Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracy Solheim.
Tracy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve been writing all of my life. As a teenager, I edited my high school newspaper and wrote for the local paper. I earned a degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee and took a job writing reports and testimony for Congress. I had a fun Walter Mitty experience when I took a hiatus from my congressional gig to work for NBC Sports during the coverage of the summer Olympic games in South Korea. I began writing for pleasure when I was on vacation at the beach with no reading material. Those scribbles on a legal pad ended up becoming my first published romantic fiction, Game On. The book came out in 2013, and I’ve had fifteen additional books published since then.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hardly! The publishing industry was completely turned on its ear right around the time my first book was released. The invention of the e-reader brought about a seismic shift in how books got into the hands of readers. Authors could upload their books directly to sites like Amazon or Apple, bypassing agents and publishing houses altogether. The genre fiction market–particularly romance–expanded dramatically. This was great news for readers and authors whose books didn’t fit into the cookie-cutter parameters editors were buying. This opened the door to new and diverse voices in storytelling.
My first twelve titles were published by a publishing company. Now, however, I publish my books myself. Why would I do that? Control. I have complete control over my brand from creating covers to setting the price to running ads. Of course, that means that I’m not only writing books, I’m running my own small company at the same time. I create the content, produce the content, and market the content. It’s a LOT more work than I thought it would be. But in the end, I reap all the benefits.
Did I mention I’m doing all of this with low vision? My eyesight has been an obstacle I’ve had to adapt to my entire life. Fortunately, technology has advanced over the decades.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels. I’m most proud of the fact that I set a goal to be published by the time I was 50, and I achieved that goal. I sold the first fiction book I ever wrote. And I’ve published fifteen more books while navigating low vision.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
My books are available to buy at your local indie bookstore–including Read It Again in Suwanee. If you go to a bookstore and it’s not on the shelf, ask them to order it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tracysolheim.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracysolheimauthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TracySolheimBooks
