Meet Andre Gonzalez of M4L Publishing in Aurora

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Gonzalez.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started writing when I was only 12 years old. The first draft of my first book, Followed Home, was written at this time, 100 pages handwritten on loose-leaf paper. Then, I stopped, put the manuscript away throughout all of high school and college.

It wasn’t until July of 2012 when I had a wake-up call. I was in the theater the night of the Aurora Theater shooting at Century 16. Surviving that tragedy was a major turning point in life as I realized how precious life is, and how tomorrow is not guaranteed. About a year after that is when I decided it was important to start chasing my dream again. I learned about self-publishing and went all in. I published Followed Home in 2016 and have been taking big leaps forward ever since. Today, I have six novels published, three short stories, and plenty more on the calendar for the rest of 2019.

This last January, my wife and I decided to launch our own publishing company, M4L Publishing, with hopes of taking on other authors later on in 2019. It’s been an incredible journey so far, with so much learning and hard work to do every single day. Every day brings new challenges, but it’s too fun to even consider it as “work.”

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t think launching a business is ever smooth. The learning curve is extremely steep in the beginning. It became clear right away that the writing of the actual book was the easy part of this process. Once a book is done, it needs an editor, cover, beta readers, formatting, and a laundry list of things you might never consider. And that’s just for the book! Beyond that is the struggle of maintaining an author platform: growing a following via email, social media, etc., and staying on top of that to keep readers engaged in between books. And now, we’re doing it all over again for our publishing company, but it’s a much smoother process having experience and a game plan in place. Oh, and this is all while balancing two kids (about to be three) and a day job, and trying to find stolen moments to enjoy a second of quiet time and relax. My wife likes to say that busy people know how to get things done, and we are finding that to be very true.

M4L Publishing – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We plan to open for submissions later this year. At the moment, the only books we have published are my own. That said, we will be looking to take on authors with books in the horror/sci-fi/thriller genres to start. That is where we already have a good following and comfort in marketing within those genres. I feel horror, in particular, is an underserved genre despite having a rabid and loyal following. We look forward to bringing more scary stories to readers all around the world!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To me, success is enjoying the day-to-day process. There’s a huge difference in my approach to doing things I have to do (say, a day job) compared to tasks I want to do (writing and publishing). One brings joy, while the other does not. I can appreciate the small victories we’ve had throughout the process, and even chalk them up as successful. Success doesn’t happen overnight, so it’s important to recognize when you’ve made progress, no matter how big or small. My biggest marker for success will be when I can do this on a full-time basis and provide for the family strictly from publishing.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.M4LPublishing.com
• Email: info@m4lpublishing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m4lpublishing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/M4LPublishing/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/m4lpublishing
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/m4l-publishing

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