Interview with Michael Troy

Author of Sinai Subway

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

I am from Seattle, WA to Parkers Prairie, MN then Beacon, NY.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

Choice of places to live involved family first.

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

I started writing for fun, but the urge to publish everything I wrote took hold of me. When a couple of my first single page stories were accepted, I decided to write a novel to test my creative skills. Self doubt due to an unenthusiastic response drove me to self publish, which turned into a very expensive lesson that yielded nothing that I hoped for.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Believable adventure, even in my first book which is categorized as a Spy/Thriller.

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

Because of my age, 62 when writing my book, I thought my target audience would be the AARP crowd because my protagonists were my age and still quite full of risk and adventure.

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

I was told and read about the endless editing and how it would take at least five complete edits to narrow down to the essential manuscript. Maybe it was just me, but ten would seem to be the minimum. Publishing is a subject of several DIY manuals. Understanding what each one says and applying the knowledge is a huge key, not a task easily absorbed.

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

Idealism and realism seem to be a conflict that is hard to deal with for me. I wanted my work to speak for itself. Realistically, that work will need a mass of promotion and you absolutely need to put yourself into it. It’s a lot of hard work and study.

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

I want it to be made into a popular movie. In reality, millions of readers.

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

The cost of self publishing is huge. You make your own choices and each little item on the contract costs. If you buy a package without knowing exactly what you get, the end result could be a disaster.

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

(note: shouldn’t it be ‘strength’?) Writing is the easy number one.

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

Editing (not one of the options) is a weakness, but publishing and marketing are by far my weakest points.

When do you think you will write your next book?

There is a universal correct answer to this question: Have your next book started as soon as your first manuscript is submitted? I believe this to be an altruism even though I did not do as I suggest. This is a sad lesson for me learned after the fact.

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

I am so ignorant of publishing house changes that I don’t know what a hybrid is. I think I’m self published because I spent a pile of money with a tax deduction, the right to say I’m a published author, and little else to show for it.