About Rachel Richards:
After years of struggling with an eating disorder, author Rachel Richards turned her life around and now helps others in pain.
Returning to school after earning her BFA in theater from Hofstra University, she graduated from the Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences and started her own private practice in Manhattan as a licensed and board-certified massage therapist. She hosts a popular YouTube channel and has written many articles on health and self-care, which can be found at www.Rachel-Richards.com.
What inspires you to write?
I write because I have an overwhelming need to communicate something important to masses of people. I felt an urgency with Hungry for Life. My fingers couldn't type quickly enough to keep up with the words flooding my brain.
If I'm feeling uninspired, I take a break. Perhaps read a good book to give me ideas. It also helps to reread what I've already written.
Tell us about your writing process.
It's different for each work, but with my book, Hungry for Life, I began with a stream of consciousness. Just typed my story as it came to me. Then, I looked at the 200-page disaster and began to give it some shape. I continued in this way until I had a finished work that I was proud of. It's like a sculptor chiseling away at a block.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
What advice would you give other writers?
Do what you're passionate about. The laundry and the dishes can wait.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I first pitched my memoir to about a hundred literary agents. Some were interested, but the feedback was always the same: publishers wouldn't accept it because I didn't have a big enough platform.
This was my first major venture as a writer, and since I was also a massage therapist with a busy private practice, and the mother of a toddler, I didn't have adequate time to build a large following. That was okay with me. I decided to self-publish and was happy I did. I didn’t need to compromise on things like the title or my cover art. I felt it was appropriate that I had full control over my book, since it was my own memoir.
There are so many options in the world of self-publishing, and I learned a tremendous amount about the process.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think the self-publishing industry will continue to grow.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: memoir, health and self-care, mental health
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Rachel Richards Home Page Link
Link To Rachel Richards Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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