Creative Canadian Woman: Fantasy Author Demi Winters

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When best selling Canadian independent fantasy romance novelist Demi Winters left behind a very successful food blog to write her first book, she didn’t really know where it would take her. But, as a lover of all things fairy tales, fantasy, and romance who loved to write as a child, she knew she had to try!

She joins us in this episode of the podcast to talk about all things relating to being a self-published fiction author - including the release of her newest book in her Ashen seres, Kingdom of Claw, her writing process,  world building, Book Tok and building community around her work, seeking help to take her work to the next level, balancing a private life with a public author persona and how she's running her independent author business.... as a business! (she even has an Etsy shop centered around her work!). 

And, as has been a bit of an accidental theme this season, we also talk about two major career pivots she's taken to arrive at author (not only is she a former food bogger, she also has a PhD in the sciences!) 

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This Episode Is For…

This episode is for creatives who...

  • are curious about the self-publishing industry

  • have wondered about ways to add interesting revenue streams to their business

  • love hearing about the writing processes of others

  • is trying to draw boundaries around their work and personal lives - while still growing a community of raving fans on social media

  •  would like to start a fiction writing career and isn't sure where to start!

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Transcript & Chapter Markers

You can find a full transcript and chapter markers here. Just click on the episode title for all the juicy details!

be open to ideas

In this episode we discuss:

  • Demi’s early path in the sciences that culminated in a PhD in biology and then her move to food blogging

  • how her success in food blogging gave her the financial cushion and transferrable skills that helped her start her author career

  • what pulled her towards writing and fantasy/romance in particular

  • writing a five book series and the process behind that - including the research and learning to actually write a book

  • working with a developmental editor to help with plotting and development of the story within its genre

  • world building

  • the pressure of following up on a very successful debut novel and managing reader expectations

  • how spending time on TikTok as a reader really helped her navigate it as an author selling a book

  • building a community of readers around her work (not just authors)

  • working through burnout and being intentional in how you work to avoid burnout

  • doing less but doing it better

  • working with other artists to bring book visuals to life

  • book distribution and marketing

  • working with an agent to navigate global publishing and translations

  • opening an Etsy shop to sell special editions and book related merch as an alternate revenue stream

  • inspiration and idea generation

Mentioned In This Episode:

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Podcast Episode, Inspiring WomenMelissa HartfielS5, author, self-publishing, EtsyComment