Meet Michael Patrick Hicks!

What made you choose Red Adept Editing?

I spent a fair amount of time researching editors, and after reviewing feedback on the company on the KBoards forum and various blogs, and recognizing some familiar names on their publishing side of things, I reached out for a sample edit. The depth of effort that went into that thousand-word sample alone convinced me that I’d be in very good hands here, and the work that went into the development and editing for my manuscript of Convergence blew me away even further. To say that I was impressed with the team Red Adept put together for me is ridiculously insufficient, and when I completed my second manuscript for Emergence, returning to them was a no-brainer. These guys and gals are complete professionals, and they’ve earned my full trust over the last two years of working with them.

You have worked with Stefanie for line editing. What did you enjoy about working with her?

 She has both a keen eye for details and terrific suggestions, and she brings some much-needed levity to the proceedings! Editing can be a real pain sometimes, but Stefanie’s been very good about inserting some funny comments into the track changes to keep the mood light. More importantly, though, was that she also brought a good deal of knowledge on the finer points of writing to the table, and working with her was tremendously educational. The stuff I learned from her during the editing of Convergence meant that working on Emergence was that much smoother. I was able to apply a lot of those tips and tricks going in and save us both a lot of heartache and man-hours (and probably created all new problems for her to deal with!).

What’s your favorite part of writing sci-fi? Do you dabble in any other genres?

 The world building, and the technological apparatuses and MacGuffins they can act as, are my favorite part of writing sci-fi. Science fiction is notoriously checkered when it comes to predicting the future, even near-future concepts like those in both of my science fiction titles, but it’s still fun to think about how Earth and society could turn out in fifty or a hundred years down the line.

I also write straight-up horror and currently have out a short story, Consumption. I recently completed a novella-length title that should be releasing in 2016, so keep an eye on my website for news about that.

What part of self-publishing do you enjoy the most?

Having full control over the process is definitely the most enjoyable. Over the last two years, I’ve been able to assemble a team that I trust fully and can work well with to put out the best books I can. Of course, the revenue you can generate through self-publishing is certainly pretty good, too, given how low royalties can be from mainstream publishers.

Do you do anything special to promote your books?

Not so much, or at least not yet. I want to build a decent catalog of titles before I dive too deeply into marketing and promotions. However, I did do a limited free run on Convergence to promote the release of its sequel, Emergence, when that second book launched, and I was very satisfied with the results. I’ve kept advertising to a minimum at this point, mostly out of budgetary concerns so that I can be sure to invest accordingly in editing and design work. I think, though, that when I have more releases, I’ll be able to market more, and more effectively at that.

You often collaborate with other authors for anthologies. What’s your favorite part of that process?

Getting feedback from the other authors can be invaluable, but my favorite part has been building up relationships with other authors and editors, as well as the anthology curators. Some of the anthologies have dealt with particular themes that I might not have focused on so stringently, and it’s good to flex to those particular storytelling muscles. It’s also a heck of a lot of fun to see what all those other minds have come up with and to be able to check out their stories ahead of the book’s release!

 You have some pretty amazing covers. Who does your cover work?

I’m really happy with the cover designs, and this is definitely a big perk of self-publishing. We authors get to collaborate with cover artists to develop the right matches for our books, which is not always the case outside of self-publishing.

For my two novels, Convergence and Emergence, the covers were designed by Glendon Haddix at Streetlight Graphics.

The covers for my short stories, Revolver and Consumption, were designed by Adam Hall at Around The Pages.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m working a full-time job and raising our first child (currently three months old) with my wife. And those things are pretty time consuming by themselves and don’t leave me with much in the way of free time for various non-work activities. I do try to fit in time for reading, though, whenever possible, and I am a voracious book hoarder and collector. I’ve only recently gotten into collecting signed/limited editions, and also have a nice stack of Marvel Omnibus and DC Absolute editions (though that hobby has fallen by the wayside of late). I’ve also recently become a bit fixated on Funko Pop! figures and have a small stash of those around the home office.

What advice would you give to a new author?

The same advice I got from various other, more seasoned authors: write, write, write. Keep writing. Don’t rest on your laurels and don’t expect instant, overnight success. Realize that you write because you have to write, and that if you’re looking for a “get-rich quick” scheme, there are way better, way easier alternatives than this particular path. You write because you are a writer. So go write!

Where can readers find you?