Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerald Anderson.
Hi Gerald, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m originally from Tampa, Florida. I spent 20 years in the US Air Force. I retired from Andrews AFB, Maryland, and decided to stay here. Growing up I always loved writing. As a young man, I dreamed of being an author one day but never pursued my dream until 2008, after I graduated from the University of Cincinnati.
The final course of my master’s degree program was writing a 50-page paper on criminal justice. After extensive research and writing of that paper, I decided to write for my enjoyment. That led to my first novel, We Come in Peace.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There were some struggles for sure along the way. When I set out to publish my first book I had no idea how to do it.
I landed on this company that promised to publish my book for me and have it in all the stores. I was excited, so much so, that I didn’t read the contract thoroughly. At the end of the process, they took 70% of my royalties and I couldn’t purchase my own book at a wholesale price unless I purchased thousands of books.
To this date, I still do not have the rights to my book. I can only get the rights back if I pay them for it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud of my collection of books that I have published over the years. At the time of this interview, I have 24 titles now. My book’s genres include Christian fiction, mystery, thriller, science fiction, and romance. The one I am most proud of is Standing Firm (One Family’s Fight Against Domestic Violence).
That book was made into a movie and my tour included speaking to women who have survived domestic violence. I was honored to have a group of them come to my book launch. That was a great overall experience for me. My latest domestic violence novel, Fatal Misperceptions, has also done well on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited platform. To date, it’s the most-read book on that platform I have.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The Indie publishing/authors/writer’s industry is ever-changing. Thirty years ago it was difficult to become a published author. With the advent of computers, the internet, and technology overall, it is easier to become an author. The problem with that is great books go unread because there are so many books out that aren’t high quality.
For example, a friend of mine told me once she read an author’s book and told him there was a part missing. He told her “Oh well.” Meaning he wouldn’t fix the book. These types of books make true readers stop reading Indie books. I believe Indie authors will rise but we will need to rise over the noise. The noise is those Indie books published without concern about the quality of the product being put out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.
geraldcandersonsr.com - Instagram: www.instagram.com/
geraldcandersonsr - Facebook: www.facebook.com/
geraldcandersonsr - Twitter: www.twitter.com/
geraldcanderson - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/@TheLyfeMagazine/featured
Image Credits
Rich & Company
