So, the learning curve for self-publishing has been less a curve and more a roller coaster with almost vertical slopes. Feel free to imagine me with both arms flailing in the air, hoping my seatbelt holds me in.
Along with all the learning, I’ve added a lot of new words to my vocabulary over the past three months–like bookstagrammer, reader magnet, ARC, takeover, release tour. I’ve learned about services like Bookfunnel, StoryOrigin, and Canva. I’ve created book teasers, done giveaways, and joined authors during release parties. It’s been something new everyday but I’ve met some amazing people and made some new author friends along the way.
But, not everything has been easy to navigate. It’s been tricky to figure best marketing tactics and how to grow my social media accounts. I’ve watched tutorials from David Guaghran and Allesandra Torre and joined a number of invaluable Facebook groups to help answer some of these questions but each day brings about new challenges.
So, what do I do when my brain has a million different thoughts running through it like wildebeests? I go to my happy place–either reading or writing. I’m excited to announce that I started writing my second book and hope to have it completed early next year. I’ve also been reading a lot. I finished Drive Me Wild, by Melanie Harlow recently and absolutely loved it!
As you can expect from most of my posts, I’ll quote a line from the book that I’ve just read that was meaningful to me. Here’s one from Drive Me Wild that really sums up this post and my self-publishing journey so far.
“I think the best journeys have a lot of twists and turns, don’t you? They’re not just a straight line. And you have to be open to following your heart and seeing where the road takes you.”
Agreed, 100%.
I’ll keep you posted so you can enjoy the ride right along with me.