Indie Support Sunday: Rochelle Wolf

While Rochelle Wolf might work as an editor in their day job, they knew that self-publishing was the right route for them. Mostly because they were writing novellas and publishers tend to enjoy longer books. But like most of us, Rochelle’s impatience with getting their stories out there is also what sent them down the self-publishing route. Besides, they get to write the stories they want and isn’t that the best part of being indie after all?

If you’re an aspiring author or even one that’s been doing this a while, take a peek at Rochelle’s tips. It’s a great guide on how to navigate this sometimes scary and large world of publishing we live in. And if that’s not enough, they’re also working on a sapphic hockey romance set in the world of the PWHL and might turn out to be a full length novel!

Until then, you can find all of Rochelle’s novellas wherever you read books and make sure to preorder Impossible Match, a sapphic arranged marriage romance that releases August 14th!

BEING AN AUTHOR

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

Since I first started writing novellas, I decided to self-publish as I knew that publishers tend to prefer longer books or books that meet a certain word count. I’m also really impatient and I know that traditional publishing is a long process that I would never be able to handle right out of the gate. I also like the freedom to be choosing my editors and cover designers, and I like the freedom in being my own business owner. It’s not an easy path, but I quite enjoy it.

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

I work as an editor in my day job so I could go on and on about everything I’d share with authors but my few top tips would be this:

1. Read widely, and especially in the genre you want to publish in. You can’t publish well in a genre you know nothing about. While you can mix things up and make a genre your own, you need to know the genre expectations to align those expectations with the expectations of the reader.

2. Write all your projects for yourself. Trying to write to what is expected of you or what you think will sell can limit your creativity. As much as I have an idea of what I think readers want, I always make sure that the project I’m working on is one that I’d want to read twenty times—because I will have to read it that many times to get it ready for publishing.

3. Do your industry research. Learn about the different kinds of editors, and make sure to accurately understand what you will get from different service providers. Always use a contract and make sure to advocate for yourself. So many authors share publishing pro-tips and there are many Facebook groups dedicated to this business—treat it as a business and do any research before diving in.

4. Treat your fellow authors with respect & kindness. I sometimes see new authors think of other writers as their competition and that kind of mentality will never get you anywhere. As we say in the editing community, “a rising tide lifts all boats” and genuine interactions with your fellow authors goes a long way. So many authors are kind and helpful to their peers, and just as they would help any new aspiring writer, you want to return that kindness as you move up in your career.

5. Keep your eyes on your own paper. While you may want to hit certain word goal counts or sales figures, trying to compare your productivity or metrics against someone else’s can get unhealthy if you try and always compare yourself to someone else. Set your own goals and don’t compare your progress to anyone else’s. Your progress is your own, and you are doing a great job. There is no age or time limit to becoming an author. Just keep persevering and you got this! 

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

Romance is my favourite genre, so it was a bit of a no-brainer for me to write in it! I could name so many things I love about it but the main thing is that I love to read about people overcoming the odds and finding the person (or people!) who make them happy. 

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

Friends to lovers is my favourite trope, only because I love the idea of someone seeing you at your worst and still wanting to be with you. I am not generally a fan of bully or taboo romances, only because I prefer my books cozy and warm.

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

I never set out to purposefully write open door romance, but I think closed door romance just wouldn’t work for my characters or my writing. While I wouldn’t say I’m normally a descriptive writer, the sexual chemistry between my characters is important to them so I let them guide those scenes. I don’t take particular inspiration from anywhere; I try to think of what would work for my characters’ personalities and their dynamics with each other.

YOUR BOOKS

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

My books are cozy sapphic romances that all take place in Toronto. Act Two is a second chance romance, Room for Two is a friends to lovers romance, and Song For You is an artist x musician romance. My upcoming summer book Impossible Match is a sapphic arranged marriage book.

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

I put a fair bit into my characters in that they all have a little part of me, though I try not to make them overwhelmingly similar to me. I try to give them careers I know a little bit about so I can write their jobs with some accuracy. A reader recently commented on how one of my stories had great anxiety rep… though I had no intention of writing that in. So it seems that sometimes my personality & quirks come through in unintentional ways in my writing.

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

Cozy, warm stories that feel like a hug is my brand—and I do my best to keep this tone across everything I write. 

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

I am currently working on a sapphic hockey romance and I am enjoying that dynamic. I am not very into sports, but I’ve gotten quite a bit into the PWHL since I started writing this book. It’s going well, and I am hoping that this project will be closer to a full-length book! 

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

It’s important for me that my stories feel like safe, warm snippets of joy. I’d say part of my brand is cozy books that feel like a warm hug. When I first started reading queer fiction (many years ago), a lot of them focused on the pain, conflict, angst, and trauma of being queer or having to come out to an unsupportive community. I absolutely hated that aspect of the books I read so my books feature none of that: everyone’s gay and that’s totally normal. I also rarely have 3rd act break-ups. It’s cozy vibes all around! 

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

• Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks

• Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense

• Single or Dual POV

• Standalones, series or standalones in a series

• Open door, ajar door or closed door romances

• Music or silence when writing

• Plotter, pantser or plantser

• Water, tea, coffee or….wine? Can I add bubble tea?

• Cold or warm weather

• Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?

• Illustrated or photo cover?

Rochelle can be found on Instagram and Threads. They also have exclusive content on their Patreon. And you can buy ebooks and art prints via their Etsy shop. For everything else, make sure you check out their website!