Examiner:  What made you decide to become a self-publisher?

Dune Elliot: I have been told that my work is worthy of being published but it is extremely hard to find a publisher willing to take on new authors; they don't give you the time of day. Being the author of fantasy makes it especially difficult as it is a fairly well saturated market.

Examiner:  How long have you been self-publishing your work?

Dune Elliot: 'Necromancer' is my first full-length novel so I have only been self-publishing since the beginning of 2010

Examiner:  Are you working are other books?

Dune Elliot: Like I said, 'Necromancer' is my first full-length novel but I have spent a lot of time working on poetry compilations. I am working on my second novel, 'Malys' which is the second book in the 'The Dark Rising' Series and should be finished next year.

Examiner:  Are you looking for an agent/publisher?

Dune Elliot:  I would love to find a traditional publisher/ agent but with as many query letters I have sent out I have almost given up.

Examiner:  How many books do you sell in a month/year?

Dune Elliot:  Since 'Necromancer' is still fairly new it has been hard to gauge the amount of sales, but they have reached a fairly respectable amount so far.

Examiner: What is the hardest part about being a self-publisher?

Dune Elliot: The hardest thing that I have found is having to be everything in one package; you have to write, edit, design, be good with lay-outs and art concepts. Yes, you could pay someone to do all this, but it is rewarding at the end of the day if you don't. Editing was tough because it meant reading and re-reading my book at least a dozen times, in both computer and hard copies. You have to read it as though it is the first time and from the point of view of a new reader in order to catch all the errors; it's tough.

Examiner:  Do you have any advice for new writers?

Dune Elliot:  If you love your work, do it right. Don't cut corners in order to see your work in print quicker. There is a reason so many self-published books look 'self-published'. If you care enough about what's in your book you should take as much care about the package it comes in. We, as self-published authors, have a responsibility to bring up people's opinions of self-published books in order to have people take us seriously.

Examiner: Tell us some other interesting things about yourself.

Dune Elliot: I spend time riding my horses, working cattle and getting involved with great charitable organizations such as therapeutic riding and therapy dogs. I guess it's kind of ironic that a rancher/ cowhand is writing fantasy but it interests me because they are different in some ways and very similar in others (western stories are usually about the good guys winning over the bad guys).