7 Answers from an Author: Nicolas Lietzau
Welcome to a new feature of my Self-Publishing 101 blog! On occasion, I will post short yet informative interviews with indie authors (and others), so that we can learn from each other and other people in the business. There’s no one right way to do anything—especially when it comes to writing and self-publishing—and if we share what we know, we surely will discover new ways to do things, and hopefully to get ahead.
My first interview is fantasy writer Nicolas Lietzau. His Dreams of the Dying: The Dark Corners of Our Mind came out in October 2020. I was privileged to be one of the editors for this book. It’s an epic story of an ex-mercenary drifter named Jespar Dal’Varek, who faces his inner demons as he attempts to save a coma-stricken king and his empire.
Nicolas is a German author best known for writing the award-winning indie videogame Enderal, which grew from a niche favorite into a cult hit. Dreams of the Dying is based on that world.
Growing up in both the heart of Munich and a bucolic Bavarian farmhouse, his love for stories began with German fairy tales and was nurtured by fiction that ranged from fantasy to horror to historical to literary.
A turbulent childhood, homes in five different countries, and a loss of reality he suffered due to experiments in lucid dreaming all played parts in shaping his writing. Nicolas is drawn to people and experiences that veer off the beaten path.
When he’s not writing or reading, he makes music, travels, longboards, studies languages, and experiences as much of the world as he can. He’s currently working on the second novel in the Enderal trilogy.
1) How long did it take you to write the book, and what do you miss about it now that it’s finished?
As it is so often the case, Dreams of the Dying went through many, many drafts, but it also had two releases. I started it as an episodic web novel back in 2018, which I released to the Enderal community via my Patreon. When it did well, and more and more people asked for a physical release, I sat down and rewrote it completely to iron out some of the deep structural flaws the web edition had. [This] took me another one and a half years, until I published the final version in December 2020.
I have a strange habit of mentally shelving completed projects to the point where I completely forget about them, so there isn't a lot I'm missing. The periodic feedback from fans during the web release was immensely helpful, but the episodic format also had its downsides so that I don't think I'll be doing it again.
2) What’s one book (fiction or nonfiction) that changed your life?
Probably Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
3) What’s one thing you wish you had learned about the writing, publishing, or marketing/promotion process sooner than you actually did?
That research is vital, and that the internet has a wealth of impressively helpful experts willing to [share] their knowledge.
4) If you could go back in time and talk to the writer you were at the start of your writing journey, what would you say?
I would probably encourage him to not give up and to stick to his dreams. I would also emphasize the importance of humility towards one's own skills—you never stop learning—and to never underestimate how much luck factors into just about any creative endeavor.
5) What’s one thing writers can do right now to improve their writing?
Listen, listen, and listen. The most valuable and inspiring stories often come from people around you, and at the risk of sounding alarmist, I feel that our social media–driven world can sometimes make it hard to stop focusing on ourselves and how we appear to others for even a few moments.
6) What’s one thing authors can do right now to promote their book?
Reach out to reviewers, but only after thoroughly researching their channel! I was surprised to hear how many reviewers get copy/paste review requests starting with "Dear YouTuber." Especially if you're starting out, you are asking them to take a leap of faith and invest valuable time into reading a book they know nothing about. Researching their channel and asking yourself if they, based on their taste and personality, will even be interested in your story is the least you can do.
7) What’s your next move?
I'm spending the next few years as a digital nomad writer to gather as much inspiration as I can.
www.NicolasLietzau.com
Follow Nicolas on Twitter @Niseamtao
Follow Nicolas on Instagram @niseam_stories
Buy Dreams of the Dying on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Dying-Corners-Minds-Enderal/dp/3982216745/
Buy Dreams of the Dying from a local bookshop: https://bookshop.org/books/dreams-of-the-dying-the-dark-corners-of-our-minds/9783982216737
