Join us as we delve into the captivating journey of Isabella May, a prominent indie Romcom author. From her early love for books, the joys and challenges of self-publishing, to the empowering messages behind her stories – her inspiring tale resonates with budding authors and avid readers alike.
Can you tell us about your personal journey to becoming a self-published author?
Of, course… but you’d best put the kettle on as it’s a looooooong one!
I have always been obsessed with books. As a toddler I would sit on the potty for hours with a massive pile of picture books at my side, earning me an equally massive red ring mark on my podgy bottom! I was a huge fan of the Richard Scarry books when I was little. I loved all their fascinating and funny sub-layers and could gaze at those illustrations for hours, inventing stories of my own for the anthropomorphic characters in his world. Some of that has definitely seeped into my storytelling. Then during my teens, sadly I went off books big time. Too many exams, too much fun to be had with friends… and, erm, boys.
My university course saw me spending half a year working in the dictionary department for a prestigious German publisher in Stuttgart. I didn’t know it at the time, but this window of work experience would open a massive door for me upon graduation when I applied for a job as European Sales Manager for a novelty and board book publisher… and, amazingly, got it! I stayed in the industry selling foreign rights for children’s books for over a decade – in every language from Icelandic to Korean and Bahasa Indonesian to Papiamento. I attended many worldwide book fairs and travelled all over the place to visit my publishing clients. It was a dream career.
In my early twenties, I developed a passion for Mind Body Spirit books and travel books. With all those hours spent on planes and at airports, prior to the days of social media, I needed something to do besides duty free shopping! Occasionally, I would indulge in a little fiction and I loved all of Marian Keyes and Joanne Harris’s offerings. Then friends began to lend me books and bit by bit my hunger for great stories reappeared. Yay!
Next, I escaped a terrible relationship, met my wonderful husband, and had babies. Sadly, our second baby was stillborn. It was, as you can imagine, a hideously dark time in our lives. The publisher I worked for at that time treated me abysmally. I took them to tribunal and won my case but things were never quite the same after that and it all seemed to coincide with the big publishers buying out the small publishers; the heyday of foreign rights was over and I didn’t want to go back. I dabbled with a small foreign rights agency of my own but my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted to write my own stories. I’d sold other peoples’ for so long!
When we moved from Gloucestershire to Spain because my husband got a job offer in Gibraltar, I started to scribble down dialogue and ideas for my debut, in-between feeding my rainbow baby. And then, as if by magic, I heard about two writers’ groups that were taking place near my house. But I only plucked up the courage to go to them after a chance meeting with Emma-Claire Wilson (whose debut novel has just been published with Avon, HarperCollins) just happened to be at an ex-pat mums and babies group I attended… where I just happened to quickly but quietly announce that I was in the process of writing a book… and lo and behold, Emma’s eyes were on stalks (but not in the usual you-utter-weirdo-we-should-be-talking-about-nappies-and-baby-puree way that I’d become accustomed to on the scant few occasions when I dared share this revelation) because it turned out she was doing the very same thing! How we laughed. We couldn’t believe our luck to have found one another.
That was in February 2015. It took until September for us to walk through the door of the venue of our first writers’ meeting together! I am so glad we did because that’s where we met Lorraine Mace, the crime and thriller author whose brilliant creative writing course we both went on… where Natali Simmonds (another thriller writer in the making) was waiting for us! As the youngest members of Lorraine’s tutelage, we became instant friends, and, not long after the course wrapped up, Emma invited Natai and I to join her in setting up an online women’s magazine called The Glass House, where we wrote blogs as three very different avatars, whose personalities have definitely shaped our very distinctive books…
Fast forward another couple of years and Oh! What a Pavlova was complete, getting me a deal with a small independent publisher. I wrote them another two books… and then said publisher decided to focus on darker stories. Bit by bit, I got my rights back and assumed since I had great reviews and a loyal and wonderful readership, that I was now a catch for the bigger traditional companies. Wrong! I subbed book number 4, The Ice Cream Parlour, and ate many tubs of ice cream myself as the rejections piled up. It was so disheartening! The agents and editors were lovely. But they all said the same things ‘you write beautifully but we’re not sure how to market you/your storylines are just a bit too busy.’ Thanks Richard Scarry. My mental health took such a hit. I couldn’t contemplate changing my voice to that extent. It felt like selling my soul and I wasn’t prepared to do it, especially when readers enjoyed my stories and found them refreshing. It made no sense whatsoever. I wanted to shake the industry. It felt deeply unfair, too. I had sold (literally) millions of books via trad in my former career… and this was how it repaid me? To say I had a chip on my shoulder at that time was a bit of an understatement!
But I picked myself up, dusted myself down and decided to self-publish, taking my destiny in my own hands. Many of my former book buddies from my time with the small publishing house had started to do well with indie publishing and they were super encouraging and full of advice, so I knew it was a viable path. Every second book that I wrote though, I would (gahhhhhhh!) find myself following the carrot dangle of traditional publishing… again. Let’s face it, when trad works out, it works out beautifully. Most of us write our debuts with that monumental dream in our hearts: 1 x top agent, 1 x big 5 publishing house, 1 x three book deal and advance, a shiny badge of honour emblazoned across our super sleek trade covers, and a heart-stoppingly exciting option for a film or TV deal, not to forget that little cherry on the cake: translation into a gazillion languages. Set for life.
The reality is, this rarely happens… and even when it does, the success can be short lived.
I wish I had fully embraced self-publishing sooner but I suppose I had to have the wobbles and second thoughts and one last attempts in order to do just that. Now I can stand tall(ish) – I am only 5ft 2 – and proud as an indie, because it turns out that the path of self-publishing can be just as, or even more, lucrative. This is an arm of publishing where six and seven figure authors abound; an arm of the industry where authors have enough money to live on, and their pay cheques mean they can leave their day jobs and make a decent living through their backlists. And all of this can happen on an author’s own terms, with no compromise on creativity. For me, it’s win-win and I have stopped looking back.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors considering the self-publishing route?
Think about what you want from your books. The chances of making it BIG as a traditionally published author are far fewer than they are as an indie author. That is now fact according to a recent survey of authors’ incomes conducted by ALLI, the Alliance of Independent Authors. With this in mind, you will need to be realistic about the likelihood of making even a satisfactory income following the traditional route. Some authors are happy with that arrangement. That’s fine. There is no right or wrong.
If you opt for the self-publishing route, you need to remember that initially you will be speculating (quite a bit of money) in order to accumulate. From ensuring your book is properly edited, and the cover is well-designed, to marketing – all of these costs are on you, the author. And when it comes to the M word, there is much to learn. You need to be able to treat your books as a business. There is no other way to break out as an indie author (unless you hit the jackpot with a viral TikTok video!)
But the best things truly do come to those who wait. With patience and hard work and self-belief, indie can – and consistently does – make dreams come true. These might not be Sunday Times Bestseller List dreams… rather, they are quiet, deeply-fulfilling, life-changing dreams. No badge of honour or thumbs up from the powers that be will ever better them!
What themes and topics are you drawn to in your writing and why?
Food, romance and travel. My series is called Foodie Romance Journeys. I guess I love to fuse all of these things together. First up, I love a Happy Ever After. I mean, there’s enough negativity in the world. If I am going to write, then I want to uplift people and help them escape for a few hours. I am also a huge foodie. Cake, cocktail, and handmade gelato are my passions. If I visit a new city, I will make a pilgrimage to the best outlets of all three… the quintessential sightseeing stuff can wait!
I grew up in Glastonbury, arguably the most mystical town in the UK, so you will also find a sprinkle of magic in my books. Obviously, my characters have problems, but I prefer to help them navigate them in as positive a way as possible.
Oh, and I can’t deny that the Bridgerton Effect hasn’t ramped up the spice factor in some of my lovebirds’ lives 😉
What’s the one thing you’d like readers to take away from your books?
Empowerment. My books are body positive and their underlying message (steamy romance, comedy and travel to one side) is to encourage women – in particular – to eat with pleasure and wild abandon. There’s no need for them to justify their daily intake of calories! Of course, there is a time and a place for diets and healthy eating, but generally speaking, women have been programmed to label food for the longest time, measuring their worth with every spoonful. It’s exhausting. Men don’t do this. If we want true equality in all areas of life, these are the everyday nuances that need to be addressed.
Can you tell us about a ‘eureka’ moment you’ve had during your writing career?
I got ridiculously excited earlier this year when I got a Bookbub deal for Bubblegum and Blazers! It was confirmation that, as an indie, I can hold my own with trad authors, and it was great to see all those thousands of downloads.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your writing and did it pay off?
A couple of years ago I wrote a book called The Chocolate Box, with a deeply flawed female protagonist called Ellie Sanchez. Some readers loved it, others struggled to find a stitch of empathy for Ellie! But I adored that story. I still do. It needed to be written. It explored a bunch of fascinating character traits and the way that unbridled obsession can lead to utter mayhem. Sometimes we need to write something, regardless of whether it will be a commercial success. Joanne Harris’s books are a great example of that. I truly believe our repertoire and craft become richer for it.
Which of your book(s) are you the proudest of and why?
Honestly, every single one. The act of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is one thing, but having the discipline to type a half-decent story until you reach THE END is quite another.
What is your most recent book and/or what are you working on currently?
Christmas at the Keanu Kindness Café will be out on September 15th. Here’s the blurb:
When career burnout brings EVIE and JOE together in Glastonbury, random acts of festive kindness are the last thing on their minds. One month ago to the date, Joe mysteriously disappeared on Evie at their mutual friend’s Yuletide bierkeller bash in London, just as they were getting very well acquainted… an act that has sworn her off men for life.
Both fellow city dwellers are determined to spend their December sabbatical in the quirky town alone, as planned, focusing on their make-or-break New Year’s resolutions… whilst stubbornly ignoring the fact they fancy the Christmas jumpers off one another.
But nobody walks through the twinkly-lit doors of the mistletoe-decked Keanu Kindness Café without the selfless magic of the Hollywood star rubbing off on them!
Especially when calamity strikes on Christmas Eve, ensuring Evie and Joe lock their reindeer antlers at last…
Is there a book project you have in mind that you plan to write one day? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?
I have started work on a spin-off trilogy featuring the three women from ‘Pavlova’ but I can’t reveal the title yet in case somebody nicks it!
You can find Isabella May at her web site, or on her Amazon Author page.
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