304: An Inside Look at Self-Publishing - Interview with Helen J. Darling

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Helen J. Darling.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Helen is the author of two humorous women’s fiction novels:</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Terms and Conditions</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">and</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">I’ll Know Me When I Find Me</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. She is also the resident self-publishing expert and columnist at DIY MFA.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Helen worked in publishing for twenty years before acknowledging she’d like to write something herself. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she dabbles uncontrollably in hobbies from photography and painting to gardening, carpentry, and home renovations. She reads three or four books at a time. She also keeps bees. That’s why she takes so long to write her novels.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can learn about her latest distractions by joining her mailing list or following her on social media. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, two children, a codependent beagle, and a cat who owns them all.</span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode Helen and I discuss:</span></h3> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How working in academic publishing led to Helen’s writing career</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The flexibility that comes with self-publishing</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">How self-publishing has changed</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Why writers choose self-publishing over traditional</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The two most important people on your self-publishing team</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Choosing the right people for yo