Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
For the last 24 or so years I’ve been a computer programmer. It’s not a passion of mine but it does pay the bills 🙂 I was born in Michigan but at the age of two moved to Texas when my father’s job transferred him. I’ve been here ever since though the place I’d love to retire to is Colorado.
I’ve completed four non-fiction books, two of which are on Amazon.com, and one collection of sci-fi/fantasy short stories with a friend that’s also on Amazon.com. I’ve also had computer nine articles published in “FoxTalk” magazine, “Foxpro Advisor” magazine, “SQL Server Magazine” and two chapters were included in the book “Exploring FoxPro – Volume II”.
I have ideas for a few fiction books but right now I’m concentrating on the non-fiction books I have in development.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Chainmail Made Easy: 8 Wicked Weaves with 8 Practical Projects” is my latest book published on Amazon a couple weeks ago. It’s the second volume in a series of chainmail books. Chainmail being the art based upon a type of medieval armor and not the kind of chain mail via the good old post office.
It builds off the first in the series published in 2012, “Chainmail Made Easy: Beginner’s Guide in 7 Easy Steps!”. The first volume takes a beginner through how to learn chainmail from the history to parts of a ring, where to buy rings, how to weave 7 easy weaves, and a few projects to get one started.
The second volume just published gives a refresher on some of the basics of chainmail but mostly concentrates on learning 8 new weaves along with 8 cool projects plus a ninth bonus project making a red dragon inlay pouch.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No, not really. I mostly work on my non-fiction books in the evening after my day job or at lunch. 99% is typed on my PC or laptop. I really only use paper and pen when I’m not near a computer or if I need to draw something out or figure out some calculations.
Some authors love to write out long hand and then transcribe. That’s a colossal waste of time at least for me. There are few enough hours in my day to write let alone have to duplicate my work. If I can write something once it frees up other time for editing and such.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I can’t think of any in the non-fiction realm but I used to read a lot of science fiction/fantasy and there are a lot of authors who I think influence what I write when writing fiction. Some of them include Julian May, Larry Niven, Stephen R. Donaldson, Simon R. Green, Dan Simmons, Ian Banks, James P. Hogan, Kevin J. Anderson, and a whole lot more!
As for specific books, I’d have to say Dan Simmon’s Hyperion series along with Julian May’s The Many Colored Land series. Both have outstanding characters that you care deeply about along with great plotting.
What are you working on now?
I’m just getting started on volume 3 in my Chainmail Made Easy series. This one will focus on methods for winding and cutting your own rings. For the serious chainmailler, it’s much, much cheaper to make your own rings than to buy them.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Honestly I’m still figuring that out. What has worked for my chainmail books, which are currently exclusively sold through Amazon so I can take advantage of their KDP Select features (allows 5 days every 90 days you’re enrolled to do a free promotion in which you give you book away).
This then allows me to submit my book to 20 or 30 or more sites that accept either free or paid submissions of books about to be free on Amazon. Then I also post my book on the same number of Facebook “freebie” Groups or Pages on the first day it’s free. Then over the 3-5 day promotion period, even for a niche book like my books are, I can get between 3000 and 6000 people to download it.
Free, you might be asking? But I want sales! 🙂 Trust me, this is THE most inexpensive way to go to get your book out there and then push sales after the free promotion ends. Those who download your book for free still count as a “purchase” from the standpoint of Amazons ranking. And the lower your book ranks, the more sales you make.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes but it’s probably nothing they haven’t heard before. Write. Every. Day.
That’s it. Having great ideas is nice but unless you can execute on a regular basis, you’ll never publish anything. That means you must write every day even if you don’t feel like it. But if you do that, over time you WILL complete whatever project you’re working on.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Again, probably nothing new but you’ve got to write because you have a passion to write. Without a driving passion, you might as well just be going to a job you hate every day. Do something because you love it, not because you think you should be doing it.
What are you reading now?
I’m in-between books at the moment as I’ve been concentrating on getting my most recent chainmail book published and marketed but the last books I read were by A.G. Riddle in his Atlantis series.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I often dream of writing one of the many fiction novels I have ideas for but I think my concentration for the next year or so will continue to be in the area of non-fiction books. I love fiction but man is it hard to make a living at it. You really have to write fiction because you love it with no expectations about monetary returns.
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?
I’d have to bring The Many Colored Land series by Julian May. I probably re-read the whole series at least once a year.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jeff Baker Website
Jeff Baker Amazon Profile
Jeff Baker’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account