2021 is the year I became a self-published author.
I started sharing my writing journey here on this website in 2020. I also put together a few YouTube videos and I shared posts about my writing in-between Tarot posts on Instagram. I felt a bit of exposure to online platforms was a part of the self-publishing world I should get used to and very slowly I shared more of my writing aspirations even though my main Instragam account is really dedicated to Tarot.
My goal had been to self-publish by the end of 2020 and I felt sharing this goal online would be another way to help me keep it. I reached my goal on 21st March 2021. I’m not at all bothered it took me an extra 3 months, honestly I was working as hard as I could. Every weekend from December to March I kept thinking: ‘I’ll finish this weekend!’.
So suffice it to say, self-publishing is hard. But it is doable. Do you know what I find even harder?
Marketing my book!
Like many writers I am happy to be alone with my thoughts and my imagination. I am happy to put those thoughts and a made-up world into words and I am happy if nobody else reads these words! At some point though, I did decide I wanted to publish a book and it seemed like a good compromise to do so under a pen name.
I have done all of this and I am happy with the result. The bit that comes after is a mystery. I’ve cracked some of the code. I attempt some book promoting here and on my new website for the ‘Author me’. But the ‘real me’ is not fond of marketing. So the real me will do her best but is honestly ready to just getting back to writing and to enjoying Tarot.
I do like to share writing/editing/self-publishing tips on my @roseorua account and I have some of that on this website as well. I find Tarot very inspirational in that it has rekindled my interest in the mystical and the metaphysical. I also did a whole series on YouTube for NaNoWriMo to help creatives with book ideas, so please check this out if you need a bit of inspiration.
Click on the picture below if you would like to view this PlayList in YouTube.
That’s all for now, I will attempt to share more updates throughout the year as I delve into my next book…
To view my Author website Rose O’Rua you can click here.