Free Giveaway

Readers, the fifth person to google plus this post will get a free downloadable audio book titled Five Weeks in the Amazon.

Readers, I'm excited to inform you that I will be posting interviews with authors on my blog.  This is a chance for readers to get to know up and coming writers.

Today I'm interviewing Sean Michael Hayes.

Sean Michael Hayes Documenting his life in the Amazon (above)

Sean Michael Hayes is pictured (above)

Sean Michael Haye's Novel Pictured (above)

Sean was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. In his younger years he was a professional skateboarder, which gave him the opportunity to see the world. He has continued writing and skateboarding, and also coaches professional skateboarders.

His first book, Five Weeks in the Amazon is on Amazon, and became a #1 bestseller online.

If you want to connect with Sean, send him a message; he uses the name @canadianhayes on Twitter/Instagram and Facebook, and posts updates of his adventures on CanadianHayes.com

And onto the interview...
Sean, what are you currently working on and what is it about?

I am currently in the final stages of editing my next book, I Killed A Black Dog. It is a collection of short stories and poems I wrote at different times in my life, in different locations around the world. Check out my website canadianhayes.com for more info.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy reading a new book, I do. The book, “The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” was great, but my real reading pleasure comes from Steinbeck, Plato, Montaigne, Carver, Salinger, Hemingway…
Sean, do you ever get Writer’s Block, and do you have any tips for getting through it?

I don’t believe in writer’s block. Writing, for me, is a skill and process that takes practice. There is a Hemingway quote that reminds me of this, “I would stand and look out over the roofs of Paris and think, "Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know." So finally I would write one true sentence, and then go on from there.

For your own reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

Paperback books are better for me because I can fit more in my bag when I travel.

Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?

The way I like to write is this: I start by writing by hand, with a black pen, on paper. Next I rewrite what I wrote when I transfer it to a digital state on my computer. Then I edit it myself, sometimes spending days on a single sentence. Finally, when I can’t do any more to it, I enlist the services of professional editing help.

Do you let the book stew – leave it for a month and then come back to it to edit?

Sean Michael Hayes jumping in the water in the water in the Amazon(above)

Yes, I have found the longest I can stay 100% engaged in a story before I need to let myself rest, creatively, is 90 days. I can go about 90 days straight on a story before it becomes beneficial for me to take a month or two turning my attention elsewhere.

Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

Yes, of course, isn’t there an old saying, “always judge a book by its cover?”

How are you publishing this book and why? (*e.g. Indie, traditional or both)

I self-published Five Weeks in the Amazon. The ebook is Amazon, the paper book is on Createspace, and the audio book is on Audible.

What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

I own all the rights to my story, and I had full creative control. However, I would have benefited from having the support of a publisher, or agent…If I had connected with the right one.

Would you or do you use a PR agency?

I would if I had the money…

Do you have any advice for other authors on how to market their books?

Yup… Google it! There are so many ways to get a message out to the public, about any product or service. Be authentic, tell the truth, don’t hold anything back.

Bloggers, that is all the time we have for today.  Find out more about Sean Michael Hayes's and his book by visiting Amazon. Also Sean will be giving out a free audio version of his book Five Weeks in the Amazon. The fifth person who Google plus, I will personally send you a code that links to Amazon and you can download the book.