Cove Penn interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

Hi, I'm Cove! I am a nonbinary author located in Ontario, Canada. I have always had a passion for all forms of art, though drawing and writing were always my favourite. I am 18 and have one book published at the time of writing this. I enjoy bubble tea, thrift shopping and a guilty pleasure of all jalapeño-flavoured foods.

When did your love of books begin?

When I was a child, I loved reading. I was constantly nagged by teachers to put the book away during class. My dad actually had to stop buying me books because I would finish them in under an hour and then immediately need another. 

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

It was always there, if I'm honest. When I was around 3 I started trying to practice a signature and pretend that I was signing some important, historically changing document. I wanted to learn how to write before I learned to read and got sad when I realized that wasn't possible. Writing has always been an active part of my life, ever since I was young. I think the drive to publish came from the need to see more diverse representation in the media and the desire to share my stories with the world.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

Long and tiring. Disheartening, if I'm honest. It was always my dream, but it doesn't seem to be coming as easy as I expected. The publishing was actually super easy, which was definitely a pleasant surprise, but getting people interested in your book takes time. 

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Do. Not. Pay. For. Publishing. I'm serious. There are people who will charge you money to publish, actual thousands of dollars, and boast claims like "We can get you NYT bestseller!" I don't know how these people haven't been sued yet but they will take advantage of you. People I know have lost tens of thousands. Not only that, they will never leave you alone. I had to change my number to get them to go away. iUniverse publishing and Author's Tranquility are notorious for that and will spam you multiple times a day begging for money. Don't spend multiple thousand dollars on someone making false promises. My book was available on Amazon in under 72 hours for free with Kindle Direct Publishing. Another thing I will note is, as a new author, do not put your ebook on Kindle. If they have a Kindle subscription, you will be lucky to make a single cent.  You get paid .578 cents per page read, or $57.80 per 10,000 pages read, meaning that if you're a new author, you're lucky to make $5. Kindle uses your content to market themselves.

Tell us about your book/books:

Duality is a story about a strong-willed woman who gets roped into a deal with a demon. There are many topics featured, including LGBTQ+ rep, POC rep, abuse, trauma and even features a selective mute character. My goal was to create as much diversity as possible in hopes that other people could read it and relate.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

They're so welcoming. I was so surprised. The writing community on Twitter specifically is unlike anything I have ever seen, and as a new writer, I recommend that being the first place you start. Use the #writerslift. You will see results.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

You got this. I know things get hard sometimes, and I hope that my book might offer some comfort, some representation, anything that helps you find some kind of helpful message. If you are a young author, don't give up. I started off roleplaying and writing fanfiction on Wattpad. If I can publish a book, you can, too. Know that I'm proud of you, and I love you. If people can hate for no reason, I can love. I know you're gonna get through whatever barriers stand in your way.

Where can people connect with you?

https://linktr.ee/covepenn is where you can find all updated links, including my Discord server, Twitter, Goodreads and Amazon page. I hope to see you there soon!