Discovering H.Y. Hanna: Cosy Crime’s Best-Kept Secret

Q & A with H.Y. Hanna: Building a Cosy Mystery Empire

USA Today bestselling author H.Y. Hanna has established a successful writing career spanning multiple mystery series. Here, she shares how she built a full-time author career from scratch.

Hsin-Yi and her creative muse Muesli chatting with Liz

Q: What advice would you give writers considering self-publishing?

H.Y.:
First, you need to figure out what your goals are – whether you just want to publish a book “for fun” or you want to make a living from your writing - because that can significantly affect your choices and strategies.

If you do want this to be a career and not a hobby, you need a plan. One book is unlikely to launch anything except maybe your stress levels. Think of your career like building a house. You need scaffolding.

Everyone thinks their first book is their Magnum Opus, but: in a few years, you’ll probably reread it and think, ‘Oh dear… I could do so much better.’ But growth is good! And even if you’re one of the rare authors whose first book is “perfect”, it’s still almost impossible to build a career on one title these days.

My biggest tip? Have your second book ready before your first book goes live. Get it on preorder so readers can stay in your world while they’re still hot. You’re building momentum and cementing your voice in their heads.

Q: Did you ever consider going down the traditional publishing route?

HY Hanna’s Oxford tearoom prequel, free to download when you sign up for her newsletter

H.Y.:
In my twenties I had a UK agent. An editor at a major publisher loved my manuscript, but then she left the company. And that was that. Traditional publishing puts your fate in someone else's hands and makes you dependent on others’ whims.

I stepped away from writing for a while as my Asian upbringing made me feel the pressure to get a ‘proper job’. But as I approached a milestone birthday, I started reconsidering everything. I wanted to write books, but I didn’t want to wait months for rejection letters. Or years for a book to come out.

Then I discovered indie publishing. It was new and exciting, full of “Kindle millionaires”.. It felt like something I could drive, rather than wait for permission to join. I could hire freelance editors and cover designers, set my own publishing schedule and reach readers directly. Total freedom, total accountability.

Q: How do you view indie publishing as a business?

H.Y.:
For me it has to feel like a real job. Amazon pays monthly, like a salary, so most of my regular income comes from my backlist. My new releases give a big boost, but the older books are the engine room that keeps everything running.

I’m not wonderfully organised (I wish I were!). I manage my time by tackling whatever’s most urgent: marketing, admin, editing, writing. It just depends what’s needed in the moment.

Q: What would you say to people who think real authors are the ones in bookshops?

H.Y.:
It depends what’s important to you. For some, the “glory” is all that matters and success is seeing their name on a shelf in a bookstore - even if they only sell a handful of copies and barely earn anything from their books. For others, success is knowing that they have a huge international fanbase and book sales that enable them to enjoy a flexible life working from home – even if their books are not stocked in physical bookshops. Traditional publishing tends to be the former and can seem very glamorous, but most traditionally published authors earn very, very little. Many indie authors earn far more and can actually make a living, without book tours or fancy launches.

And in fact, many indie books end up getting the “glory” as well if they become bestsellers – Hollywood will still come knocking. The Martian started as a self-published eBook.

Q: How did you decide what to write?

H.Y.:
At first I experimented. I tried romance but I was rubbish at it! I enjoyed reading crime but writing it was too intimidating. Eventually I started writing a story featuring an amateur sleuth, which is perfect for the Cozy Mystery genre.

Having commercial success as a goal can mean making strategic decisions in what you write and how you present your book. So I tweaked my story to add elements that cosy readers love, such as tea rooms, villages, humour and cats!

Muesli the cat and her travel friendly alter ago Flat Muesli

Q: Speaking of cats… tell us about Muesli and the legendary Flat Muesli.

H.Y.:
Muesli is the feline star of the Oxford Tearoom series, based on my own exasperating but lovable cat. But I travel a lot and can’t take Muesli with me. So I made a cut-out ‘Flat Muesli’ who came to my Paris book-signing with me. I filmed her visiting the Eiffel Tower, enjoying French cuisine and seeing the sights. My readers love it and it ties beautifully into my books.

Q: How important is cover design in indie publishing?

H.Y.:
Absolutely crucial. Covers tell readers instantly what kind of book they’re getting. If you love Italian food and find a restaurant with red checked tablecloths and wine bottles in straw baskets, you don’t need to know anything about the chef or the specials. You’re hungry. So you sit down. It’s the same with genre fiction. Readers are hungry for the stuff they enjoy reading and will jump on it if they recognise it. For example, cosy readers generally love cats. In fact some authors will put a cat on the cover even if there isn’t one in the story because that will make the book sell better!

You need to swim with the tide of the genre trends, especially in the dominant market where you sell your books. For example, some people in the UK and Australia think my covers look like children’s books, but they’re bright, fun, and clearly signal “cosy mystery” to American readers, which make up the majority of my readership. So for covers, I do what makes the books sell, even if it’s not to my personal taste.

Q: Would you ever sign with a traditional publisher now?

H.Y.:
It would have to be on my terms. My French translations did very well on Amazon, so when a French publisher approached me, I negotiated a print-only deal, while keeping the ebook and audio rights. It got me into French bookshops, which is fantastic, but without giving up ownership.

That’s the power of being an indie author: you have alternative pathways to success, so you know your value.

Q: What are you working on now?

H.Y.:
I just returned from speaking at the Author Nation conference in Las Vegas, which was an incredible but also overwhelming experience! And thanks to my backlist keeping the lights on, I’m working on an exciting new project that’ll be announced next year.

If done right, indie publishing can give you freedom: once you’ve built a strong foundation, you can explore, experiment, and create the career you actually want.

For more information about H.Y. Hanna and her cosy crime Oxford Tearoom Mysteries and more, go to https://www.hyhanna.com.