Author Interview:  Bistra Yakimova

How would you describe the type of books/genre you write?

My travel books fall into the travel narrative category. They tell stories from my travels to different places and encounters with impressive people.

What motivated you to start writing?

I wanted to share special moments and places, people and experiences on the road. Things that people wouldn’t search for online, so the blog we run with my husband wouldn’t be helpful. I wanted to inspire people so I decided to start writing books.

Tell us the journey you went on to get your books published (e.g. direct on your website, self-published, assisted-publishing, traditional publisher)

My books so far (the first one in English and Bulgarian, the second one coming soon in Bulgarian) are all self-published. My team and I couldn’t find a publisher that was a great fit so we decided to go down this road. So we started learning on the go, made many mistakes, and met some amazing professionals to help us out in the adventure called self-publishing.

What publishing elements do you most enjoy and most like to avoid, and why? (e.g. design, marketing, formatting etc.)

Writing is the element I love the most. I write professionally, I write as a hobby, so I’d definitely do just that if I could. Processes like design and formatting I leave to my professional team. Marketing is the biggest struggle, and you need to be good at marketing to actually sell your books.

With the hindsight of being a published author, anything you would have done differently?

I’d definitely plan more time for editing and I’m trying to plan the marketing strategy way in advance – even before drafting the book.

What tips or advice would you give an aspiring indie author who is looking to self-publish?

Although we had many challenges with self-publishing, I’d say that every aspiring author has to self-publish at least once in their lives! It will be a huge personal and professional growth, so don’t give up! Just make sure you plan your steps and never leave the big picture out of sight.

What marketing or promotional tools or techniques do you use to reach your readers?

I’ve used social media, ads, my travel blog, word of mouth, and other tools to promote my books. Sometimes I really have to be creative, because marketing is a science itself and it’s very hard to do it when you’re educating yourself by try and error. I believe word of mouth is still a very powerful tool, even in our digitalized world.

What impact do you want your books to have on your readers?

I want my readers to feel empowered by my books. I hope they will feel ready to hit the road, explore the world by immersing in nature and culture, be open to leave their comfort zone and change their perspective.

What’s your book’s elevator pitch or key selling points?

The Magic of Traveling: Follow the Locals book introduces impressive people from 14 different countries to you. It will transport you to (un)usual places seen through the prism of locals’ life. It will show you their adventure and put you in some comic and enlightening situations. Let’s travel together via the inspiring stories of the people we followed!

What’s next on your writing journey?

Right now we’re at the final touches of publishing The Magic of Traveling in Central America book in Bulgarian. I have a vague idea of the third book already, but one thing I’ve learned is to never start another book until you’ve published the current one. So many adventures from Central America coming!

About the Author

Bistra Yakimova is a traveler and a writer, roaming the world in search of authenticity by following the locals and immersing in culture and nature. She is also a teacher and an entrepreneur, who’s trying to volunteer and dance as much as possible.

Together with her husband, she is trying to inspire people to travel and explore not only new places but also their own inner-selves. Their mission is to prove that humanity still exists and it’s pretty much everywhere.

Connect with Bistra