Interview with Nicole McArdle

Photo by Nicole McArdle

Pubslush is one of the best online resources for up-and-coming writers. I had never heard of it before I met Nicole, which is a tragedy. If you're a writer, you definitely need to know what this website is about. Interested? Keep reading.

How did you get involved with Pubslush?

I studied advertising and marketing at SUNY FIT, which of course is best know for their amazing fashion majors. I knew almost immediately that I wanted nothing to do with the fashion industry, but wanted to utilize all that I was learning in my major in an industry I loved- publishing. That being said, as a transfer student, I found myself almost at graduation with only one internship under my belt, so I began a frantic search for internships within the publishing industry, which is how I found Pubslush  Once hired, I was in charge of running social media accounts for a Pubslush author, and was given the freedom to execute a lot of my ideas (perks of interning at a startup). I instantly fell in love with what the company was doing and became good friends with my co-workers, so when they offered me a full time position a year later, I didn't even think twice about accepting.

What makes your organization unique?

Pubslush is a pre-publication platform that allows authors and publishers to raise funds and/or collect pre-orders while implementing strategic marketing before publication. We are niche, allowing us to cater to authors and publishers while providing them with a hands on experience. We're unique in that there really is no one else doing what we do for authors.

How do you decide if you want to follow someone on Twitter?

Love this question, and this can actually help authors, or any business owner for that matter when working on their own twitter accounts. The minute I see automated, generic tweets, I know not to follow someone. To me, Twitter is one of the best tools to connect with people, and while scheduling tweets is a great idea, having disingenuous tweets going out every hour a day screams spam. I like to follow people who have similar interests, specifically authors, writers, publishers etc. because I always like to build connections within the industry. For me, a twitter account that manages to find a balance between having personality and being professional, is one that I want to follow.

What's your favorite candy?

On the sweet side, gummy bears. On the chocolate side Maltesers.

Talk to me about your Women on Wednesday feature. Where did it come from? How important do you think it is to have a feature like that? Why?

Women on Wednesday is one of my favorite segments on the blog because it aims to highlight female authors while inspiring the authors reading the interview, who may be struggling to get published. Every writer has a story, and the journey to getting published always tends to be an interesting one, and a great reminder to first time authors to not give up!

You recently interviewed me for Project Blogger (which I LOVED). What's that all about? How can other bloggers get involved?

Project Blogger is a fairly new segment, that allows me to feature people who are outside of the publishing industry. I started this segment because so many of my favorite bloggers began to write books about their blogging experiences, so I wanted to have the opportunity to not only feature them but to let them know Pubslush was there to help when the time came to publish.

What do you write? What types of stories are you drawn toward?

I love creative writing, I minored in it college and found that while most of my classmates were complaining about the length of their senior thesis, I was complaining that I couldn't write more. For me, creative writing has always been therapeutic it's amazing how much better you can feel after getting your thoughts on paper. That being said, I tend to love memoir more than any other genre. Knowing that events I'm reading about actually occurred, just brings a whole new level of depth to a book.

Who are your favorite authors? What about favorite books? 

I always feel like picking a favorite author is like picking a favorite child! If I had to choose I would probably say Wally Lamb because his stories are so beautifully crafted, David Sedaris because he always gets me to laugh out loud with his hilarious essays and Jaimie McGuire, not only because her books are the perfect light and steamy read but because I've been following her journey since she was an essentially unknown author selling her books for 99 cents on Nook. Since then she has gained a cult following and was picked up by Simon and Schuster. She is the perfect example of a self-published author persevering.

As far as favorite books, I'd have to say White Oleander, Catcher In The Rye, Middle Sex and Beautiful Disaster. I've read all of these multiple times and always manage to get something new out of them each time.

I just discovered the Writer's Corner section of Pubslush. What is it? How does it work?

Writers Corner is the newest addition to the blog. It's basically a way for writers to share and promote their work for free. We're always accepting submissions so if anyone's interested let me know! 

How important is social media marketing to writers' success? How can writers use this strategy without annoying people?

Social media marketing is vital to authors and when done correctly, can significantly impact the success of their book. My advice to authors is always this, pick one social media platform that you feel the most comfortable with and run with that. Don't try to be a pro on every platform that's out there because you'll spread yourself thin. Second piece of advice, think of this process like dating. You have to take it slow and steady, and be genuine. Tweeting PLEASE BUY MY BOOK five times a day, is the best way to get people not to buy it!

Nicole McArdle is the Marketing Director at Pubslush, a pre-publication platform for authors and publishers. When she isn't helping authors strategize their campaigns, or tweeting away, you can find her in a Starbucks reading, or on a plane traveling the world. She likes to make new friends and share publishing tips, so shoot her a quick hello at @nicolemmcardle or nicole@pubslush.com.

What do you think of Pubslush? What are your thoughts on social media for writers?