What can other authors learn from you?
Especially in self-publishing, it's very important to keep motivating yourself. As a self-published author, you don't have a publishing team behind you to support and guide you. I know from my own experience that many doubts can arise: do I have any talent at all? Is my writing style not too amateurish? Does the story make sense? In addition, there is often so-called "creative anxiety", which leads to writer's block. And, as I also know, the big time problem, in addition to work/everyday life/family - when do I write? I can support all these issues very well mentally, even program myself for success. Mental training offers many opportunities to turn life issues into positives, to strengthen myself and to show me new paths.
Your motto is "With passion to your own power". How can authors integrate this mindset into their everyday lives?
Authors, and those who want to become authors, have a great deal of passion within them. They burn for writing, they burn to fill the sheet of paper with words and stories. Anyone can use this passion to tap into their innate power. Not to let the fire burn on a small flame, so to speak, but to kindle it into a big fire. And it is this mindset, that I can draw out and use everything I have within me, that I help authors to overcome the many hurdles of writing and to believe in themselves and their work. And my specially designed author training is based on this. So it's not traditional writing training, but recognizing mental obstacles together and getting the tools to overcome them. Managing everything to do with writing with a good sense of time and structure, creating clarity for the concepts, strengthening self-confidence in writing and channeling talents to turn them into a solid craft. Last but not least, I also give trainees tips on self-publishing and book marketing.
You can find Melanie Holzner here:
Author training website: www.autorentraining.at
Mental coach website: www.happymind.at
Facebook page of Melanie Holzner
Facebook group - The hurdle training
Instagram of Melanie Holzner
