294: Self-Publishing a Middle Grade Series — Interview with H.R. Hobbs

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing H.R. Hobbs. H.R. Hobbs (or Heather Hobbs, as I know her) is the Amazon-bestselling author of a series of compassionate and empowering stories for middle-grade readers. Set in a typical middle school, her books address the topics of belonging, friendship, and bullying. A lifelong learner and teacher, Heather started writing in 2015 as a retirement project. Recently, she began taking art lessons with the hopes of illustrating her own children's books in the future. Heather is the mother to three grown sons and grandmother to three little darlings. She lives with her husband in the small prairie town where she was born and raised. Also, Heather and I have been part of the same mastermind group for just about two years (shoutout to our third group member Angelica!). For those who don't know, a mastermind group is basically like a critique group but instead of giving feedback on each other's writing, we brainstorm around each other's careers and business plans. When Heather and I first met, she was still teaching and she was juggling her writing alongside a busy teaching schedule. In the years since, she has doubled down on her writing and built a strong career as a self-published author (in a niche that isn't necessarily easy to break into with self-publishing). I have had the benefit of hearing Heather's insights pretty much every other week for two years and I am beyond thrilled to have her on the show so she can share her insights with the word nerd community. In this episode Heather and I discuss: Choosing between self-publishing and traditional publishing Successfully self-publishing in the children's market The freedom of self-publishing Delegating tasks and developing a publishing team Building a launch team Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/294