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3 Things I have Learned in my first year of publishing
There came a point in my life that I was so good at writing sex scenes that I could be penning it in a middle of a University lecture, even on the subway ride home. After a while I grew tired of it, and decided that when I become a self-publisher I wanted to experiment writing and publishing clean romances as well. It would mean not having a book cover with a hot sexy man bare chested with abs, or a steamy photo that would send young woman flocking to Amazon to buy it.
Now, do I miss writing steamy romances? Certainly, the desire is still there to produce them. At the same time I have learned (much to my satisfaction) that a slow burn has just as much fighting power. When I penned "The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven" and "Awakening," there was a clear intent to create a slow burn where the main characters did not kiss until the very end of the novel. Why? Because I know that the reader deep down inside desires it. They can't take the sexual tension seething between the two characters and want the instant gratification of seeing them finally giving into their desires. So, a valuable lesson I learned this year is that sex does sell, but so does a good slow burn. Part three of Real Talks will be revealed this upcoming Saturday, so check my blog or Instagram for the latest updates.
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Congratulations to @bookmarkedbyshreya for your official book launch today.
Can't wait to read your new book! Thank you for inviting me to your ARC group as well 😊 Book description for Shreya Vijay's "Screaming Whispers" can be found below 👇 ‘Screaming Whispers' encompasses a plethora of poems that are the creation of a young woman's mind. With each stroke of the pen, the ink stained the paper and these poems were birthed. The underlying theme of the book is based on how writing serves as therapy for the author. She seeks to awaken the souls of her readers to a wide spectrum of emotions that are otherwise, often taken for granted. Most of the themes of her poems are borrowed from something she has felt deeply or has witnessed from the sidelines. Via the medium of her poems, she wishes to instigate lasting impact on her readers and make them appreciate the subtle art of poetry. All the poems in this book are not mere literary pieces. They are the pieces of her soul. Now that they are with you, please keep them safe. Hello everyone!
I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and everyone of you for your support. I entered the self-publishing world this time last year, and it is amazing to see the level of growth and connection I have made with my readers and fellow indie authors. So, thank you for your private messages on Instagram. Thank you for leaving a book review on Amazon or Goodreads. Thank you for your creative Instagram stories to let me know you are currently reading my novels. Thank you for the fan videos, reels and artwork you posted online. Thank you for taking part in the international book giveaways. And thank you for purchasing my book, or sharing a free pdf version with your friends. Every little thing that you have done to support me as an artist does makes a difference. I am truly overwhelmed by the love you have shown me over the past year. Your kind words gets me excited as I continue my journey as a self-published author. I am finally achieving my life-long goals, and you guys make this journey far more meaningful. At the beginning of this year, I made it a personal goal to connect with my readers and fellow indie writers because I believe it is important to place yourself in a community of like-minded individuals. As you already know, writing is an independent process- a lonely one. There is a long span of time where it is just my computer and my thoughts as I sit alone for several hours in a day. Nonetheless, once a book is published and distributed to readers across the world it immediately makes a connection. Moreover, I love to hear your thoughts and the way you critically analyze a text. So to conclude this impulsive rant, I feel an overwhelming wave of gratitude towards all of you. I love you so much! Here is to many more years of me publishing novels, and you lovely people getting to read them. Peter 3 Things I have learned in my first year of publishing: Part 1
1. Become an Entrepreneur It is all in the mind.
You have to visualize success. Whatever you put into the mind will come out in the world. Some people call it law of attraction, but I prefer manifestation. After I first published "The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven," I began to imagine other novels on my book shelf. Intuitively, I knew that this was not the last book I would publish on Amazon. There were moments when I would close my eyes and imagine future book cover, long before I had ever completed the manuscript. I knew it was important to keep pushing myself! To chase my dreams. Yes, the task of completing a long manuscript like "Awakening" was daunting, but I kept at it. So, the first step to becoming a successful writer is to use the power of manifestation and envision the success that you want to achieve in the future. But that is just the first step, because once the dream you imagine is put into the world and becomes a physical representation of your goal it is time to buckle down and put on your "entrepreneur hat." Admittedly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew the books would not magically sell themselves, but I was not prepared for the amount of daily work that is necessary to succeed. You have to realize that as a self-published writer you are forced to wear many hats: writer, editor, designer, marketer, social media influencer, blogger, and the list goes on. It is your job to put your work out there, so that means working crazy amount of hours a day. You can sit on your ass and hope for success, or you can chase it. If you are feeling stuck or lack of motivation, I recommend you listen to videos of "Gary Vaynerchuck" on YouTube. He understands the difficulties of entrepreneurship, and gives you tips on how to motivate yourself to take your business to the next level. I also recommend a book by Joel Stafford "The First 100 Days of Your Book." It was the first book I picked up last year that really taught me about the business of self-publishing and the steps you need to take to succeed. To be an entrepreneur you need to have a lot of skills, but I think the most important thing I have learned is to pursue your passion and enjoy the process. Yes, there are days that are hard, but if you love your "work" it does not feel like work. I have written stories for free for YEARS online, so no one is pulling my leg to write a full length novel. The entire process of being a self-published author does not feel like work to me, it is more of a hobby where I can make some money on the side. I am living my dream right now! I wake up everyday and I am excited! It feels like I am flying on cloud nine, and I have no desire to settle back down yet. Already, I am mapping out books that will come out in the year 2022 and 2023, and this is just the beginning I have said this before, but I want to state it one more time: success does not come instantly. I have a five year plan, but that might not mean I will be an ultra successful writer by 2026. Every day will be a grind, but it can still be an enjoyable one. When you are an entrepreneur you have to enjoy the process, otherwise there is no point in it. On Friday (June 18th) I will share "Real Talks: Part Two" |
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