Last Week’s MM:  My Bday

There’s this amazing culture in indie publishing.  I’ve seen so many examples of indie authors that are willing, and wanting, to help each other out.  I’ve mentioned Hugh Howey quiet a few times on here.  One of the author’s that he helped out is paying it forward.  

Matthew Mather styled his book The Atopia Chronicles on Hugh Howey’s Silo Sage, by serializing it.  Great book, by the way.  Some of the best scifi that I’ve read.  It’s my understanding that he reached out to Hugh Howey, or they connected somehow, and the one helped the other.  Now, Matthew Mather has his second book, Cyberstorm being turned into a movie, and has 2 more books coming out soon.

I’ve now had the opportunity to speak with both Hugh Howey and Matthew Mather.  Which is beyond amazing.  I was able to do it because they make themselves available to everyone, even baby writers who are just starting out.  Matthew Mather said that, if you email him, he’d love to help out new writers, espically if they use his SHAKESPEAR advice.

In an effort to continue with connections, and networking, and all that stuff that I’m bad at, I’ve been putting myself out there a bit.  And it’s paying off.

I get to Beta Read for Matthew Mather’s newest novel: Advent.  Yay!  I’m excited.  I’m a slow reader, so I have to really focus and try to do 40 pages a day.  Hopefully it’ll get me in a good habit.  But I’m excited to get to do this.  I’m excited that I’m getting out of my shell a little and connecting with best selling authors (and anyone who isn’t my boyfriend or a customer at work).

And I’m excited that this opportunity even exists, because these best selling indie authors remember where they come from, and they don’t see other writers as competition, just people they can help find the success that they themselves have.  It’s a good way to be.