When I started The Secret Lives of Writers series, I was approached by Alex Kourvo from Writing Slices (check the comments at the bottom of this post) to see if I’d submit it for a book review. Of course, I was overjoyed that someone was keen to review it, and I submitted it when it was ready—with very little thought, I might add! A month or so later, I was duly advised by Alex that her review of The Secret Lives of Writers would be negative. She gave me the option of not going ahead with the review (she said she had a soft
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Sunday Best is a curated list of awesome articles I’ve read over the past week or so that I find enlightening, educational or just plain interesting. This week’s focus is not on stuff I’ve read, but on stuff I’ve written: my best posts for 2015—the ones that were the most read, and the ones that are my favourites. Enjoy! Most read posts Don’t make these 6 self publishing mistakes Published on August 7, this post about self publishing had close to 1000 views. Disillusioned, I wrote it after I didn’t become the overnight gazillionaire I thought I would once I embarked
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I have been on this self publishing journey since around this time last year. In October 2014, I decided to take myself down the self publishing route because I was tired of waiting to be picked, waiting to be published. I could pick myself—I had the tools, and I could learn what I didn’t know how to do. So I did. I learned how to format ebooks, how to design (and redesign covers), the importance of front and back matter, and why a launch is crucial. I learned about beta readers and Kindle Select and free days and promotions and reviews. I
Continue reading...It’s been six months since I published my first book on Amazon. I thought I’d be well on the way to notoriety, infamy and gazillionaire status (also known as being able to quit my day job) by now. I thought I would write my books, publish them and the dollars would start rolling in. I would bask in the glory of being an author, with actual published books (well, electronic ones anyway) and I’d be invited to conferences and summits and to guest present at seminars and workshops and on radio shows and everyone in the entire world would be
Continue reading...I knew nothing about self publishing when I decided to book this blog and publish it as the Love & Other Brave Acts. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Actually, that’s not true. I knew nothing about self publishing (other than: I’m quite IT savvy so how hard could it be?) and a bit about publishing (as in: I’ve been rejected by both major and minor publishers alike, and I read published books). What I did know was that I wanted to publish and more importantly, with the tools that are currently available, could publish. And publish I did. Two books down and
Continue reading...This book self-publishing gig sure is a wild ride. I’m loving the steep learning curve that I’m pedalling up, and the business decisions I have to think about and make. I knew nothing about self-publishing when I started this journey a few short months ago. Nothing. Nada. Zip. I know slightly more now, but I am very much the novice, and it doesn’t bother me, because in this space, everything is changing so fast. New technology to learn, new ways of doings things, new boundaries to push. You have to be nimble, but at the same time acknowledge that you
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