Interview with al garner

Author of How I became a Conservative

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

23 yrs in so, calif. , 8 great yrs in NY, 3 in wash. dc, back to calif in ’75 where I stayed.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

My 1st ebook was to take some of my essays and show the common man how my thinking developed – something he could relate to. He probably feels the same.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

It was an evolution.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

It’s conservative, not far right. I have a section to add explaining the difference, brought on by Trump. The book will connect with everyday people who like common sense, traditional values, and are yet open-minded.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

Surprising things: Writing is a joy when you are yourself. Getting published is a nightmare. That why I made my ebook free and started 2 blogs – even bigger nightmares but at least I’m getting exposure and am independent.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

If you let it, writing can force you to be yourself. It’s therapy, liberating.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Millions

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Biggest frustrations: liberals, amateurs, clerical and technical work, narrowness, lack of recognition and impossible web designers.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Strengths: in writing: experience, intuition, perception, persistence despite lack of recognition. Publishing – 0 Marketing – 0

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

Weaknesses re: writing – ?? Re: publishing and marketing: I burned out on these.
next book: not now as my blogs are enough.

When do you think you will write your next book?

Publishing: got some articles published. Hard, so I put some into a free ebook on the net and started blogs. At least my work is getting exposure.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

I found a co. in India to put it on the net as a free ebook. downloaded 200 times.