“I’m Wanda Shapiro. I write literary fiction and I’m going indie. Musicians and film makers went indie a long time ago and it’s time for writers to follow suit. With a quality manuscript, a lot of hard work, and the technology available today – I believe fiction writers can also break free from the industry that binds them.” Meet the perserverant, visionary Wanda Shapiro. Meet her book: Sometimes That Happens With Chicken- Wanda’s first novel to self-publish. Meet them both at www.onegirlonenovel.com or follow Wanda on twitter.
Hometown: Johnsburg, NY
Current Residence: Venice, CA
Education: Bachelor of Arts from Pace University, May 1999. Majors: Political Science; Literature and Communications
Professional Background: I have worked in several industries including PR and personal training. I am currently employed as a project coordinator in the IT industry.
What you wanted to be when you grew up: A writer.
What you are: A writer with my own publishing company.
Brief Summary of your Start Up: I decided to cut out all the middle men and bring my first novel – Sometimes That Happens With Chicken – directly to readers using an indie business model. I set up a publishing company, launched my own website, and devised a word of mouth based marketing campaign. My site is called One Girl One Novel and there you can learn all about me, my novel, my plan, and how you can help.
Company Website? http://www.onegirlonenovel.com
What inspired you? I think I’ve always been a do-it-yourself kind of girl, but Aaron Shepard’s book Aiming At Amazon got me started down the road of independent publishing.
How long have you been in business? I launched my site on February 6, 2010 and my novel is days away being for sale, but I spent a year and a half preparing for that launch and the subsequent publication.
How did you fund it? I spent approximately $2000 over the course of 18 months. I was able to pay for those expenses myself and did not have to pursue funding.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? I don’t have one particular mentor, but I have a few people who volunteered their professional skills and many hours of their time to launch One Girl One Novel and publish Sometimes That Happens With Chicken.
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? No, but I feel like I should.
Current Business Challenge? The next hill to climb is selling enough books to quit my day job and dedicate myself fully to my writing career.
What are you doing about it? I’m following the plan I have laid out and I work a lot. I rarely take a whole day off and I get up early in the morning during the week to maximize efficiency. Between my day job and my start-up, 80-100 hour weeks are the norm. Thankfully, my parents raised me in a such a way that working hard is like second nature.
Favorite motivational quote: “Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”- Edgar Allan Poe
Family? I have a husband.
If so, how do you balance family and business? It’s not easy and my husband sacrifices plenty, but we made a conscious decision to pursue this track and we knew it would mean a lot of work over a long period of time.
Favorite book? I can never choose between The Sun Also Rises and The World According To Garp.
What do you do to relax? Cook, clean or go to the beach.
What do you want to change most about your world? I’m particularly passionate about healthy, sustainable food. I’m a farmers market junkie and a proponent of local, organic products.
What are you most proud of? I’m most proud of following my dream. Too many people don’t because they’re afraid of failure or feel like they don’t have time, but there is a level of fulfillment one achieves when pursuing a personal passion that cannot be achieved otherwise.
What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? Whatever you do, don’t give up.
Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Lynda.com – If you need to learn how to do anything with a computer, spend the money on a Lynda.com subscription. The tutorials cover every topic imaginable and they’re great.
If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? I don’t think this is considered a precious stone, but I’d make a tiara out of garnet mined from the mountains where I was raised.
I am glad I came across this article! I recently finished reading “Sometimes that Happens with Chicken” and thought it was one of the most entertaining novels I’ve ever read. It’s always good to know more about the author behind a great book. And to know she did it all on her own! Very empowering.
Great Interview! I met Wanda at a book fair in Glens Falls, New York where we appeared together on a Panel entitled, “How I Got Published.” She has great energy and certainly bountiful passion for her work. It was a real pleasure. Passion is contagious and Wanda is certainly virulent. She’s impossible to be around and not be affected.