JOHN RIDDLE
- GUEST AUTHOR
AND GHOSTWRITER -
G'day folks,
Well, here is my interview with a guy who has achieved heaps.
Welcome, John ...
1. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I am the author of 35
books and have worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. My byline has appeared in major publications
all across the U.S., and I have written articles for over 200 Websites. Since 1996 I have been working out of my home
office in Delaware as a full time freelance writer, author, ghostwriter and
donut eater.
2. WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME
A WRITER?
I knew when I was 17 years old that I wanted to become a
writer! After graduating from HS in
1970, I enlisted in the Navy. A few
months later I discovered Writer’s Digest Magazine, which helped me to learn
the ABCs of writing and getting published.
3. WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN
EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
It’s sort of a
combination of both techniques. When I’m
working on a non-fiction book, I research a lot of material so that I am
confident about what I am writing about.
4. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
It’s a toss
up between the variety of assignments and being “in the zone” during a creative
process.
5. WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING
ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Often times
a writer has doubts about their ability, and after 40 years of being published,
thankfully that rarely happens to me anymore.
6. WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST
LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
After 4
years in the Navy as a Navigator, I worked as a payroll clerk, a manager of an
arcade/ice cream parlor, a meeting planner and a fundraising and grant writing
person at a few non-profit agencies.
7. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
Self publishing my 35th book (the first 34 were
with traditional publishers), “The Flying Nun, Oprah and Me: 40 Years Making
Money as a Freelance Writer (Hey, You Can Do It Too!)”
8. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT
THE MOMENT?
A series of
articles for a mental health publication.
9. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Several
things inspire me: the ability to be creative and the variety of assignments
that come my way.
10.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU
WRITE?
I write mostly non-fiction, and lately I have been writing
a lot of business, health, medical, self help and parenting related projects.
11.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS
FOR NEW WRITERS?
First of all,
believe in yourself. You will get
rejected; it happens to all writers.
Don’t take it personally. And find
an area in which you really enjoy writing about, and go after assignments with
gusto and excitement! Keep marketing
yourself as a writer, and network with other writers, editors, publishers, etc.
12.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
Thankfully, I
have never had that happen to me.
13.
DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
I am an early
riser, and prefer to get any creative writing done before mid-morning, or noon
at the latest.
14.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
My home office.
15.
WHAT IS YOUR
GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
Knowing that I
am using my gift of creative communication gives me purpose and joy.
16.
WHO IS YOUR
FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
Stephen
King. I especially enjoyed his earlier
works. I grew up watching horror movies
as a kid, and King seemed to know how to write for that audience.
17.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
“You are the
best writer on the planet!”
18.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
“Why did I
waste my time reading this?”
19.
WRITERS ARE
SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
No.
20.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Reading. Watching TV shows and movies. And travelling.
21.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR
BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
My first 34 books were with traditional
publishers, and they took care of all of the editing. My 35th book was my first self
published title. I edited it until the
cows came home, and then had a professional editor give it one last look.
22.
DESCRIBE YOUR
PERFECT DAY.
My perfect day
begins getting up at the crack of dawn, checking e-mails from overnight editors
and publishers, etc. Then I’ll do a
quick review of some of my favorite job boards, looking for new freelance
opportunities. Then if I am working on
any projects, I start the writing process.
23.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON
A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
Anyone who could build a rock solid raft and get us back to
civilization!!!
24.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY
IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
“Get it together! Start serving the people who put you into
office!!!”
25.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
To keep writing, having fun and
helping others.
26.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY
SELL BOOKS?
I don’t have any experience in that
area. I have seen a few, and they have
gotten me interested in the books they were promoting.
27.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF
IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
I was
a ghostwriter on an action adventure novel, and I must confess, I WAS the hero,
LOL.
28.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
Yes and no. Yes, because these days traditional publishers
rely too much on “how much profit will we make” instead of “hey, this is a
great book that the reading public needs to read!” No, because if a writer truly wants to get
published, they will find a way.
29.
DID YOU EVER THINK
OF QUITTING?
NEVER!!!!
30.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
I worked on “For God and Country” with my
daughter when she was in College. It was
awesome to co-write a book with my daughter.
31.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE
‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER?
A successful writer is
one that is happy with what they are writing.
32.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD
THEY FEEL?
The reader
should feel a little sad that the book is over, but at the same time feel
satisfied for having read it.
33.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A
SCREENPLAY?
No and No.
34.
HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
Probably a lot. As I mentioned, my first 34 books were with
traditional publishers, and they suggested the covers. For my first ever self published title, I
kept it simple.
35.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
That one of my books
“goes viral” and that people will learn about my passion to help other writers
get published and succeed.
36.
WRITING IS ONE
THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
I very much enjoy the
challenge of marketing myself and my books.
Not many authors enjoy that process, however.
37.
ARE YOUR BOOKS
SELF-PUBLISHED?
Only my 35th
title.
38.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Creative; happy,
content; determined and curious.
39.
WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
The stressed out
population everywhere.
40.
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
“Platinum Faith” by Michelle Medlock Adams and Bethany Jett.
41.
WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST
SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
If you are reading
this, then I must have just died!
42.
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU
HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
Being able to inspire
people who want to learn how to get published.
43.
ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
Thank you!
Clancy's comment: Thank you, John. A very enjoyable interview. Keep pumping out those books.
I'm ...
No comments:
Post a Comment