Why Fantasy Author P.L. Stuart is Exploring the Epic New World of Audiobooks
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Fantasy author P.L. Stuart has been a busy man over the past year. While many of us were still attempting to perfect our sourdough bread in late 2020, Stuart was charting a new path and realizing a lifelong ambition by publishing A Drowned Kingdom. The book is the first volume of a planned seven-book series partially based on the legend of Atlantis and follows Lord Othrun: a flawed hero who seeks to reestablish a realm for his people after his kingdom is destroyed.
Since publishing in February 2021, he has amassed over 25,000 followers on Twitter, garnered rave review after rave review, and worked diligently to help his debut become an award-winning bestseller. And he’s not slowing down in 2022, as A Drowned Kingdom is set to be released as the first-ever FriesenPress-produced audiobook.
We caught up with P.L. Stuart from his home in Chatham, Ontario to talk all things Drowned Kingdom, including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his audiobook, his savvy book marketing advice for new authors, the pressures of following up a hit, and so much more.
What drew you toward writing (and publishing) the fantasy epic that is A Drowned Kingdom?
I had always wanted to write a fantasy book. Fantasy is my first love, and I always felt that I wanted to write a high epic fantasy book and a series that would be remembered for hundreds of years, surviving me long after I’m gone. I thought seriously about writing in my teens but never got around to it. Way, way, way later in life, in my late forties, I finally decided I was in the right headspace.
My wife, Debbie, was extremely supportive of me actually going forward to write and publish a book. She agreed to partner with me, and that was a big deal because she has a marketing background — she’s very savvy with that stuff. And we decided to treat it like a business startup. She’d do the business side, I’d do the writing side. We thought it would work well (and it has).
Another big influence was my mother — who’s still alive, thankfully — who was herself a fantastic writer. She lives in Barbados and she wanted to be a romance fiction writer. She envisioned being a Harlequin romance writer; back when I was younger, you’d see [those titles] in all the corner stores and that’s what she aspired to. She’d written a couple different drafts and eventually submitted one of her manuscripts to a publisher. Unfortunately, it was rejected. Back then, self-publishing really wasn’t the robust option it is now. So, that was it.
That [experience] really inspired me, because my mother was a great writer who never published. I was determined to be someone in our family who published a book, and I thought it’d be really cool to have my mom live vicariously through me and see me with a published book. She’s very happy and proud of me for having done that.
Tell us about the new audiobook edition of A Drowned Kingdom. Has an audiobook been something you’ve always wanted?
You know, it’s funny: I’ve never really listened to audiobooks. But Deb, my lovely wife and my partner in this business, is an avid audiobook reader. She has a commute to work and that’s when she tends to read them. I, however, was never really an audio person. I love the physical, tangible book in my hand, and reading through the pages, looking at maps, and that sort of thing.
However, I’ve always believed that many people who can’t read physical books may otherwise love to read (such as those with visual impairments). And more than that, a lot of people who can consume physical books are finding that their enjoyment is heightened through the act of hearing, rather than visual consumption.
Audiobooks are really hot right now. We figured that, to provide the kind of reading experience we wanted, producing an audiobook was a sound plan that would only help expand our readership and put A Drowned Kingdom in more people’s hands — or, in this case, in their ears.
Describe the production process. How did this audiobook come together?
It was quite an interesting process. We met with the great people on the FriesenPress audiobook team and discussed concepts, my vision, and the book length. We went over some minutiae about page length, whether or not the book was going to be bridged or unabridged, and a lot of the finer details. They really wanted to absorb the book and get a feel for it, so they read it.
I’ve said many times that FriesenPress is the Cadillac or Mercedes of assisted publishing companies in Canada. I felt that if I was going to trust myself with anyone, and if Deb and I were going to invest our money with anyone, it would be with the best because we wanted to produce the best product we could. We selected FriesenPress and we’re thankful that we did. It’s been a great partnership, and the quality of the books (and audiobooks) produced by FriesenPress is top notch.
Based on my feedback, they came up with the excellent idea to use more than one voice actor, which was a really interesting thought because the book is written in and dominated by the first person narrative and perspective of Othrun. For all the many important secondary characters, their idea was to have those characters voiced by another actor, and having Othrun’s remain that distinctive overarching narrative voice, because it’s a very unique voice and viewpoint. We loved it and we went with that direction. Of course, [production] took a while — there have to be many takes to get it perfect.
And hats off to the actors. There was one interview I did where I had to read a passage from A Drowned Kingdom for a podcast, and I made so many mistakes, man. I had to do something like 15 takes for two minutes of recording. Of course, [the voice actors] are professionals, and they sound amazing. The voice actors truly bring those characters to life. And I think when people listen to the audiobook, you will feel like you’re actually listening to Othrun’s voice and the voices of the people that he interacts with. It’s fantastic.
What was it like hearing the audio version of your book for the first time?
Oh my gosh — I got chills when I got the files containing the finished product. I went straight to a specific scene. The first passage I heard was a battle scene, and Adam Kurton (who voices Lord Othrun) is very prominently featured. And there’s also other characters that I knew Sean Polite (the secondary voice actor) would be voicing. For a lot of readers, it’s their favourite chapter of the book. And I was just flabbergasted. I was blown away. That epic feeling was just omnipresent. I could feel it. This was the real deal.
I hope when people listen to it, they feel the same — that it is something thrilling and on such an epic scale. I had hoped that sense could be conveyed through the actors, and I really believe that it is.
With almost 25,000 followers on Twitter, you’ve built a huge online audience for your books. Do you have any marketing advice for new or aspiring authors out there who might be reading this?
I would say that the average independent author needs to start marketing early and often. And what I mean by that is if you have an idea that your book’s going to be released in a year, that’s at least the minimum amount of time you need to start marketing your book, establishing your social media presence, getting a website, and becoming searchable.
You really need to start early, and the earlier the better. Building relationships, letting people understand who you are, what you’re about and getting your brand out there. Making some of those contacts is critical because you learn so much about the publishing industry and writing itself through the contacts and connections you make (especially through social media).
There’s so much there that you can learn from others, and so much you can share because you may have expertise in other areas they don’t. But when you’re a self-published author, and you don’t have a traditional publishing house behind you with a broad distribution reach, you truly need to get your name out there. People will begin to know about you and your book, which will make it easier for you to sell when it’s eventually published.
The other thing I would add is don’t give up and don’t get discouraged. You know, it feels like you’re shouting into the void at first. Some people don’t get the sales right off the mark. It takes a while for their brand to be established, and the recognition to get out there. But keep at it, be persistent, market diligently and somewhat assertively, make those connections, do as many podcasts and interviews as you can, and continue to get the word out. Good things will happen.
On the topic of networking, you’ve been great at networking with and supporting other FriesenPress authors. What’s it been like connecting with some of your self-publishing colleagues?
It’s been such an amazing experience. I’ve learned so much and made such great relationships and friendships. We cannot succeed as authors, whether traditionally published or self-published, in isolation. I believe that it’s all about succeeding as a group. It’s not about competing with each other, because everyone eventually finds an audience for their books. And even within genres — if I write a certain fantasy book, and someone else writes a fantasy book, it’s not the same book. They’re different books and each will have unique people who love it.
We’re not competing against each other. In saying that, since it isn’t a competition, it’s all about helping and boosting each other up and supporting each other. And certainly, I’m not a veteran — I’ve only been published for a year — but I have had some success on the marketing side. I feel that whatever little I know, if I can help someone with that, then that’s part of [being an author]. We succeed as a group. My glory and part of my pleasure in doing this is seeing others succeeding and seeing someone else outselling me.
We all lift each other up and help each other in this writing game, because it can be a tough field to navigate. There can be a lot of pitfalls born of the nature of the business. So the more people you have in your corner, the more people you have supporting you that understand what you’re going through. And you can provide your advice, and support, and commiseration when things are down, and offer praise when things are up. That’s really important.
You’re currently in the midst of publishing the second book in the Drowned Kingdom saga. How have you found the process of penning the follow up to your debut novel?
The writing process was easier in some ways, and a lot harder in others. A lot of my writer friends had mentioned this to me, but you really can feel the pressure of the second book since the first book has met some measure of success. I feel the pressure to be better, to listen to the feedback I have on the first book, address the critiques while still preserving all the positive things that people said about the book.
That pressure can kind of drive you a bit crazy, but at the end of the day you have to write the book that you want to write. Keep your audience in mind, certainly, but still maintain your own integrity and write the book that you feel people want to read. Not specifically catering only to either praise or criticism.
I’m very much a planner, so I know what all my covers will look like for all seven books. I have the plot for all seven books, completely outlined, to a T. I know what the titles are going to be. I know what the book lengths will be, and that will allow me to hopefully produce a quality book each year, and have a series in seven years’ time that a traditionally published writer would probably take a decade or more to get out.
I’ve really tried to improve my own writing, and hopefully the results will speak for themselves. So far, the early results from people who have reviewed the book all seem to agree that it is an even better book, and they seem to be very excited about it and looking forward to the third — which I’m already working on. All in all, it’s going well!
A Drowned Kingdom is available now.
Visit plstuart.com to keep up with the latest on the Drowned Kingdom Saga.
