Crime Writer ~
Adam Croft
I have some special guests on my blog this week and I’m even more pleased to interview Adam Croft on his birthday!
Many happy returns of the day Adam!
You have been self publishing for several years Adam. What was it like to be launching a book at the time when SP was new and uncertain?
It wasn’t something I really gave much thought to. When I wrote my first book, Too Close for Comfort, it was just something I wanted to do and put out on Amazon at the start of 2011 just to see what happened. I didn’t expect anything to happen with it and really only wanted somebody I didn’t know to buy it and tell me what they thought of it. It started to sell slowly and then kicked off literally overnight about two months later, when I woke up one morning to find I’d had almost 2,000 downloads pretty much overnight. I remember it was 1st April, so I had a bit of a job actually convincing anyone it’d happened. The next thing I knew, it’d got to around 80,000 downloads and I realised that perhaps this was something I’d like to consider doing a bit more of! My only wish is that I’d taken more time over the first book and perhaps even edited it or something — I hadn’t bothered as I’d not read anything about the process of writing and publishing and was only doing it for myself more than anything! I’ve recently revised it, though, so I’m much happier with it now. I spent a good three years absolutely detesting that book.
Can you describe two main factors which contributed to your success?
I wish I could, because then I could do it again. Luck certainly played a massive part. It tends to do so with these sorts of things. I just tried to keep the ball rolling and keep the momentum going, but a few life events and problems have given me a few hiccups along the way in terms of my productivity. One tip I’d give to other writers is to treat your writing as a business. It’s a product, like it or not. Too many writers get too anal about their ‘creativity’ and the ridiculously fine points of writing. It’s all completely academic as it’s irrelevant if you’re not going to sell a single copy. We need to sell books to be able to write books, so any writer who takes the line that they’re purely a creative person and aren’t interested in the business side of things is only fooling themselves — from a self-publishing perspective, that is. Of course, if you’re going down the route of finding a traditional publisher then you don’t have any of those worries and can be a purely creative machine. That’s why I firmly believe the traditional model will never die — it just has to adapt. Those of us who are more entrepreneurial can make our way independently, whereas those who aren’t will get the best results using traditional methods of publishing.
You have two series. Which do you enjoy writing most and why is that? Or did your writing evolve into your current Kemston Hardwick mysteries?
They both have their own merits. I’m someone who’s very much of a comedy ilk, as comedy’s something that’s been running through my veins since a very young age. The Kempston Hardwick Mysteries have a distinct comedy edge to them, so they’re a lot of fun to write from that point of view. They’re also very logical, ordered and methodical in their structure so they appeal to that side of me. On the other hand, the Knight & Culverhouse thrillers are exciting, fun and pacy — both for the reader and for me. They have a much more liberal, freer aspect to them from a writing point of view. I think the next couple of projects will probably be a departure from both series, though, as I have many more things I want to explore as well as just those two series.
One for the authors reading ~ how do you market your books and get so many reviews on Amazon?
Again, I always feel a bit fraudulent giving advice on marketing and commercial success as it came to me pretty much by luck. You need to build and sustain momentum, though. Encouraging your readers to leave reviews is absolutely vital — it’s your biggest marketing tool. The more reviews you have on Amazon, the more likely people are to buy your books.
For the readers of murder mystery out there ~ describe your main character in your Kempston Hardwick series. Do you like him? What makes him different as a private detective?
Firstly, do I like him…? Yes, of course, I love him to bits. Would I want to be friends with him? No, probably not. He’s very set in his ways — almost as if he’s dropped out of Victorian England and landed in the present day. He’s conservative in many ways, but certainly not politically as he’s travelled the world extensively and has a deep understanding of human nature. He’s a very learned man and has a
very logical mind. He’s quite camp, but not in an extroverted way — he’s actually pretty shy and inward-looking
and a lot of people see him as either eccentric or just cantankerous and short-tempered. I won’t speak too
negatively of him, though. After all, he pays my mortgage!
Hardwick is quite a character. I know since I’ve read ‘Exit Stage Left’ and I am looking forward to
‘Death Under the Sun‘ your recent release which is already downloaded on my Kindle.
Adam’s blog can be read at www.http://adamcroft.net/blog/
and he is @adamcroft on twitter.
The Huffington Post writes
‘Adam Croft is a British author and broadcaster best known for the light-hearted Kempston Hardwick mysteries, which blend traditional British murder mysteries with a comedic twist.’
Many thanks, Adam, for being a guest on Diana Jackson’s Muse, Views and Reviews. I wish you good fortune with your writing and an enjoyable rest of your birthday!
Diana Jackson 