Normally, the self-publishing success stories post is reserved for those who have attended my seminar and, through my guidance, have gone on to publish their own books, This post will be very different and very special to me as Lisa Becker is a friend, and a fellow writer, who found the path to self-publishing on her own...and then inspired and helped me! Her successful "CLICK" book series is about a woman attempting to find love through on-line dating.
As a woman, Lisa Becker has endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story, Double Click and Right Click. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. Hi Lisa, thanks for stopping by today. I'd like to ask you a few questions about the incredible success you've found through your self-published "CLICK" series.
First of all, you've self-published not one, but now three books. Tell us about your books.
My husband and I met online on a popular dating website 14 years ago. After we married, I was recalling some of the hilarious experiences that I had with both traditional and online dating. I decided to capture some of them in writing and from there, a novel – and ultimately a trilogy – emerged. The story follows the dating (mis)adventures of a young woman as she searches for love online in Los Angeles. The trilogy marries the friendships of “Sex and the City,” the epistolary nature of “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and the online love story of “You’ve Got Mail.” The books unfold exclusively in emails making them modern epistolary novels for anyone who's ever been dumped, been in love, had a bad date or is still searching for "the one." The book trailer can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IkehsEZxbs&feature=youtu.be.
Were you intimidated at all about going the self-publishing route when you first started?
I explored the traditional publishing route and got feedback from multiple literary agents. One in particular explained the current economic state of the publishing industry to me. Due to the large investment to edit, produce, distribute and market a work by an unknown author, many large publishers won’t take the risk. Self-publishing is a way to get your work out there and was very easy. The hardest part is marketing the book and spreading the word about it. So, I’m especially appreciative to blogs like yours for helping me with that process.
I'm also reminded of some advice I was once given. I had interviewed Charles Rosen, one of the producers of the original Beverly Hills 90210, for an alumni magazine article while I was in graduate school. And I'll never forget what he told me, "Don't fall in love with your words, because somebody above will probably change them." One of the great benefits of self-publishing is that you can really take control of the process.
You've had some great reviews and I’m sure good sales of your books, but you recently experienced something that most writers can only dream about, can you tell us about it?
I recently wrote a screenplay based on the original Click book. I’m lucky to have had it optioned by a production company housed at a major movie studio. The company now has a year to determine if they want to purchase the screenplay and move it into the development process. So it’s the first initial step toward making a film.
The company also optioned a second projected called Clutch about a young handbag designer who has a series of relationships that she compares to different styles of handbag (i.e. the “hobo” or slacker dude) and “diaper bag” or single dad) all in an effort to find the “clutch” or one she want to hold onto. It’s a fun little romantic comedy that I hope will be coming to a big screen to you someday.
Wow! I’ll have to say that I’m like most writers and would love to see my story come to the big screen. How does that feel for you?
It’s so gratifying to know that I’m creating characters and stories that people feel connected to and want to know better. I continue to be so grateful for the enthusiasm these light and breezy stories are receiving. With each positive review, reader comment or industry endorsement, I get more and more motivated to continue writing.
So what‘s next for you?
I’m continuing to explore screenplay options, having finished two additional romance stories: Curves and Chance Romance. I’ve also just started work on another screenplay called The Subway Girl.
Well thank you again Lisa for stopping by today. Lisa's books are available as e-books or soft cover at her Amazon.com author page here.
As a woman, Lisa Becker has endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story, Double Click and Right Click. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. Hi Lisa, thanks for stopping by today. I'd like to ask you a few questions about the incredible success you've found through your self-published "CLICK" series.
First of all, you've self-published not one, but now three books. Tell us about your books.
My husband and I met online on a popular dating website 14 years ago. After we married, I was recalling some of the hilarious experiences that I had with both traditional and online dating. I decided to capture some of them in writing and from there, a novel – and ultimately a trilogy – emerged. The story follows the dating (mis)adventures of a young woman as she searches for love online in Los Angeles. The trilogy marries the friendships of “Sex and the City,” the epistolary nature of “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and the online love story of “You’ve Got Mail.” The books unfold exclusively in emails making them modern epistolary novels for anyone who's ever been dumped, been in love, had a bad date or is still searching for "the one." The book trailer can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IkehsEZxbs&feature=youtu.be.
Were you intimidated at all about going the self-publishing route when you first started?
I explored the traditional publishing route and got feedback from multiple literary agents. One in particular explained the current economic state of the publishing industry to me. Due to the large investment to edit, produce, distribute and market a work by an unknown author, many large publishers won’t take the risk. Self-publishing is a way to get your work out there and was very easy. The hardest part is marketing the book and spreading the word about it. So, I’m especially appreciative to blogs like yours for helping me with that process.
I'm also reminded of some advice I was once given. I had interviewed Charles Rosen, one of the producers of the original Beverly Hills 90210, for an alumni magazine article while I was in graduate school. And I'll never forget what he told me, "Don't fall in love with your words, because somebody above will probably change them." One of the great benefits of self-publishing is that you can really take control of the process.
You've had some great reviews and I’m sure good sales of your books, but you recently experienced something that most writers can only dream about, can you tell us about it?
I recently wrote a screenplay based on the original Click book. I’m lucky to have had it optioned by a production company housed at a major movie studio. The company now has a year to determine if they want to purchase the screenplay and move it into the development process. So it’s the first initial step toward making a film.
The company also optioned a second projected called Clutch about a young handbag designer who has a series of relationships that she compares to different styles of handbag (i.e. the “hobo” or slacker dude) and “diaper bag” or single dad) all in an effort to find the “clutch” or one she want to hold onto. It’s a fun little romantic comedy that I hope will be coming to a big screen to you someday.
Wow! I’ll have to say that I’m like most writers and would love to see my story come to the big screen. How does that feel for you?
It’s so gratifying to know that I’m creating characters and stories that people feel connected to and want to know better. I continue to be so grateful for the enthusiasm these light and breezy stories are receiving. With each positive review, reader comment or industry endorsement, I get more and more motivated to continue writing.
So what‘s next for you?
I’m continuing to explore screenplay options, having finished two additional romance stories: Curves and Chance Romance. I’ve also just started work on another screenplay called The Subway Girl.
Well thank you again Lisa for stopping by today. Lisa's books are available as e-books or soft cover at her Amazon.com author page here.
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