{"id":992,"date":"2024-08-09T10:53:36","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T10:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookinfluencers.com\/blog\/?p=992"},"modified":"2024-10-15T11:11:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T11:11:04","slug":"becoming-an-author","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookinfluencers.com\/blog\/becoming-an-author\/","title":{"rendered":"BECOMING AN AUTHOR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Getting started as an author can be difficult. Maybe you are already writing your own novel, or writing (fan) fiction online but your dream is to become a published author one day. We\u2019ve got you. We are Paula Heeger<\/a>, community manager at Bookinfluencers and romance author (Dutch debut coming May 2025) and Hanne Eerdekens<\/a> (Flemish author of two queer YA novels). These are our stories, our tips and tricks and everything you need and want to know about writing, finding a publisher, opportunities for young authors and getting into the book world in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PART 1 – ABOUT US & OUR STORY<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Who are we and what do we write?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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HANNE: \u201cMy name is Hanne Eerdekens, I\u2019m a Belgian author, writing Dutch queer young adult novels. My debut novel is called \u2018Met jou is het anders<\/a><\/em>\u2019, a story about a teen boy discovering his sexuality through the pressure of social media. My second book, \u2018Polaris<\/a><\/em>\u2019, which comes out next month, is about a girl who, after losing her best friend, tries to get her life back on track with the help of an advent calendar made by that best friend, and she is confronted with her sexuality along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PAULA: \u201cI\u2019m Paula Heeger, community manager at bookinfluencers.com, freelancer, booktoker and an author (it still feels a bit weird to say that!) I already wrote a short romance story called Boekhandel aan zee<\/em> that got published in Slipperdagen & Zomerjurken, filled with stories by 8 authors set in summer. My first romance novel will be published in Dutch at Zomer & Keuning in May 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What do you hope readers take away from your book(s)?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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PAULA: \u201cI love to write about complex characters – people who have been through difficult things in life. Whether it\u2019s losing someone you love or heartbreak. I try to find the balance between in my stories, the balance we all seek after those things happen, between giving something a little place in your heart and going on with your life and laughing again. Hopefully readers will laugh while reading my debut, but they might need a tissue on the side as well for a little tear. I hope they will see that laughing out loud and crying or grieving can exist together in life. You can cry in public when you see peanut butter in the grocery store because it reminds you of a loved one that passed away, but years or months later the same peanut butter makes you smile, because it makes you think about them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HANNE: \u201cI hope that people who can relate find comfort in them, and see themselves represented in the characters. For people who aren\u2019t queer themselves, I hope they learn something by stepping in the shoes of someone who is. Reading enhances empathy, so I hope those people learn something from that different perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PART 2 – GETTING STARTED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How do you start as a young writer with a dream to become a published author?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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HANNE: \u201cI\u2019ve been writing since I learned how to write, from cringy hand-written stories to short stories and fan-fictions. I had always dreamed of becoming a published author, but I thought that was still years away, until I wrote \u2018Met jou is het anders<\/em>\u2019. I wrote that book for myself because I missed the queer young adult genre in Dutch literature, but when I finished, I wondered if there would be an audience out there with people like me, waiting for books like these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Novelish | Hanne Eerdekens (@novelishbooks)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n