An Interview With LitNuts

A book tour with a difference this week! Daughter and father team, Kathleen Meyer and Mike O’Mary, the duo behind LitNuts – are holding this tour to promote their website and newsletter. LitNuts aim to bring the best exciting new books from independent authors & publishers, universities, small & micro presses. I am excited to be part of the tour and I was so pleased to chat all things books with Kathleen and Mike.

But first, let me introduce LitNuts, the brand:

For Readers

So, LitNuts brings you books of short stories, essays, or poetry that many other newsletters refuse to include (because collections don’t sell as well as novels). LitNuts also features new releases and award-winning books that other newsletters exclude because of price. (Many newsletters feature ONLY ebooks priced at $2.99 or less, which is fine – but not all great books are $2.99 or less!).

For authors, you’ll be happy to hear that LitNuts founders Mike O’Mary and Kathleen Meyer handled publishing and marketing for an indie press for more than 10 years. This is important because that means they understand the challenge of getting your books in front of readers.

For Authors

LitNuts is an affordable vehicle that focuses on indie books and has engaged subscribers. Their goal is to help authors increase their book’s sales rank with online retailers, generate more reader reviews, and create positive word-of-mouth.

Toward that end, they are building a subscriber base of booklovers who want to hear from indie presses. And we are focused on keeping things simple and flexible for authors. They offer a flat price of $25, so it’s simple. No tiered pricing or convoluted advertising offers to analyze.

At the same time, they give authors the flexibility to advertise short story, essay and poetry collections, to link to your website so book lovers can purchase directly from you, and to set the price of your e-book according to your needs.

THE INTERVIEW

Linda: Hi Mike and Kathleen, a big warm welcome to my blog. Please introduce yourselves…

Mike: Thanks, Linda, and thanks for having us as guests. My love of books started with The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner and continues to this day. I studied economics, English literature and creative writing in college and graduate school. I’ve always done my own creative writing, but I worked in corporate communications for 30+ years to pay the bills before retiring earlier this year. Today, I’m a writer, book publisher and business partner with my daughter on LitNuts.

Kathleen: I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember. From Little House on the Prairie to Goosebumps to the Diary of Anne Frank – seems like I was always the one getting in trouble in school for reading during class. I studied studio art and art history in college, and then went into marketing – including marketing for my father’s book publishing business. Today, I do marketing for a global company in the 3D printing industry , enjoy time at home with my husband and our two dogs, and read a lot of books!

Linda: What inspired the launch of LitNuts?

Kathleen: It was based mainly on the experience of trying to market books as an independent book publisher. A key part of our marketing strategy was using e-newsletters that promote books. There are a lot of them – and we tried them all!

Mike: We learned which ones got results, and which ones didn’t. We also saw that from the perspective of the author and the publisher, the book newsletter industry was not easy to navigate. There are convoluted promotion packages and tiered pricing structures, which can be confusing. More important, most other newsletters are focused on “bargain” e-books. Everybody likes a bargain, but the reality is that not all great books are $2.99 or less! And nobody was focused on indie books.

Kathleen: Our goal with LitNuts is to do it better: bring a wide selection of indie books to readers—books you might not find elsewhere—and make it simple and inexpensive for authors and publishers.

Linda: The subscriber newsletter – what are the benefits of subscribing as a book lover? What are the benefits for the author?

Kathleen: The nice thing for booklovers is that many e-newsletters about books (including LitNuts!) are free to subscribers. So you can try them out at no risk.

Mike: The downside is that if you subscribe to too many, they can flood your inbox. We tried to simplify things on that front, too. We send LitNuts three days a week (vs daily for some newsletters), and the contents of each newsletter are customized based on your genre preferences.

Kathleen: Of course, the other thing that makes LitNuts different is our focus on indie books. We think that’s a benefit for readers—because indie books often get lost in the shuffle when trying to compete with big publishers for a reader’s attention—and it’s a benefit for authors, too. I think the biggest challenge for any author is marketing. Newsletters are an economical way for authors to get information about their books in front of readers, and a newsletter focused on indie books is a way to get in front of the reader without having to compete with big publishers.

Linda: How do you choose which books get featured? What’s the criteria?

Mike: We’re currently featuring books from one of the largest and one of the fastest growing indie publishers, and we’re inviting many more to feature their books in LitNutsin the months ahead. Indie publishers and authors can also schedule promotions via LitNuts.com.

Kathleen: We also include our own selections of indie books that we think readers will like.

Linda: Obviously you are both nuts about books & literature! Kathleen, what is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?

Kathleen: My go-tos are usually literary fiction and memoirs, but recently I’ve been more interested in nonfiction. This past year has shown me I have a lot to learn about the United States and our history, so I’ve been reading a variety of books to help educate myself and be a better ally to communities I support. When it comes to ebook or actual book—I do both. Our house is full of hardcovers and paperbacks, but sometimes the convenience of my Kindle is tough to beat.

Linda: Mike, a little while ago it was banned book week & it was amazing how many great classics were on the list… and amazing how many banned books on the list I had read! So let’s talk classics – English or American Or whatever – my favourites are The Great Gatsby, Rebecca, Les Miserables & The Alchemist – what are your favourites?

Mike: Funny you should mention Gatsby and Les Miserables. I just finished writing a piece about literary pilgrimages that included information about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatsby’s connections to my old neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. And on a trip to Paris, one of the highlights for Kathleen and me was a tour of Victor Hugo’s home. SoI’m a big fan of Fitzgerald and Hugo…and Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Joyce, D.H. Lawrence,Mark Twain, Faulkner, Hemingway and Nabokov, not to mention Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut. It I were to pick one book to read simply for the beauty of the writing, it would be Madame Bovary or Lolita. I’m sure Lolita is on many lists of banned books today, and Madame Bovary was banned when it was first published in 1857. If I had to pick one book to read for the sheer joy of reading it, that would be The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Linda: Is your subscription service available to worldwide?

Kathleen: Yes. With our newsletter, we provide localized links for Amazon and Apple, so readers can download the e-book or audio editions of the books we feature from almost anywhere in the world. And, of course, if you prefer print, you can order that as well – usually direct from the publisher or author, if you like.

Linda: If you could have dinner with some famous writers, past & present, whowould you want have dinner with and what question would you love to ask them?

Kathleen: I think it’d be fun to have dinner with Mary Roach. I love how she deep dives into various topics, but delivers the information in a funny, approachable way. It’d be exciting to meet her, learn what topics she plans to tackle next, and hear some stories that didn’t make it into her books. He wasn’t a perfect man, but I am a big fan of Roald Dahl’s writing. Maybe we could have a quick cup of tea and he could share a little on how he came up with such twisted stories for both children and adults.

Mike: I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Kurt Vonnegut a few years before he passed away. He was in full Mark Twain mode, telling stories and sharing folksy wisdom: “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” I think Vonnegut would have been a great person to have dinner with. And in true Vonnegut fashion, I envision it going something like this:

Vonnegut: As stupid and vicious as men are, this is a lovely day.

Me: I agree. They told me I could ask you a question.

Vonnegut: Okay.

Me: What would you like to eat?

Linda: Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

Kathleen: Pre-COVID: business casual for being in the office. Blouses, sweaters, slacks, flats. But this year it’s been primarily sweatshirts, more casual tops, and yoga pants. I admit, it is nice to dress up every now and then, but I don’t miss jeans very much! My favorite shoes are a pair of Birkenstocks that I’ve had for probably 15 years. I think my husband hates them, but I love them and will keep wearing them until their last days!

Mike: You know, I have a closet full of suits from my corporate days. But now, I’m pretty casual most of the time. I prefer slacks to jeans unless I’m doing yard work. And as for shoes, I have a lot of great shoes that I don’t get to wear often enough – but when the pandemic ends and people can have parties again, I’ll be ready. For now, my favorites are Clarks.

Linda: Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

Kathleen: I’ve been using Stitch Fix for over a year now. Last year it was great to help stock my work wardrobe. This year, it’s been more about comfortable clothes that are still appropriate for work, but also for running errands and taking the dogs for walks. I also like finding shops that are dual-purpose: I get a cool shirt but my purchase also means a donation to a charity. I’ve found a few online here and there and on Etsy.

Linda: What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

Kathleen: It’s getting cold here in the Chicago area, so I’ve been looking at some warm fleece pullovers and a new pair of Uggs (husband also hates these – but so warm!) to help stay cozy this winter. Chicago winter = everything warm and cozy for me!

Mike: I might be due for a new pair of boots—some heavy duty ones. I’ve had the same pair of insulated leather work boots since college. That’s four decades! On the other hand, they’re still holding up amazingly well, and I could put the money toward spending winters someplace warmer instead!

Linda: Boots or Shoes? ( & Why?)

Kathleen: I like boots for work – booties with tights and a dress, or knee-high boots with leggings and a blouse. Probably shoes for more casual times – like my trusty Birkenstocks!

Mike: Other than my work boots, definitely shoes. Something stylish and comfortable, please, just like me!