Hello again!
I thought I should post an updated beginner's guide to self-publishing for Filipino writers, since I've been getting Qs about this more often than usual lately, ever since quarantine started. 
And so without further ado...

Hello again! It's Monday here in PH (12 noon to be exact), and since it's a holiday I have AT all to myself (bwahahaha). > . < We're actually leaving for a car event in two hours - or rather, he'll attend the event while he leaves me at some nearby cafe so I can work (aka my strategy for getting free coffee 🤣).
But anyway, since I plan to work on my preorder there, I thought I'd use my extra time here at home to post this real quick.

Truly, Madly, Deeply went live sometime in late May, and after my usual first-week sales peak, TMD sales immediately went down.
While this was saddening and frustrating it also didn't particularly suprise me, considering how different it was from all my other books. That's why I decided to enroll it in KU in July - not necessarily to earn more but just to reach more people because I truly believe that TMD could be helpful for the right people. But anyway, the KU enrollment did help, and it overtook sales for Rancher #2.
That didn't sit well with me, though. > . < I honestly felt like I completely missed the boat - marketing-wise - for Rancher #2 so I decided to change its cover and title, and this change would coincide with the release of Rancher #4.

I definitely think the change in its title and cover helped, and I wanted to emphasize this to let you guys know that it always helps to continuously study publishing and marketing trends, just to figure out what little things you can add or change to improve sales not just for new releases but for your backlist as well.

The above list is a snapshot of my August 11 sales as of 11PM EST, Bought being the one to earn the highest amount of royalties etc.
​TMD is near the "bottom" of the list since this doesn't include its KU earnings.
Stepbrother Prince has always enjoyed steady sales ever since its release, but because I added a new and all important keyword to When I Moan (Vassi and Seri #1), sales for the next 2 books in the trilogy definitely picked up. The keyword, btw, is reverse harem, and those who have been reading my books from day one would know that it's something I've already tackled (This Round I'm Yours, and KC Chariot uses the actual term in the book) way, WAY before it became this insanely popular trend.
My take on reverse harem, however, is somewhat different from the currently popular version (#whychoose), so I made sure to emphasize that in When I Moan's title and blurb (read: reverse harem in shoujo means all boys love that one girl, but their feelings don't always have to be romantic in nature, and the h will always only end up with just one H).

Quick consistent releases (still and always will) win the day, and this is especially necessary if - like me - you're unwilling to shell out huge $$$ on ads. TBH, when TMD first started in KU, I tried a daily ad budget of $3 for almost a month. Ended spending something less than $50 before hitting Pause. Reads for TMD were the same with or without ads. > . < But just to be clear: there is absolutely nothing wrong with paying for ads. It's just not part of my strategy ATM.. I will spend for a Bookbub ad though, but more often than not, my page count ends up disqualifying my books from the get go. > . <
​In any case, if you'd like to give ads a try, I suggest you check out the #authortube channel of Chris Fox. Oh, and videos of Sarra Cannon and Bethany Atazadeh are great, too.
Note: I don't know any of them personally; I just like their videos a lot.

Failing that, one thing I couldn't do for myself but I've seen many other authors do to their advantage is to write your entire series in advance and launch the whole thing in KU. As long as your Holy Trinity is on point, your story is good, and you can get your friends or readers to post their reviews during its first day of release, I'd say you have pretty good chances of getting your target market to read your book.
Note: The sales and KU reads you'll get will be affected by the size of your market / whether it's niche or not. So don't compare apples to oranges (X's KU title in romance vs. Y's KU title in M/M post-apocalyptic MG fiction).

Stay on top of publishing / marketing trends. It's fine if you don't want to write to market, but it's critical - especially if you're self-published - to keep your finger on the pulse and take note of what's hot and what's not. The thing about these trends, as it is in any industry, is that while they do come and go, trends also get recycled and keeping track of them can breathe new life to your old books (similar to how things worked out with my Russian stepbrother books).
Note: I personally failed to do this (shitty 2018 proves that), but it's something I'm now actively doing my best to rectify and incorporate in my daily routine.

​Listen to your guts.

• Before publishing Rancher #3, I took a good, hard look at the bestselling titles in Western romance. Many of them were historical Western romances and enrolled in KU. The market also seemed evenly split between steamy and sweet titles. In contrast, I was writing contemporary, no plans to launch in KU, and while I was inspired by Diana Palmer's Long Tall Texan series, I also knew that I hadn't any ability to write like her (wouldn't even dare try, she's Western romance's ultimate OG as far as I'm concerned). Nevertheless, I knew that my books offered something different (please take note: different, NOT better) to the Western romance market, so I went ahead and published Rancher #3, and my gamble paid off.
• Before publishing Rancher #4, there were a couple of one-star reviews for Rancher #3 that I needed to consider and see if it should be enough to change my game plan for the last book in the series. It made me wonder if my approach to writing Western romances or mail-order bride romances in particular might be responsible for putting those readers off. But then I also considered my sales, what I personally wanted to read and what I was hoping readers would feel when reading my Rancher books, and I eventually decided to stick to my game plan. So Rancher 4 went live, and things are working okay so far.​

You can read the longer version of my most recent publishing roller-coaster phase here, and I'm sharing this link for you to see just how close to the bottom I was before things started turning around with God's grace.
TL;DR: the image below...

For 2018, My Dutch Billionaire boxed set went live in January, Andreus Part One in April, and Rayyan in July.
For 2019, My Shameful Secret (previously written under a pen name, republished under Marian Tee) and a standalone Greek billionaire romance went live in January, Truly, Madly Deeply in late May, and Rancher #3 in late June.
Those blue bars in the chart represent my annual earnings, and I'm feeling so good and secure with God's grace that I can confidently tell you that by September, my total sales by that time (January to September of 2019 or nine months' worth in other words) would have already outpaced what I earned for the entire 2018. <3

So...first of all, I had this long post prepared and published...on the wrong page. I thought I'd be able to copy-paste the whole thing after deleting the post, but something went wrong between then and now, so long story short, I wasn't able to salvage the bulleted part (aka the most important part > . < ) of the post.
And now I'm too tired to re-type everything, so let me see if I can just do a simplified version.

• My previous post ended with me at home after watching Midsommar. I was still able to work after that.
• Saturday was extremely busy. Had to go out for lunch, dinner, and coffee until 3AM. But I did manage to get a bit of writing done in between AND after those things.
• Sunday was also somewhat hectic. CCF service at 3PM, dinner at North Park, and Starbucks after. Worked during the wee hours again.
• Tried to work early yesterday (Monday) starting 9AM but due to lack of sleep, my eyes kept drooping by 10AM. Had to rest, but couldn't sleep. Ended up doing some crafting 3:30 to 4:30 lol. Quick shower then left at 5:30 and headed to Araneta. Dinner at Pizza Hut (because they always have available tables, and they have the most incredibly courteous and helpful staff), and then off to watch WESTLIFE TWENTY, WOOHOO.

After a week's worth of doing #authorblog, the most important thing I've realized is that I suck at time management. > . < I also need to make myself less available for other stuff so I have more time to devote to my books.
Oh, and something that I feel I need to declare here is that sometime between my last post and today, the rankings of Rancher #3 sank like a rock and now plays anywhere between 8K to 10K. :(
It is what it is, so I'm just hoping things will be much better once Rancher 4 comes out. <3

P.S. Too lazy to include photos for this post, sorry!

So...Day 4 (Thursday) can be pretty much summed up with one photo.

So yeah. I got to do a bit of writing in the day, some crafting, too, but most of the heavy lifting was done in the wee hours of the morning. The work I did on Thursday was sort of a turning point for me, since it was the first time I felt really good about where my story was going. Once I reach this point, it's all good, and everything's fast-tracked.
Anyway, hubby woke up sometime after seven and had someone buy us breakfast from McDonald's. Went to sleep around 8:30, woke up sometimes before 3PM, did a bit of crafting, and then hubby picked me and my siblings up so we could join everyone at the office to celebrate mass in honor of the feast day of St. Joachim & St. Anne.
Dinner followed, as it always does whenever we have a priest come over to the office for mass. Afterwards, we headed to Vertis North to watch Midsommar. Since we had some time to kill before the cinema could let us in, hung out at Serenitea...

And yes, there were eight of us. Me and my 4 sibs (we're 7 in total), hubby, sister's boyfriend, and our cousin. It's usually like this, i.e. I only go out with family these days, and we're usually a large group, regardless of whether I'm with my mom or dad's side. To say we're close-knit is pretty much the understatement of the century. >.<
Dropped by 7-11 to buy our midnight meals, and it was - I think - around 1:30 AM when we were finally home and comfortably settled to watch Doctors on Netflix.
Not sure if I can do a bit more of work before I go to sleep. We'll see. But before I end this post, let me just share my most recent rank check on Rancher 3.

No more hitting the Hottest New Releases charts since it's more than a month old. However, the bestselling list is available 24/7 and I cannot believe that it still manages to occasionally rank under 5K and make it to the Top 100 for Western Romances. This is just incredibly insane, and I can only thank God and my readers, and of course the super supportive AT (hubby's initials), for this.

My day started around 10-ish, and after brunch, I did my usual bit of procrastinating before getting to work. Honestly, if there's one thing that this #authorblog series has taught or shown me, it's simply how bad I am at time management. > . <
Anyway, I edited a few thousand words yesterday - I rewrote the first XXX scene (that's what I call sex scenes when I'm outlining) between H/h and I was also able to add almost 2K new words to my WIP.
We also went out for dinner last night.

And I worked on a couple of happy mails for my readers.
Example:

I think I spent more time doing non-writing things compared to actual writing, but one thing I've also learned from past experiences is to not force it. When I feel like a particular scene or plot point isn't working for me, I used to rewrite it over and over, but it never really works, and I always end up throwing the towel. More often than not, when I resume writing after spending some time away from my WIP, everything suddenly falls into place.
So maybe it's stress or something else, but either way, when something's not working, I simply take time off and do something relaxing like crafting.
That said, I still think I'm doing something wrong (imho). I know of writers who never or at least rarely have this problem, and they simply write day in and day out without ever questioning their outline or their vision for their story. I honestly think that's possible for them because they're no longer hindered by stupid stuff like excessive doubts and insecurities and caring too much about other people's opinions.
On this, I think I've significantly improved compared to how I was before. Hopefully, before 2019 ends, I'll be one of those writers, too, and I no longer question what I'm writing because I've found inner peace. :)

Here we are again for Day 2, and yesterday was a lot more typical.
I woke up quarter to ten, had brunch while watching stuff on YouTube and Amazon's Prime Video (my newest source of streaming addiction lol), and then I started working sometime after two in the afternoon...in my bedroom. :)

Above is the table I have in my bedroom...for crafting haha. Initially, it was supposed to be for writing, but after giving it a couple of tries, I realized that I didn't have enough table space and leg space for working. So there. It's back to the bed for me. :)
I think I've mentioned this in my previous post, but I recently reached out to readers, asking if they wanted to receive a little something from me. I've already closed my impromptu giveaway, and I think I have 29 readers to write to. Each mail "packet" will be 21g - 50 g, include one Marian Tee postcard, and contain randomly selected stationery items. I had the boys print the first batch of postcards, and I'm probably biased, but they truly look incredible to me. :D

Anyway, I had just gotten a bit of momentum working when the hubby called, asking if I wanted to join them at Celebrity (clubhouse of sorts). I said yes, of course, thinking it was the perfect place for me to enjoy free food (thanks, Dad, haha) while working.

The plan was for the boys and my youngest sister to shoot some hoops while the rest of us just hang out (or in my case work and eat).
​But when we got there, we found out that the court's been reserved until 9PM.
What this means for me: we only stayed for dinner, so no extra time to chill and write. :(
Went back to work as soon as I got home. I was able to edit maybe 8K words and write around 1K in addition. Not as productive as I liked, but since I know this was the final version of my WIP, still pretty happy.
​Until tomorrow! :)

I can't remember how exactly I ended up stumbling upon #authortube, but long story short, I did, and honestly I wish I could do something like it, but...yeah, well, I do mean it when I say I'm shy. > .

Once upon a time, I used to be able to write every day, without caring a whit about what other people might, could, and would say about my work. Because of that, I was also able to release new stories every month - sometimes, more than one novella-length story per month even!
Those days were long gone, and so much had changed and happened since then.
I'm proud to say, however, that I'm slowly, steadily, and determinedly finding my way back to my best self. I release Truly, Madly, Deeply during the last week of May. It's about 50,000 words for long, and it's something I'm SUPER proud of. The book dealt with a lot of serious issues, though, so a part of me was thinking it might take me a few months just to work on my next book.
Thankfully, that was not the case of all.
With the grace of God, I was able to finish another book - The Billionaire Rancher's Unwanted Wife - last Sunday, or less than a month since my last book! And surprisingly, it also ended up about 25,000 words long, which is a good enough length for me. I was kinda worried, actually, that the story - since it was meant to be this quick, sweet, feel-good read - wouldn't even get past the 20K mark.
So yeah, I'm really, really happy right now, and I know I owe it all to God.
I also know this doesn't mean everything would be smooth-sailing from here on, but even so, I'll still continue trying my best to work past my doubts and insecurities and just keep writing what I love, in the hopes that my stories will make other people smile, laugh, and just remember that we still have every reason to dream and hope, with God's grace.

Last Saturday, my family and I were able to attend mass (anticipated) at Trinoma's newly built and beautifully designed chapel. We arrived a little late, so I'm afraid I didn't get to check our celebrant's name. But we did get to listen to all the readings and the homily, and it's this that I want to share in this post.
1. The amount you give may sometimes reflect the amount or value you've placed on the blessings you've received from God.
This was basically a gentle reminder for us to acknowledge just how much we've been blessed by God. We always take things for granted, but if we just take the time to really consider how much God has given us, it's certain to motivate us to share more. It's like what my stepmom always like to say: God is always happy to fill our pockets (the bigger the pocket, the better even!), but how can he do that if we're too afraid or selfish to share His blessings with others?
2. The two most important days in a person's life is - firstly and understandably - the day s/he was born and - more importantly - the day that person discovers his or her reason for being born.
We've come into existence to spread the word of God, but as to how we can best serve our purpose in life...I personally believe that's where our true calling or passion comes in. With the Internet leaving us so easily vulnerable to being a target of social pressure, bullying, and all other forms of negativity, it's become all the more important for people to truly take the time to figure out what they want to do in life.
I'd like to think that I've already somewhat figured the role God wants me to take in this world. In spite of this, however, my life is far from perfect. A lot of things still happen and seemed design to make me doubt my purpose and my ability to fulfill it.
In the end, however, I can only trust God to keep me from giving up.
3. Culturally speaking, Filipinos - when attending a party - make sure to enjoy the food prepared for them as a sign of respect, and they rarely leave a gathering empty-handed (hello, take out!).
Why is it then that, during the greatest celebration of all - a.k.a. the Holy Mass - many of us refuse to partake of what's being offered (we're not just speaking of communion here, but also the act of absorbing the priest's homily? And when the mass ends, there are even more of us who prefer to leave empty-handed, i.e. we refuse to use what we've learned from Mass and share it with others.
It's my first time to hear this type of analogy, but I think it's very much apt, and it's definitely given me food for thought (pun intended). ;)

Write as if it were your last book.
Write as if you're never to write again.
Just...write.

Some books take an instant to write. Other books take forever.
There have been many instances in the past when I had to give myself an ultimatum: I NEED to finish Book Y by X amount of time because of (insert important reason here).
When this happens---
Scenario 1: I create an outline and manage to follow it to the letter by keeping my demonic inner critic on a loose. I worry about the speed in which I've been able to finish the book, but because the story feels "right" to me and I can't think of any other way to write it - ah, f*ck it, que sera, sera. 
The book is published, and it becomes one of my bestsellers.
Scenario 2: I create an outline, attempt to follow it but quit halfway and trash the first draft because I keep worrying about what others think.  So I go back to square one and write something completely new - something that I'm sure will please EVERYONE (reader, non-readers, critics, fellow writers, I do mean everyone).
The book is published and voilà -
It's a flop. > . <  

The amount of time it takes to write a book that sells is NOT my main point here. Let's be very clear with that. For me, the moral lesson here - and it's something even I myself unfortunately forget at times - is to write what you'll enjoy as a reader as well.
How much time it takes you to do that is immaterial.
Also, forget about your inner critic. I honestly believe 99% of the time it's not objective, and it's just your insecurities speaking. If you feel you absolutely must listen to it, then do so when you're done writing the book but not while writing it. 
As long as you're writing something you love - you're good. :)