SFFMP 195: Kindle Unlimited, All-star Bonuses, YA Fantasy, and Reverse Harem Fantasy

August 21, 2018 SFFpodcast Author Interview, Podcast

Fantasy author Alex Lidell joined us on the show this week. She started her publishing journey with YA fantasy when her first novel, The Cadet of Tildor, was picked up by Penguin after being a finalist in Amazon’s Breakout Novel contest. After that, she turned to self-publishing with her YA fantasy TIDES series, and she recently jumped into reverse harem fantasy with her Power of Five series, where she’s had a lot of success on Amazon.

Here are some of the specifics we discussed and links to books and resources mentioned in the show:

Alex’s experience with the now-defunct Amazon Breakout Novel contest.
How she got picked up by Penguin for her first book and what the editing process was like.
Why she decided to switch to self-publishing and how you have to be willing to learn to think and act like a small-business owner when you do.
The states of YA fantasy and reverse harem and if there’s room for newcomers hoping to sell well.
Whether there are expected tropes in YA fantasy and what the ones are for reverse harem.
A recommendation for Orson Scott Card’s Characters and Viewpoints for authors looking to hone their craft for YA (or any genre/audience).
3D-character rendering as an alternative to illustrations for cover art.
Marketing in the traditional publishing world (and being an “ambassador for your brand”) versus marketing as an indie author.
Why Alex is in Kindle Unlimited and her brief flirtation with wide for a Bookbub ad.
What time of the month she launches her books to have a better shot at earning an All-Star Bonus in KU.
Getting the paperback version of a book up before the ebook so people can post reviews ahead of launch day.
Using ACX for audiobooks and her experiences with paying up front per finished hour versus doing a royalty split with a narrator.
Getting more exposure and reviews for audiobooks through Audiobook Boom.

You can find Alex on her website and on Facebook, and her novels are available on Amazon, including Air and Ash (Book 1 of her TIDES series for YA fantasy lovers) and The Power of Five (Book 1 of her reverse harem series).