That was me.
Or...that's still me?
Yep. Definitely still me.
How did I get roped into this?
Oh right. Curiosity finally got the best of me, and I clicked on an ad for Dreame Fiction.
And when I say I was sucked in, imagine Alice getting sucked through that rabbit hole into Wonderland.
That really is an apt image, considering I was sucked into the world of shape shifters and, by extension, more magic and fantasy than I ever indulged in as a child. And it was addicting! I devoured story after story with an veracious appetite. It was fascinating to me to find that these independent authors were finding a way to make a little money at something that they loved in a way that would not have been possible just a few short years ago ("few," and "short" being relative terms in my middle-age).
As with all authors, I found that I absolutely loved some while not caring at all for others. I found authors of varying skill-levels throughout, and a niggling thought started to pop into my head.
Remember that Bucket List item? The one about writing "something good enough to print, someday?"
Yeah, I remembered it, but...
Nah. I couldn't do this.
About this time, I stumbled across the fourth book in a planned six-part shape shifter series that I found phenomenal. It just grabbed me and drew me in like no story/series I had come across to that date. I began following the author, C.J., on Instagram and eventually reached out to tell her how much I was enjoying her stories, and to talk with her a little about how the series came to be. I was shocked to find out that the series was her first attempt at being a serious author. Not only was she in serialized fiction, she was selling books on Amazon too. She had built a loyal following and honestly, I was just in awe of what a "regular person" could do and how successful one could be in this arena of self-publishing.
In the meantime, that niggling little thought in my head was not going away; if anything, it was getting stronger. Strong enough that I spilled my little secret to this successful author...who I'd only just met.
C.J. is such a sweetheart, and she was so patient with this stranger dropping in to ask questions and pick her brain about this entire process. Above all, she was encouraging. She didn't know a thing about me, but she told me that I should try this thing saying, "Trust, me. If I can do it, you can too."
With her encouragement and nuggets of wisdom in hand, I got started, thinking I would write my little story, apply for a contract and then would be on my way. Not as big as C.J., sure, but enough to feel like I was "doing something."
Right. I forgot I didn't know what I was doing.
I wrote my first few chapters, had friends and family take a look (they loved them) and then quickly sent off my first contract application with one of the popular reading apps. Then another. Only to receive canned responses that said something like, "Your application is denied. We are looking for...," and then there was a list of everything that apparently my story wasn't. There was no guidance for how I could improve, just a direction to "revise my manuscript before reapplying," and suggestions to take their offered writing classes.
I stared at those words, and my heart hit my toes. I felt like someone had ripped my child out of my arms, given them a rough once over and then threw them back at me. C.J. was again my voice of encouragement and experience: don't let that get you down. they have arbitrary algorithms that even I don't understand. Keep going.
OK. I picked up my little story, wiped my tears and thought about how else I could go about this.
The first thing I could think of was starting a Facebook page and trying to find every page for indie authors that I could find. I planned to follow them, read, absorb and learn. I started acting like I had an audience for my book and posting updates on my page even though till this point, it was an audience of one: me.
Then one day, I logged into my page and found a couple of DM's waiting for me. I had editors from other apps reaching out to ask me to consider signing with them! For real! They weren't as well-known as the others I had applied to, but beggars can't be choosers, right? This was my break! It was going to work out.
A couple of weeks later, I was not whistling Dixie, baby. Beggars should be choosers (in this case), and this was definitely not working out like I wanted. I was signed to contracts, but...
I was signed to two apps (both which shall remain nameless), and both editors were quick to encourage me to and remind me about applying for a contract, but they disappeared as soon as the "ink" on said contracts were dry. Emails with questions re: next steps went ignored for days or unanswered all together. When they did answer, the information that was not helpful. I even had several editors reach out from one of the original apps only to have the same outcome: a denied application.
I thought having an editor would help get your book signed? I guess not?
Realizing that I was going to need to believe in my little book and be the captain of my own ship, I decided that I had to dive into the world of Instagram, as my writing friend and others I had come to know were doing.
Oh. Emm. Gee.
This was worse than getting sucked down a rabbit hole. It was more like getting thrown into shark infested waters when you don't even know how to swim.
Let me remind you that I'm a little bit older than the newest social media trends and uses. I don't tweet or tumble, and Tik Tok is not ticking in my house. I Facebook, and that is mostly so I can be nosy and see what all my friends and family are doing. I had a private Instagram account, but rarely visited. That Instagram is a marketplace for entrepreneurs to hustle and offer their services and that there is a possibility that some could scam you?
Yeah; I didn't know what I was doing. I got scammed with spam-botting within the first twelve hours.
The Instagram writing and bookstagram communities are massive! I was so happy to have my writer friends to help me navigate it quickly. I was offered services for book reviews, building my following, offers to coordinate and host online "book tours", opportunities to commission book covers... you name it. Even with advice, I was lost and a little bit jaded, but I did find people to restore my faith in this platform. I love my copy editor to death (hey @melissa.proofreads). My book cover came from a designer who basically held my hand after I straight asked him why I should trust him said, "Let me show you there are good people out here," (shout out to @Mrismailben), and my logo on the home page was designed by someone who just reviewed my social media content for ideas and got it right on the first try (I still love it, @centralcovers_).
But I still feel like I'm winging it. Content creating? How in the world was I supposed to stand out in this place? How am I supposed to get followers and build a loyal base? Which hashtags are the best to use? How do I know where to find that information? My cousin mentioned that IG Reels are The Thing. OK; how do I do that?
Please help. Seriously. I've been doing it, but I can still use help.
Here's the thing...even with all that I didn't know, and all of the obstacles I ran into, I started to enjoy it. I started enjoying planning content and experimenting with reels and promoting my book, my baby, and as the end started to appear on the horizon, I didn't want it to end. Instead of focusing on the fact that I was 100 percent flying by the seat of my pants, I started to ask, "What now?"
Now, I'm preparing to self-publish my book on Kindle for all of the world to read. I'm building an ARC team while I'm waiting for the second round of copyediting to be completed. And I'm kind of freaking out because guess what.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Again.
But, I can't wait!
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