Interview with Indie Author Silvano Williams

Indie Author - Silvano Williams

IndieReads: When did you start writing?

Silvano Williams: I don’t recall exactly. Back in High School when I was in the 10th grade or so. English is my second language and I didn’t have a full grasp on it until then. I was pushed into it by a group of friends I played Dungeons and Dragons with. The constant teasing and “What?s” in the years before pushed me to want to master the language. Combine an over-active imagination with the drive to snub some of my friends, and I ended up writing hundreds of poems and ridiculous short stories throughout the rest of my high school years. When I went to college I signed up to study Journalism, but shortly after I became disenchanted with the curriculum so I dropped the classes and immediately after Life smacked me across the face in a hundred different ways. Adiran was born from that and Spoon-fed Addiction became my outburst and self-therapy.

IR: Are you self published or did you use an independent publisher?

SW: Self-Published

IR: What genre do you write in the most?

SW: It’s been hard to pin-point my genre. Transgressive/Urban fiction is what I found out my story fits into. I like science fiction, thrillers and comics though, so those will be my next projects.

IR: What is it about that genre that attracts you?

SW: In this instance, it was my need to get rid of something angry and painful that was inside of me, so that is how it turned out. I had to research genres after all of the formatting and editing was completed so I could categorize it! Although, I’ve put a lot of effort into the psychological aspect of this story, which I have enjoyed immensely researching and re-living certain moments of my life in order to dissect them and use them. I know there is a lot of cursing in the story, which may prove distracting or unappealing to some people, but I’ve tried to base it on reality to the best of my experience and knowledge.

IR: How many books have you published?

SW: One. Spoon-fed Addiction.

IR: What was the prime motivation in publishing your work through independent channels?

SW: Being a first-time, unknown writer didn’t leave me with many choices!

IR: What were your early experiences like?

SW: Quite frustrating, yet liberating. The first draft of Spoon-fed Addiction was a stream-of-consciousness piece. The story and drama have always been there, but it was laid out with the unfiltered chaotic rhythm of a disturbed and fickle mind. Getting through the character’s thought process was difficult for a lot of people who offered to read it because I wrote it without any regard for an outside audience. It was raw, like the wounds inflicted on my ego when I was critiqued for it.

IR: What did the process teach you?

SW: That what I thought I wrote and what others saw were not always necessarily the same thing, and it was my responsibility to make sure it was, or at least that what I offered could be understood by an outsider, even if they didn’t like the subject matter.

IR: Have you seen a change in the independent publishing community?

SW: I am new to the scene, but I have noticed a lot more respect for it in the past couple of years shown by the consumers. They show it by buying the product, and for those that have been blessed with a talent and have put up the effort, it seems to have paid off.

IR: Do you read other independently published authors works?

SW: I have read some, but for the past year and a half or so, I have not had a chance to read anything else.

IR: Any favorites you would like to plug?

SW: I’d have to plug my online friend and supporter, Frances Pawley who authored the Merlin’s Crystal Trilogy.

IR: Where are you most likely to purchase indie works?

SW: Smashwords.com or directly from authors if I have met them.

IR: Where can people find your books and which source has been

Spoon-fed Addiction

the must successful for you?

SW: I’ve published through Kindle and Smashwords.com as well as Createspace. So far, I have sold more copies on Kindle than all others combined. I am pleasantly surprised. The book is in Smashwords.com’s Premium catalog so it should be available in all major e-book retailers as well.

IR: Do you have books in print? Where can we find them? What was that experience like?

SW: I published through Createspace. My store is at https://www.createspace.com/3563469 or on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Spoon-fed-Addiction-Silvano-Williams/dp/1460912721/

I also purchased Createspace’s distribution package, so in theory Spoon-fed Addiction can be purchased anywhere books are sold!

IR: Do you have any advice for some one who would like to be an Indie author or publisher?

SW: Write Write Write!!! Then get someone who is not afraid to hurt your feelings, yet who you can trust to know what they are talking about, to help you edit your work. Appreciate feedback from others, even if it sounds harsh or negative. Find the message in their criticism if it isn’t clear and put yourself outside of your own work and apply it. Family and friends will seldom be honestly critical of your work, unless it is something they do for a living or actively work on. Join a writing club or site and educate yourself on what works and doesn’t. Write for the love of writing and sharing a story instead of looking to get rich off it.

IR: Do you do your own cover art or do you have some one do it for you?

SW: I did my own cover art. I hope it doesn’t suck!

IR: Do you have any new works coming out soon that you can tell us about?

SW: I am currently working on a comic/illustrated story of sorts aimed at YA or even adults. It is called The CW Chronicles and deals with the fight of Chaos (ultimate evil) vs. Order (ultimate good). The first story has a lot of sci-fi in it, but the backbone of it is more metaphysical and psychological. I’m hoping I am able to combine all of these elements successfully, but it will take approximately 4-5 books to get it all out there. I am a sucker for animation, so that will be my ultimate goal with that story once I complete it. I’ve been prodded to write a romance too, but I am still pondering that idea…

IR: Is there anything you would like to share?

SW: Thank you for allowing me to share with you and your readers! Spoon-fed Addiction is a hard story to take in because of the subject matter, but it is meant to be. I will post extra stuff about it in my Facebook page (which mirrors to Twitter), but if any readers have any questions or comments, I’m always eager to hear people’s honest thoughts about it and find out if what they read is what I thought I wrote. I’m still in the process of creating the official site at www.spoonfedaddiction.com and hopefully I will have some cool swag on there for sale soon.

Thanks again IR for your time and help exposing my little twisted world. And thank you all readers out there for allowing me to invade your mind for a few hours with my work.

More Info:

Silvano Williams was born in Puerto Rico and later moved to Houston Texas during his teen years where he went to High School and College. Currently, he resides in Katy Texas with his wife and two children. Likes to write stories with a final twist, often pitting his characters against their own convictions. An avid film watcher, Silvano writes with the plan to see his stories on screen.