Its Author Interview Thursday and today we have a children’s book author from Yorkshire in England.
He was introduced to me by Sherrill S. Cannon who was my special guest earlier this year. My special guest today has being getting the attention of a few movers and shakers in the publishing world with notable mentions at a few industry events. He’s only starting out but I really see great things on the horizon for him. Please join me in welcoming Liam Moiser.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you ended up being a children’s book author?
I live in a town called Goole in East Yorkshire with my brother and Father. I have two half-sisters that live with my stepdad. I lived in Goole for a bit when I was small but don’t remember much about it because I moved to Rawcliffe Bridge where I spent most of my childhood. I moved back to Goole to live with my father when I was 14 and I’ve lived here ever since. I have been working for a fast food company now for three years. I think I just liked how children’s books can differ and you can put more imagination into them. So I decided to give it ago.
What can a reader expect when they pick up a Liam Moiser book?
They can expect a lot of twist and turns in the plot line. I love to keep people guessing about what is happening. Without giving too many spoilers away, I made sure that in my Moore Field School Series I put twists and turns in the book. For instance, in the first book I made sure that I introduced some ghosts right at the end. At first I was going to add them at the beginning, but in the end I thought I’d keep everyone in the dark about them until they were needed.
I added them for a reason, because they play a big part in the plotline. You find out more about them in the second book, but when the third book comes out you’ll find out a lot more. This is when I will wrap up the trophy mystery but I will leave it open for future books. I have a few new ideas I want to work on, but I have also got plans written down if I want more Moore Field School Books.
What in your opinion makes a great children’s book?
I think that you need to be able to interact with the child and make them see the book through their own eyes. I also think that it is vital that you keep the children on their toes. You want them to be able to imagine the situation.
You had two honourable mentions at the London Book Festival and New Book Festival plus you were announced as a Readers Favourite Finalist. Can you tell us how all that came about and your reaction when you heard? 
My mentor, Sherrill S Cannon, who I can say has been amazing and supportive of my work told me about the competitions and so I decided to enter them. When I heard that I received praise for my work I just couldn’t believe it.
I have recently been told that I won an HM award in the Readers Favourite International Contest. I am extremely happy about this because I won over some good competition to get the HM Award. I have already proudly put the seal on my book and printed out the certificate, which will be going on my wall soon.
How do you handle bad reviews?
I haven’t received a review that was less than 3 stars yet. I know some people out there who have read the book probably weren’t keen on it but all I can say is that each person has his own taste. If I can make a difference with just a few people, then all this will have been worth while.
What has been your most successful marketing method for promoting your books?
Local Media. I’ve appeared on the Local Radio Station a few times and I’ve also appeared in the local paper. When I went back to school with a signed copy of my book, they not only put it on their website but they also sent out a press release that was picked up by the Hull Daily Mail. I have also had success in getting my books into Libraries.
What were some of your favourite books as a child?
When I was really small I loved reading Postman Pat, Thomas the Tank Engine and I’ve read some Pokémon books as I grew up. I loved the Harry Potter Series, Famous Five and I’ve read a lot of others. If I list them all we would be here all week because I just loved reading.
What mistake(s) have you made while writing/publishing your books that you would advise other authors against? 
One mistake that I had was to under estimate the e-book market. I thought I could do without it but I’ve decided to put the first book on E-book now. It took me a year to realize how big e-books were.
How do you reward yourself on completing a book or achieving a specific publishing goal?
I treat myself to a meal so that I can just go out and relax. When I am writing, I am in a zone so I just concentrate on that if I can.
Toy Story or Shrek?
This is tough but I’ll go for Toy Story.
What should a first time visitor to Yorkshire in the Northern part of England do while there?
This is really hard because I know what I’d want to do and that is go visit the Haribo factory. But if I had to pick one thing I’d say to visit the North Yorkshire Moors because the scenery is amazing.
What can we expect from Liam Moiser in the next 12 months?
I haven’t decided yet what I want to do. I know I have a few school visits lined up and I’m hoping to get some more interviews lined up. As for on the book front, I’m thinking of a 2016 release for my third book. I don’t want to ruin the series by having a rubbish ending to this trophy mystery, so I want to make sure everything is perfect.
Where can fans and readers of your books discover more about you and connect with you? 
I have a facebook page and a twitter page and an author website.
https://www.facebook.com/
https://twitter.com/Moiser201
http://sbprabooks.com/
If you click on the sbprabooks link, you will see a contact page. This will send an email directly and I aim to reply within 48 hours of receiving any emails that anyone has for me.
Any advice for authors out there who are either just starting out or getting frustrated with the publishing industry?
What I can tell people is that no matter how few of the books you sell, you have achieved something. That is how I look at it. I have sold in America and the UK at the moment, and without it being published no one would have read it. So remember that even if you make just one person smile you have achieved something!
Thanks for spending some time with us today Liam. I have to say that I find your honesty and love for the craft very refreshing. I know we’ll be hearing great things about you in the future. Please click the link below to grab a copy of one of Liam’s books and we’d be delighted if you could leave a comment or question below.
Thanks for the shout-out! Awesome interview. Liam is an talented young author who is making a great name for himself. I Loved both his first big Books and am looking forward to the third… And many more!
Thanks for the introduction Sherrill.
It was a pleasure getting to know Liam and I look forward to seeing him develop as a writer.