Here's an interview I did with Magdelena Ball when she partially self-published her book, The Art of Assessment. Lots of insight. Enjoy...

When did you begin your writing career and what inspires you to write?

I've been writing for most of my life-probably for as long as I've been reading, which has always been my biggest inspiration. In many ways reading and writing for me have always been flip sides of a single coin. Both stem from a love of language, words, expression.

The word "career" is a tricky one though. In some ways I could say that I'm still an obsessive hobbyist. I haven't given up my day job (which is all semantics anyway), and all of my writing takes place around parenting, so I'm not entirely sure I could call it a career-perhaps vocation is a better word. I write because I can't help it, despite a myriad of other demands, and despite the relatively low amount of money I earn from it. I've been publishing work since I was around 20, um, about 20 years ago. I'm also inspired by my family, by the world around me, by sensation of all sorts-pretty much by everything.

Did you start out writing books or writing articles? Why did you choose that route?

The novel has always been the big game, but I was so daunted by it that I put it off as long as possible, so I guess it is fair to say that I started out writing short fiction, poetry and articles before writing a full novel and full length non-fiction. However non-fiction and poetry come very naturally to me and don't impact on the fiction writing, which takes much more of an effort. Certainly I churn out many more stories and short poems than full length books! But I will always continue to do both.

What was the first market you queried and why did you choose that market?

That was so long ago I can't really remember my first! There was this full two page spread of poetry in a Greenwich Village publication many years ago which I remember getting quite excited about. I've moved country twice though and somehow it got lost so I can't check out the date or location. I tend to send my work out widely and regularly so there are a lot of markets! I'll just pick one which I recall a few years ago-The Writer Magazine. I chose the market because it was prestigious, paid well, and I felt it fit the query I sent.

Did you get the assignment? If yes, how did you feel seeing your name in print?

Yes I got it! I felt very good seeing my name in print, and the article was later reprinted in the 2005 Writers' Yearbook, which I was sent a copy of. It was very nicely set out and I got a good byline (and payment!).

Let's say you were a new writer and you figured out you need $2,000 a month to live on, what would you do to reach that level of financial success?

I'd go into commercial/business writing. That's really the best way to earn money from writing. I'd certainly steer clear of poetry and fiction, both of which are my own main areas of work! (Obviously I'm not in it for the money).

I'd also get my hands on a good commercial writing manual like The Well Fed Writer. It's both inspirational and very practical. I get a lot of queries from people who are aware of the salaries of people like Grisham and Dan Brown, and all I can say is that these guys a) have been writing for many years (lots of which were pretty lean) and b) they are very much exceptions. Writing as a creative art is not generally lucrative. Having said that, I think it would be critical if you were living off your writing to develop a very tough/thick skin (your writing is no longer an avocation or hobby but simply your job), and to treat it very professionally, with a clean business plan, a clear plan of action, and a very tight daily working arrangement.

What is your biggest struggle as a writer? How are you working to overcoming that struggle?

The biggest struggle I have is time. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I have to write-it's an inner compulsion. So I tend to plan, plan, plan. I scheduled daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals and work in small chunks towards meeting those goals. It's the only way to meet the big stuff, like novel writing.

I once struggled with writer's block, but since having my children, writer's block is truly gone (one of life's paradoxes).

As a writer, have you ever experienced a "blooper"?

I'm afraid I tend to be a sloppy writer (partly because of how much I tend to try to do at once), so bloopers are, unfortunately, fairly common for me. I try to get around this by doing extra proofreading, and where it really counts, reading out loud, printing copies of my work and reading that out loud, and making use of other people. I also am very polite and grateful when someone points out an error and fix it immediately.

You've written a book called, The Art of Assessment, which deals with writing product reviews. How long have you been a reviewer and how did you get into this industry?

I've been writing reviews for about 7 years or so. I answered a call for reviewers from a website which went under about a year later. During that year, I reviewed lots of books and even interviewed a few authors (including Frank McCourt and Peter Carey!), and found that I loved it. I loved getting books free (I've always been a very heavy reader), and really enjoyed doing a post-read analysis of the book. When the website closed, they sent all their subscribers to me so I started The Compulsive Reader (it was an opportunity too good to miss). Since then I've been writing about 2 to 5 reviews a month. I also review for a number of other publications.

What was your best paying review and how did you get that assignment?

Drexel Online pays very well (usd$150 a review). I just sent them a query and they accepted it. I've written others for them too. They are an excellent market.

What type of reviews intrigue publications most and why?

Publications tend to differ in terms as to what they are looking for in a review. Some prefer very short, succinct reviews while others prefer lengthy, detailed reviews with lots of quotations.

Personally, as a reader, I prefer the long pithy ones which give me a real insight into the book. What the reader needs is an analysis-what worked and what didn't-not the plot laid out. A well written book review needs to be as literate and enjoyable to read as the book it is reviewing.

What was the hardest part of writing this book? How did you work through those issues?

The hardest part of writing The Art of Assessment was clarifying the different types of review opportunities. I'm very familiar with book reviews-and to a certain extent, music and film reviews-but things like shopping, restaurant, and product reviewing were less familiar and natural to me. I had to source that information and present it in a very easy to follow format. Of course keeping the links current is always an issue with reference books, but at least with an e-book you can update fairly easily.

As a self-published author, it's more difficult to get your book noticed. What steps are you taking to get your book noticed and increase your sales?

I didn't entirely self-publish. Mountain Mist Productions (www.1stmist.com) agreed to publish a print version for me and picked up some of the costs including the ISBN. Having said that, I own all the rights and manage all the orders so it's probably fair to call it self-published.

As to your question: No! Since I never worried about getting the book into bookstores, I never had any difficulty getting the book noticed. Compulsive Reader naturally draws the kind of people who would find The Art of Assessment useful, and I haven't worried too much about promotion. I created a free course (which is actually quite meaty) from the book that has brought me many customers. Every time I promote Compulsive Reader, I promote The Art of Assessment, and I tend to be a serendipitous promoter. When an opportunity arises, I just seize it there and then, rather than go looking for them.

For some writers, articles are easy but books are hard. What one tip would you offer an article writer, looking to write his/her first book?

I definitely agree with that. A book is a long, formal piece of writing (and for me, fiction is much harder than non-fiction) which takes a lot of time and much delayed gratification. I've just finished writing my first novel, and it was as hard a piece of writing as I have ever done. But it is so easy to let the immediate needs of article writing overtake the longer term desire to produce a finished book.

The best way to deal with a full length book is to chunk it. That is, to do it in small pieces and to make sure that you've planned and diarized those pieces. For example, after a rough outline of how many chapters you need to write, you might plan to write one chapter a month (best not to be overzealous if you have children and don't want your home life to fall into chaos), and then reward yourself when you meet the goal. That way you get to shorten the period of gratification. It is amazing how quickly those little goals add up to the big one. Otherwise it is just so overwhelming, and the time is never right (especially if you have a family) and everything else is much more urgent.

You have to up the ante. Another trick which worked very well for me was to have an "ideal reader." Send your chapters to that reader once they are finished. Just knowing that they are waiting for your work will help you stay focused, and the feedback you gain is a big bonus.

Visit her at http://www.compulsivereader.com/html