Interview with William Hayashi

Author of Discovery: Volume 1 of the Darkside Trilogy

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

Born in Chicago, currently living there now.

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

I live in Chicago, where I was born.

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

There were several compelling reasons I wrote the story. The first one was that in America’s lexicon, there are no middle-upper middle class people of color represented in media or entertainment. I wrote Discovery: Volume 1 of the Darkside Trilogy to tell a story populated with characters representing the kinds of people I grew up with. Also, the story was crafted in protest against conventional wisdom that states that there are no new/original stories left to tell, just variations on a theme. The Darkside Trilogy flies in the face of that belief.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

The trilogy begins with a mystery, wrapped around a love story. As speculative fiction, it can be considered a “what if” built around exactly the kind of existence we’re living today. The elevator pitch for Darkside goes like this:

The Darkside Trilogy tells the story of what happens in the United States when it is discovered that African Americans have been secretly living on the backside of the moon since before Neil Armstrong arrived.

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

Those who like well written speculative fiction, science fiction, and characters who are multidimensional and real.

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

That you cannot get a publisher without an agent, and you cannot get a goos, reputable agent without having already published

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

Work much harder networking with those directly involved in the publishing industry, from agents to publishers.

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

The same kinds of numbers as those science fiction authors from the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

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

Finding a truly effective agent to represent me.

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

According to reviews, I have the writing part pretty much down, although I learn something new about the process all the time. As for publishing, the primary challenge for any independent, self publisher, is how to raise your work above the background noise of the other thousands of authors. And, marketing one-on-one is fairly easy. Marketing to a broad audience who might find your work of interest takes a substantial budget; relying on social networking is not very effective.

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

I think my biggest weakness in the whole process is the lack of available revenue to devote to marketing. Without it, the challenges are magnified to the point of frustration.

When do you think you will you write your next book?

I have three coming out this year, and probably another for fall or early winter, 2020.

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

I used a hybrid publisher for the first trilogy, and a small press for my fourth book. I am using a small press for the next trilogy, due out in the next few months.