In honor of Read-A-Romance Month and Romance Awareness Month, this August we’ll once again be sharing some new, focused insights of indie romance authors who have been navigating the world of the genre and writing all about love in their latest novels. To read this year’s article, click here! Here, you can read the full interview with Kandi Steiner. For her website and social media, see below! All photos by Jack Hamm.
How did you first get into writing romance novels – why romance? Do you have any stories you’d like to share about your initial experiences in this particular genre and how they have influenced your journey going forward?
I have been in love with love ever since I can remember. Love has always fascinated me, how powerful and wonderful it is and yet how much it can hurt. When I graduated from college, I actually planned to write nonfiction books – which was my focus in undergrad. However, with my studies behind me, I began reading for pleasure again, and I stumbled upon Fifty Shades of Grey. I read a few independent authors after that and before I knew it, my own stories were brewing inside my mind. I set out to write my first romance novel as a New Year’s resolution, and I published it on my twenty-fourth birthday. The rest is history!
One thing I remember about the beginning of my journey is that there were very little resources available. To learn how to independently publish, you just had to… do it. There were no courses to buy or conferences to attend, there were no YouTube how-to videos or Google answers. Because of that, I relied heavily on the generosity of other women already in the space who took the time to share their knowledge with me. One such author was Jillian Dodd, who treated me with kindness and believed in me from the start. I never forgot that, and I’ve strived to live my own indie journey in the same way, sharing knowledge and support to others whenever possible.
What does your writing process typically look like? Where do you gain inspiration from, especially because there is a depth and complexity to these stories that set them apart from traditional conceptions of romance novels?
I am inspired by life – as beautiful and messy as it is. Traveling has always been important to me and part of it is because it opens my mind to new stories, cultures, and ideas. I love to talk to strangers when I travel, to sit down at a bar and ask them to tell me about the first time they had their heart broken. I love meeting new people or talking to old friends and asking them to share their vulnerabilities.
Usually, my stories start out as a flash of an idea – a character, a piece of dialogue, a scenario – and I jot that down in the notes app on my phone. From there, that character may begin to speak more to me, and I continue writing down notes until the noise becomes so loud I know it’s time to write that story.
From there, my writing process becomes more structured. I spend a few weeks in the planning stages, mostly in character development. I like to feel as if they are my best friends by the time I start writing the book, which means I dive into everything from their birthdays and hobbies and careers to their deepest fears and motivations. Then, I outline the story as I see it, filling in as many gaps as I can, and begin writing. I typically have 80% of the book plotted and about 20% happens organically.
I have a group of alpha readers who read as I write, providing feedback that helps keep me on track. I also have a group of beta readers who read when the rough draft is complete. After extensive edits, the manuscript goes to my editor, and I do one final round of edits before it’s on to formatting.
How do you approach determining the nature of the plot or the trope(s) that you pursue in a given novel? Do you tend to stick with what is popular among readers or what is trending at the moment?
Oh, how I wish that I could! It would be so lovely if I had a dark romance or romantasy idea locked and loaded. For me, it’s more of a feeling. My characters and stories really do speak to me. I have hundreds of notes in my phone titled “Book Idea” with everything from one sentence of inspiration to an entire conversation of dialogue. I tend to focus on whatever story/series I’m writing at the present moment, and then as I near the end, I open up that notes app and see what speaks to me. Most times, I already know which one I’m reaching for because I’ve been in there jotting down notes feverishly for months.
I will say, for me, I always like to ask myself WHY I feel the need or want to write a story. Usually, it’s because there is a message within it that I feel is important and that I want to share with my readers.
Are there other key decisions at any point in the writing process that you tend to struggle with, or that are particularly notable?
Because characters are such a huge guiding force in my books, the first 30% or so is the most difficult part to write for me. I’m still getting to know them, figuring out their voices, and it takes me longer to write in that first bit. But once I start to feel them, it’s like turning a faucet from a drip to a waterfall – everything starts flowing. Then, it’s almost as if I’m sucked into a movie or a dream playing out in my head. I sometimes don’t even realize I’m writing!
How do you curate a cohesive aesthetic and visuals for your stories and series? What about the creation of merchandise that pairs with your stories? What sorts of artists and creatives do you normally consult for your vision to be realized?
I have background in design that I feel has helped me nail my vision as an independent author. For most of my career, I designed all of my covers and the graphics to go along with them. But that vision came to life thanks to the photography of Lauren Perry and the guidance from another designer friend and author – Staci Hart.
In recent years, as I’ve branched into the traditional publishing world, I’ve gained experience working with other designers and thinking about how I want my books to be packaged. For me, it’s all about the feeling of the book – is it light and fun? Angsty and messy? Heartbreaking? I want the cover and all the marketing to match the vibes inside the pages. So, for instance, the illustration from Sarah Jane for The Wrong Game and The Right Player was perfect – she captured the romantic comedy aspect and told the reader, “Hey, there’s a lot of fun inside this book.” But with A Love Letter to Whiskey, the book is more subtle – no cartoon characters, no models, not even an object. It’s a feeling. Bold, beautiful script like you might find inside a desperate love letter, the ocean and sand marbled into the design.
In the end, it’s all about what you’re selling and how to convey that in just one glance. It’s the toughest part of the job, for sure!
Going off of this, explain the process of seeking out and attaining cover photos/art for your books. What is it like to choose designs and/or models that best fit your story?
Once I found Lauren Perry, she was my go-to photographer for years. She uses real couples that she meets through engagement and wedding shoots, and the chemistry between lovers in real life just can’t be matched!
When I decided to try out male models for my first full sports series, I was approached by Ren Saliba and just loved his work. Similarly, other photographers have approached me throughout the years and if they have a photo that fits for my books or series, I roll with it.
As far as design, I still design a lot of my covers – about 90% of them. When I feel like I can’t execute my vision, I lean on my good friend Staci Hart who also does illustration and cover design.
I am branching into working with new people for special editions, but don’t have enough experience to speak on that just yet.
If you use real people on your covers, is it difficult to find models that align with the characters in your mind? Do you pick the model(s) before or after writing the character or couple?
This is a great question – and the answer varies depending on book/time in my career. I used to always see the characters in my mind first and then sometimes it WAS a struggle to find the right models to portray them. But once I began working with Lauren Perry, she would send me couples and I began to see stories unfolding for them in my head. That certainly helped the process because I wrote for them instead of creating someone in my mind and then worrying about accurately portraying them.
With my male models, I almost always purchased the photos years in advance, so I’d see the whole team and plan out the stories based on the photographs.
What I love about working with Arndell as my publisher now is that I can lean into writing the characters as they come to me. I know we can use illustration or design to capture the story since we aren’t wrapping the book up in a model cover. That has been fun, to let myself dream up an image again!
When it comes to illustrated or discreet covers, whether this be cartoon illustrations or more subtle designs, what is your thought process?
For me, I want my discreet editions to feel like what I call a “coffee table book.” What I mean by that is that I want them to be so beautiful that they’re not just a book, but also a piece of decor. I want people to feel the desire to display them on a table or turned out on their shelves. So if you look at some of my discreet designs – for example, The Red Zone Rivals or Kings of the Ice series – you’ll see that I tend to go for beautiful and cohesive design as opposed to focusing too intently on illustrations or objects.
Working with Arndell, however, I’ve thought more along the lines of what would make a reader stop strolling in a bookstore and pick my book up. For the Love of the Game series, illustration stood out to me. I feel like Sarah Jane’s characters portray exactly what you’ll get inside. And for A Love Letter to Whiskey, I think that title alone will make readers curious. I hoped to create a beautiful design that would make the reader pause, and I think Cat with TRC Designs really achieved that!
To what extent has the cover design process changed/evolved over time based on trends and the cover styles and design choices that are deemed most popular at the moment? What is your overall perception of the fluctuating nature of book aesthetics? How have these been impacted by both reader preferences and social media discourse?
As someone who has been in this career for eleven years now, all I can say is that the only constant is change. EVERYTHING changes – what tropes and vibes are popular, book cover trends, authors who are “hot.” I tend to be one of the people who finds appreciation for all designs, from model covers to discreet, so I’ve never felt myself falling into any sort of curmudgeon mindset. If anything, I get excited about the opportunity to try new things.
For example, it was in 2021 that I really started to see the demand from readers on TikTok for more discreet covers. Up until that point, I’d had models only. But instead of getting angry or defiant, I took it as an opportunity. I began to design discreet editions not just for future books, but for my backlist titles, too. It was this decision that made paperback sales go from approximately 10% of my sales to almost 40%. And I had a blast doing it!
I think things evolve based on a number of factors. Readers loved model covers for a long time and I think part of that was that the models were romantic but also that women liked to proudly display that they were reading romance books and it was their right to. They wanted people to stop them and ask, “WHOA. What is that you’re reading?!”
But then, as TikTok began to really embrace the book community, I think especially young women readers found that attention to be too much. They wanted to be able to read at the pool or beach, on the train or plane, or in the same room with their grandmother without people raising eyebrows and wondering what they were reading.
I think the cartoon-style covers became popular because they’re adorable! It’s almost like seeing your favorite characters come to life as a movie. You can imagine them as the Disney characters you grew up loving. It’s fun!
No matter what the trends do, I just remind myself to have fun and lean into it. Some of my favorite covers might never have been born if I’d just decided to stick to what I knew.
Social media, particularly TikTok in recent years, has played a huge role in book promotion with the advent of “BookTok” and the progression of online fandom activities that have existed for decades. How has social media provided a platform for promoting/marketing your books and creating a fandom space for your novels? Do you have any notable stories in mind about your works going viral or skyrocketing via social media?
Social media has been absolutely instrumental in my career since the beginning. I think people look at my like a dinosaur now when I say this, but Facebook Live was what really changed the game for me back in the day. I would post on Wednesdays to ask readers to help me make my writing goal for Writing Wednesday using likes, comments, and shares. Then, I’d go live and show them my set up – usually cheese sticks from Pizza Hut and a beer. I’d jabber with them for a while, go write, and then report back on how I did. It was the first time readers had access to me as a person and not just someone trying to sell something, and it changed everything for me.
I loved that feeling of talking to my readers – and I still do. I have worked hard to cultivate a great online community with readers who feel like we are all family. I have a Facebook group with 11,000+ members and more than 200,000 followers across my Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts.
BookTok in particular leveled up my books in a way I never imagined. I got on the app in 2021 and found a community hungry for romance books – and they’d never heard of me before. It was so fun back then, being creative and trying to think of ways to make a video go viral. While that sort of organic reach is dead today, I think it made an amazing community and helped many authors like myself reach new people.
One notable TikTok moment I had was with The Wrong Game. I made a video with b roll footage from me attending Buccaneers games and did a voiceover pretending to be Gemma from the book. It went viral overnight, and I remember waking up the next morning and opening TikTok and then my jaw hit the floor. It had more than a million views already! The comments were flowing in faster than I could keep up with and the book crept all the way up to Amazon’s Top 5. It was absolutely incredible to witness and I had so much fun in that time.
More generally, how do you navigate the ever-changing ebb and flow of trends and popular preferences within the online book community? Feel free to share your thoughts about the dynamics of the community itself, as well as your approach to it.
For me, I try to just focus on what I love to write and not think about social media/trends until I have the book completed. It wouldn’t work for me to think about what readers want and try to write that. It just isn’t how my brain works. But I DO think about it after the book is written – how can I market this? What would BookTok love about this book? How do I get them to take a chance on me as a writer? It’s another creative exercise that is often times more difficult than writing the book. One thing that helps me think about it is to be active in the community I’m asking to take a chance on me. I follow readers and interact with their content. I look at what quotes stand out to them or what they love about characters. Sometimes, I have books that have easy pitches and sell themselves – like The Wrong Game. Other times, I have to really work to get readers to take a chance, like one of my favorite books I’ve written, Say Yes, about a summer romance set in Italy in 1996. It’s all part of the process of being a mostly independently published author – and I enjoy the challenge.
Going off of this, readers are more connected to authors than ever through social media and independent publishing. How do you feel about this sense of connection and attainability?
I used to say back in 2013 that I wanted all my readers to feel like we’re best friends – and I think I’ve achieved that. I share a lot of my personal life online and I do that by choice. I love when readers come up to me at signings and feel like we already have a connection. I love chatting with them in my DMs and seeing their posts and videos.
The way I see it, my career would not be possible without them. I dreamed and wished and prayed for the day when I could write for a living, and every single reader who chose to pick up one of my books means the world to me. I want to make sure they know that. I never want my gratitude to diminish. So, for me, I love the connection that social media has given me with my readers.
That being said, there are certainly times I wish I could unplug more or be online less. When I feel that, I go on vacation or take a hiatus for a while. I used to be scared to do that, like I wouldn’t be relevant anymore, but I have since discovered that this career is full of ups and downs, of ebbs and flows. Sometimes I’m on top of everyone’s mind when it comes to reading, and other times, I have to work tirelessly just to make ends meet. But either way, people are reading my books – and that is the most incredible thing.
How do fans and their feedback (i.e., reviews) impact your writing process, whether directly or indirectly? Describe what it’s like having an ARC team, beta team, etc. and being able to receive trusted feedback from your readers, as well as influencers and fans who make content about your work.
I used to read reviews a lot, but I seldom do anymore. When I was younger in my journey, I would actually learn a lot from negative reviews in terms of ways I could make my writing stronger. Some negative reviews are just that – negative people with negative thoughts who just didn’t like my book. And that’s okay! But some of them have valid points that would make me think about my future books and how to make them better. Nowadays, I leave the reviews to the readers and focus on creating the stories I want to tell.
My alpha and beta teams, editors, sensitivity readers and ARC team members are absolutely crucial to my process. Their feedback helps shape my stories into the best possible presentation, and more than that, they’re the first voices to champion my books and encourage other readers to take a chance on me. That is absolutely invaluable!
When it comes to readers making posts and content about my books, there’s no better feeling. I love seeing them fan cast or use Pinterest images to create an aesthetic. I love when they make videos highlighting their favorite scenes or quotes. I do read a lot of the reviews I get tagged in, especially if they’re five star, because I love to hear how the reader connected to the story.
Without such passionate readers, my stories would only be known to me. I am eternally grateful.
Tell me about what it’s like to be an independently published novelist as a whole. What obstacles have you encountered with this approach? What are some of the advantages you’ve been able to enjoy?
I absolutely love being an independently published author. It was a choice for me from the very beginning, and I made it for many reasons – mostly that I could control my stories, marketing, and brand completely. I love that no one gets to tell me that my book won’t sell or decide whether it gets placement or not. I get to decide what I want to write and then go on the hunt for the readers who will enjoy it. I get full control over ebook, audio, and print (unless I sell the rights, and in which case that is also my decision). I get to choose the cover and marketing elements. I get to be in charge of everything – and I love that!
But of course, that means more work. I am not just an author. I’m a CEO and CFO. I’m a marketing director. I’m a social media specialist and publicist. I’m a community relations coordinator and an admin. I do it all – and that means I can get spread pretty thin at times.
I will say that it’s been amazing to see more publishers offering print-only deals to authors like me. It helps us keep our income alive with ebook and audio sales while also having the opportunity to reach bookstore readers in a way that we just can’t do as independently published authors. It truly feels like the best of both worlds!
How do you handle the “business” aspect of being not only the author, but the publisher and promoter of your stories? Is it a difficult balance to achieve? Have you developed a particular approach to self-publishing that works best for you? Do you work with a PR company, influencers, or any other collaborators in this process?
It’s a big balancing act! For a long time, it was only me at the helm. But in the last few years, I have delegated more to my executive assistant and my husband, and that’s helped tremendously. They can tackle a lot of the admin, shipping, and business management tasks so I can focus more on writing and social media. But as far as “how” we handle it, it’s all about teamwork, delegation, and prioritization. We only have so much time in a day, and at the end of it, writing is most important. So some days, I’m not as great on social media. Other days, I’m all over the place! It just depends on my bandwidth and where I’m at in my story.
What has your experience been as an indie author encountering pirating and copyright issues with companies like Amazon or Apple Books? Has this struggle worsened or evolved in any specific ways over time? Feel free to share any specific anecdotes you might have regarding this topic.
There was a short period of time where every book I published into Kindle Unlimited would get pirated and sold on Apple Books, which would then jeopardize my enrollment in the KU program. Fortunately, Apple had a pretty easy form to fill out and get the books taken down. I also have not experienced this issue in a few years.
The bigger issue with pirated books is on websites that readers run. It’s very discouraging, especially because I offer my books in affordable programs like Kindle Unlimited as well as run sales on them all the time. I also offer many freebies throughout the year. So it’s really difficult to work so hard and have your work stolen. But I can’t control it. I pay a company to monitor as much as they can for me, to send cease and desist letters on my behalf and do their best to keep my books from being pirated. But there’s only so much we can do. There will always be rotten people in the world – I just try to focus on the amazing readers who support me and how thankful I am for them.
With the advent and rapid evolution of generative AI, particularly in creative fields like writing and visual art, have you seen this making an impact on the online book community at large, or your particular body of work and fanbase? Have you encountered any challenges in the face of AI? In other words, tell me about your AI-related experiences and your stance on it.
AI is definitely a hot topic in the book world right now. I think, understandably so, creatives of all kinds are worried what it will mean for us in the long run. I am of the mindset that I will always hire human voices and human artists for my audiobooks and covers, teasers, etc. I think art IS human and that’s what makes it so special.
I also think AI is here to stay, and will only keep rapidly evolving. I think there are tools that can help make jobs more efficient, and that’s something to be celebrated. But there needs to be continued conversation about regulation, environmental impacts, and – most importantly – HOW the technology is trained (from real humans who receive no financial compensation).
It’s a very complicated issue and my knowledge on it is shallow, but I intend to continue educating myself.
Are you publishing your books in audiobook form? If yes, what has this process been like and what is your approach to it? Have you seen this format becoming more popular over the years? Why do you think it’s a preference among some readers?
I am! I absolutely love audiobooks and it’s been such a pleasure to bring almost all of my books to this format.
For the most part, I work with a boutique audio company called OSYS Studios to produce my audiobooks. They are a husband and wife team and are absolutely incredible to work with. I love that I get to be hands on in the casting process and that we can try new things – like adding a song to the end of Save Your Breath!
There are some of my older titles that I sold the audiobook rights to, and that has been a great experience, as well.
I definitely think audiobooks are becoming more and more popular. It’s so fun to listen while you drive, clean, workout, etc. I also find a lot of readers like to do “immersive reading,” where they listen and read at the same time. So fun!
To learn more, please visit Kandi’s website, kandisteiner.com. Here, you’ll also be able to find her socials!