Literary Birthday – 12 July – Amanda Hocking

Happy Birthday, Amanda Hocking, born 12 July 1984.

Five Quotes

The truth is I was always writing. Before I could write, I would tell stories. When I was younger, I couldn’t write fast enough to keep up with the ideas I had, so I had to talk and get them out. It never occurred to me until I was about 12 that I would do anything other than be a writer.
When I get an idea, I think about it for a few weeks, and then I outline. Once I have an outline ready, I sit down at the computer and write. Sometimes, I’ll write for 8-12 hours a night. When I’m writing, I usually shut myself off from the world for a few weeks and just write. Then I’m done, and I come back to real life.
Nobody knows what makes one book a bestseller. Publishers and agents like to pretend they do, but if they did, they would only publish best sellers, and they don’t.
My biggest word of advice to any new, future writers thinking about diving into self-publishing: Edit. I don’t care what you think, you didn’t edit enough. Some people won’t care that there’s errors, its true, but enough of them will. And they paid for it, so they have a right to. So edit more. And then again. Really….Self-publishing is great, but it’s not easy.
I finished my first novel when I was seventeen, right after I graduated high school. It was about a guy with amnesia in a corrupt institution looking for a serial killer. I know, it’s shocking that something with that many overwrought clichés never found a publisher. (BTW – my mom still says it’s her favourite book by me. But it’s still very bad).

Amanda Hocking is an American writer of paranormal romance for young adults. She was one of the first authors to self-publish best-selling novels. Her popular series include Trylle: The Complete Trilogy.

Source for image: Author’s Website
Source for quotes: World of Amanda Hocking

by Amanda Patterson