Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a fifty-something petrolhead, gadget freak and fulltime indie author. I’ve written 10 books, though a couple are still in our pipeline having things checked and connected to online resources.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Surviving the Wild: A Dozen Ways to Die and How not to.
I saw a blog post on the twelve most common causes of death in wilderness areas and I was really surprised by some of the things in the list and particularly the order… bet you you can’t guess what’s at number 1!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I’m aware of… I use MindMaps a lot, but I don’t know if that’s odd or not. I’ve mapped at least 10 books in my EDC (Every Day Carry) series and I’m only on book 4!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Steve Scott’s books about kindle publishing are excellent.
Clear but with an easily read conversational tone which I try to emulate.
What are you working on now?
Book 4 in my Every Day Carry series, plus marketing for a mammoth set of discounts we’re running at Hallowe’en.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m not going to disclose that.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get everything as close to perfect as you can. Great proofs/edits, great cover, great blurb. Market it. There’s a tendency to think people will realise the months of work it takes and magically appreciate the effort you put in… they won’t. They’ll leave you a vicious, sometimes factually inaccurate, 1* review in a heartbeat, trashing sales of your best-selling book and six months of your life… Try not to let it destroy you. Keep writing and learning.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write a series.
What are you reading now?
The Kindle Publishing Bible by Tim Corson-Knowles
What’s next for you as a writer?
Finishing my EDC series… learning to get my relevance scores up on Facebook ads.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Jabberwocky by Ralph Hoover
Goedel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R Hofstadter
Ten Easy and Not-so-easy Pieces by Richard R Feynman
Author Websites and Profiles
Chas Newport Website
Chas Newport Amazon Profile
Chas Newport’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account