Abby L. Vandiver has self-published stories about amateur sleuths solving crimes since 2013. A bit of a sleuth herself, she followed the example of other writers to learn the ropes of how to self-publish and market the books.
鈥淚鈥檇 find people that were selling their books and I'd stalk them online,鈥� she said. 鈥淚'd buy their book, I'd sign up for their newsletter, and I do things just to find out: How are they doing this?鈥�
Writers may study her now instead, since she landed a book deal with a large publisher.
Four years after self-publishing her first book online through Amazon, the South Euclid resident heard from a small publisher, Henery Press, after participating in a book promotion. Vandiver received a three-book deal with Henery in 2017, and the following year an agent reached out.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really believe the email when I saw it, because agents don鈥檛 contact you,鈥� she said.
The agent led Vandiver to a deal with Penguin Random House. She has a new book, 鈥淎 Deadly Inside Scoop,鈥� for Penguin due out in May under the pen name Abby Collette.
鈥淚t鈥檚 set in Ohio, and there is a popcorn store that sits over the falls in Chagrin Falls,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 hijacked that store and made it my character鈥檚 ice cream store.鈥�
Vandiver is a pen name, too, for Shondra Longino. Her plan is to continue to publish independently using Vandiver.
鈥淚 love being able to have control over everything,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y stories don鈥檛 get rejected.鈥�
She recommends self-publishing to other writers and offers this advice: Don鈥檛 self-edit.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 catch it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care how well you edited it, even if you used to be an editor.鈥�
