Author Interview: Andre Louis
author of “Make America Date Again: One Man’s Accidentally Insightful Take on Dating and Relationships in the 21st Century”
Humorist Andre Louis is the author of “Make America Date Again: One Man’s Accidentally Insightful Take on Dating and Relationships in the 21st Century”, “Authoring While Black: Assorted Musings from a Black Gen Exer” and “Bridge Over Holy Water: A Practical (and Probably Sacrilegious) Guide to Christianity.” I talked with him for a while to get his approach to writing his stories.
What inspired your latest book?
Each of my books were inspired by real life and each one represents a certain piece of my identity. As a Christian, black man, with a dating past (and, of course, current status as a married man), each book is a reflection – albeit a satirical reflection - of who I am.
Did you start with an outline or did you make it up as you went along?
I generally write my books a section at a time and then organize it all at the end. Trying to create outlines is a little restrictive to me. It kind of forces you to color inside the pages. I like the randomness of my writing. However, it never hurts to have a general blueprint for the story you want to tell.
What researching methods did you use?
Nothing of mine follows any kind of true academic rigor. All of my books are based on real-life and personal experiences, so none of my content is “researched.”
What else did you get the things you wrote about from?
Again, life is the best teacher and the best contributor.
How did your publish?
I self-published through Amazon. Jeff Bezos has claimed yet another soul for his collection.
Why did you do it that way?
I wanted to cut out “the middle man” in getting my books published. I was also appealed by the idea of earning more in royalties. But, in hindsight, I don’t feel as if my books are reaching their full selling potential as independently-published works.
What advice would you have for writers looking to publish the way you published?
Thoroughly research the pros and cons of self-publishing before you make any real decisions. Ask yourself what you may be getting or losing by self-publishing or by enlisting the serves of a publisher.
Do you have representation? if so, how did you land it?
I am currently unrepresented. Though I have considered hiring an agent. I feel like an agent would have a greater reach into the literary market than I would.
Who did your cover and marketing?
I designed each of my own covers and I do my own marketing through various social media platforms. Having a village of family and friends to help spread the word is always helpful too, especially living in a small city and having a very short reach.
How many revisions did it take to get a publishable book?
I’ve gone through several edits of each book. A writing friend of mine agreed to edit each of the projects. But even with his keen eye, I’ve found all kinds of typos in each of the books after they were published. I figure “Hey. If I ever get famous, the folks who have my original typo-filled books can probably make a fortune.”
What is the ratio of time you spent researching to time you spent writing?
100% writing, 0% research. The better question would be to assess the ratio of time making stuff up to writing. In which case, it’s probably closer to 50/50.
How did you make time to write?
I would often devote nights and weekends to writing. Having a supportive spouse helped tremendously! But I would often carry my laptop or tablet with me wherever I went, in case I got inspired. At church. At work. At the barbershop. In the middle of getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist (which, oddly enough, has happened on more than one occasion).
what was your go-to writing software/app for your writing process?
I’m old school in the sense that a simple Word doc is all I need. A Word doc to me is what a typewriter, paper, and ink were to the OG’s. However, Amazon has a program that helps to convert digital work into something publishable, especially through its Kindle branding.
How does your published book enhance your other ventures?
At the risk of sounding modest (or whatever the term might be), it really hasn’t. My world is still rotating on the same axis it has been before I started writing books. I would love to dabble in the ‘good problem’ world of dealing with books that have a meteoric rise. But I’m still in the same universe as I was before and after my books. Lame, I know.
Who are the people that would benefit the most from reading your book, and how did you determine that?
I think people interested in looking at complex issues from a light-hearted place are the ones most likely to benefit from my books. People who are in the mood to think a little, laugh more, and think a little more after that are definitely the target audience.
How did you decide what order to present your topics in?
I first started writing on a blog years ago. When I decided to write my first book, I used certain viewer metrics to see which topics generated the most traffic and received the most engagement. From there, it was basically a coin toss.
How did you ensure that your advice, memories, and recollections were accurate?
Who says they are? *cue the sinister laugh and thunder and lightning* On the real, the few anecdotes I use are taken directly from my own life. But most of the content is a product of my opinions and personal takes. Opinions aren’t examined under a microscope. Personal feelings don’t have an atomic weight. There is nothing scientific to the way I write. That’s probably a good thing. All the bad dating advice from “Make America Date Again” alone would force me to write a least one retraction a week for the next twenty years.
What would you like your readers to gain from reading your book?
After they finish saying “This dude seriously needs some help.”, I want my readers to see that I’m willing to take on complex issues with an element of irreverent humor, and doing so without coming across as too preachy. If done correctly, comedy can break down the barriers that we put up. Now, whether or not my books are actually funny is a whole other conversation.
How did you go about deciding which topics to include and which ones to leave out?
Topically, nothing was out of bounds. I did try – and sorta failed to some extent – not to mention specific people. But in those situations, I didn’t divulge their identities. Still, the folks who knew...knew. In hindsight, I regret doing that, even if their stories and situations added value to the content.
How do you determine what is or isn’t funny enough to include in your writing?
Honestly, I don’t. It’s sort of a free-for-all. Outside of asking myself if something will land me jobless or stuck inside of a Russian prison camp, I don’t typically think about the ramifications of my writings. “Can’t please ‘em all” is sorta my mantra.
How do you determine which of your humor is or isn’t in poor taste? Do you have any lines you refuse to cross?
This one is tricky. Mostly because, humor is subjective. What’s funny to one person is a trip to HR for another person. I suppose the only solution is to tell your truth or don’t. There really isn’t an in-between.
What are you writing now?
I’ve started working on a fourth book, where I poke fun at both sides of the political spectrum. This book will require a little more research than what I’m used to, mostly because of the nature of the topic. In order to ridicule politics, I have to first understand it.
What is your advice to other writers?
First, don’t write to make money. You’ll likely make more money scraping dead squirrels off the side of the road than you will from writing books. Next, I’d say writing doesn’t have an age limit to it. You might not be able to make the NBA at the age of 45, but you can definitely churn out a book or two. Finally, have thick skin if (and possibly “when”) your book doesn’t earn the kind of validation you think it deserves. Sometimes I feel like I’m in the movie “American Fiction”, where my writing is often overlooked at the expense of books than are...well...not that great. Let go of the hubris and the ego, keep writing, and hope your work resonates with somebody.
You can check out Andre's books at www.andrelouis.net/books
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