Writer Wednesday - Author Julian Foster

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Julian Foster. I’m from NY. This is kind of a hard question to answer because I don’t know what I should tell you…

When did you first begin writing?

I began writing in school of course. There was a very demanding English program at my elementary and junior high school, so I first began writing stories that were to be read in front of the class weekly. I learned pretty quickly that the kids enjoyed my stories and anticipated me reading them every week; however I wouldn’t take story writing seriously until years later.

When did you finish your first book and what is the title?

I finished my first book in 2014. The title of the book is “Before I Wake.”

What genre do you write in and how did you choose that genre?

My first novel, “Before I Wake” is an urban fiction novel and it was taken directly from my life and life experiences, so it was only natural that it would fall into that genre, however I don’t plan to be stagnant and only create in one genre. I believe a good writer can write ANYTHING and as an author I will challenge myself by attempting to become adept in more than one genre. I have plans to write fantasy, horror, sci-fi, maybe even romance, but my readership will never know what to expect next!

Do you write full-time or do you have another profession?

I currently don’t write full-time, although that is the ultimate dream. I’d love to have the financial freedom to be able to create for a living.

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

As a new author this was one of the fields I was lacking in. I didn’t have a lot of information so I mostly posted to Facebook reading groups and I don’t really feel like it was a good strategy. I hustled books on the streets though and that was the most successful method, however I still wasn’t doing any amazing numbers. With my second novel coming I will explore more options and platforms and hopefully be able to generate more interest and attention to my work(s).

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Hmmm… I have only 2 one star reviews (out of 27) for my debut novel on Amazon. One came from a female that wanted to have a relationship, who I politely turned down and she submitted the 1 star review to be nasty (you live and learn) The other 1 star review that came in was a legitimate reader (I’m assuming) Who said, “Worst book I ever read. I didn’t finish it” I took that kind of hard and would’ve been able to deal with it better if the reader cited ways in which the book was so horrible. I’m over it now tho! LOL

Reviews are important for authors. How do you go about requesting reviews?

Generally when someone is reading my book and they’ve let me know, I remind them to write a review when they contact me with their thoughts after they’ve finished. That works the best, but as I stated above, it also worked against me one time.

Let everyone know where he or she can find you and your books.

My name is Julian Foster and I am on Facebook (look for the clown) I also have a Google+ page. My work at this time is only carried by Amazon (paperback/kindle) Again, I will be exploring more avenues in the near future.

Do you have any advice you can give to aspiring writers?

Friends in this industry are few and far between. I’ve learned to be in tuned with what is going on, without getting involved in a lot of the drama that takes place between authors and companies or authors and other authors. I’ve seen it get unnecessarily messy on more than one occasion. The game is very “clique-ish” so be careful who you befriend, trust, sign with etc. Very few authors are willing to help you progress and I’m assuming that’s because at the end of the day, another author is competition. I would advise a new author to work hard at developing and honing their own authentic style and voice and then devote the rest of your time to building your brand. Don’t ever strive to be the next “……………” Be the first you! Everything else will fall into place.