• Say one of my readers' most frequently asked questions is if I’m going to write about X and Y. I answer this on my website’s home page and FAQ section, my Facebook’s About and FAQ page, and I have it on my newsletter’s header and footer. Now, a reader emails me. Am I going to write about X and Y?
  

You know what I do?
I answer: Yes, I am. Hope you can wait for it. :)
I don’t berate the reader for asking the question because honestly, why should I? In the end, readers are why I’m able to do what I love. Readers who cared enough to ask about X and Y are readers I want to stay with me forever. So, yes, if I have to type the same answer over and over, it’s cool. You won’t ever hear me complain about it.

• Say one of my readers write to me asking if I could please change the ending of Book X because it hurt too much. Say one of my readers ask if I can just write about X instead since I write too much about Y, which bores her to death. 
  

Now, how do I react?
Well, one thing I won’t EVER say is that since it’s my book, my rules. I won’t ever say MYOB. Because readers writing something like that means I did my job. I made them care. I made them feel. Granted, it’s not exactly what I wanted them to feel, but I’d rather have readers hating my work than having them damn it with faint praise. 

• Say a reader writes to me, saying she’s absolutely disappointed with my latest work. It was shitty. It was boring. It was anti-feminist. It was gross. It was THE worst book on the planet, and I should be ashamed that I ever wrote it. She loved all my books except this last one. 

What do I do with this kind of email?
If I feel that silence is the best answer, then I opt for silence. I can't blame a reader for feeling the way she does. It's her right. If I've known the reader for some time, then I apologize that the last one's disappointed her or made her feel whatever, but I also tell her I hope that she'd still read my next one and maybe I could win her back then. I say these things because I do mean them. 
Every reader you have as an author is precious, and I never let myself forget this. I never let myself forget the time I had still been unpublished and I'd have killed to even have just ONE reader (who isn't related to me) reading my work and liking it. 
As an author, one of my personal philosophies is to live and let live, write and let review. I can't control what other people say about me or my work, but I can control what I say and do. 
Before I react, I try to think about where the reader's coming from. I think about where I came from when writing what I wrote. Lastly, I remind myself that at the end of the day, no matter what people say about me or the books I write, I'm still lucky to do something I love.
When I remind myself of this, when I let myself recall how much my life has changed because of how my books have found homes in other people's shelves, Kindles, and smartphones - all the negativity just disappears. 
I remember that life's good. Today may be shitty, but tomorrow's another day, and there's always a new book I can write that could make readers happy. :)

I've been asked several times about why I have so many FREE books (of course, I've also been asked why I don't have ENOUGH books that are free, but that's another story :D).
Anyway, what I'm about to share is nothing new at all. You can check out other veteran indie authors' blog posts and they'll tell you the same thing (and probably even more). I've also discussed this a few times in the past, I think, but in any case, I just thought I should write my own in-depth post about the power of free to show how free books as a marketing tool can also work for Filipino authors like you and me. 
Please note: 
All screenshots below were taken around around 3 to 4AM EST, May 7.
All screenshots are based on Kindle (Amazon) sales. If I can find some free time again, I'll try to share graphs based on B&N and iBooks sales.

Now, here's what happened to Book 1 Dear Greek Billionaire when the prequel went free. You'll notice that sales started climbing up May 5. 

And then Book 2 Love, Your Greek Billionaire...

Now, Book 3 Forever & Ever, My Greek Billionaire also went out May 6. We can say, for the sake of argument, it may be the fact that the series is complete that drove sales to Books 1 and 2. 
But that's not the case at all. When I look at my graphs, I saw that my first-day-sales for Books 1 to 3 are virtually the same. If Book 3 is the reason that I have new readers snapping up Books 1 and 2, there should also be a significant increase in the sales of Book 3 (I should also note that, because of the length of my books, a reader can finish all three (or four, including the prequel) in one day).
If I have enough time, I'll try to post another set of screenshots to show the effect of free books on sales past May 6. But for now, I hope we can at least agree that free books CAN drive sales.  

Doing paid marketing for free books is optional. When my book went free on May 4, there were already people who downloaded the prequel without me doing any marketing, enough to get the book to Top 500 overall for free books on Amazon. But I still like paying for advertising because - at this point - I feel my time is better spent writing than doing marketing. But I have done my own marketing in the beginning, with good results, so it can be done. 
Now, because I did pay for advertising, some of you may question whether I was able to recoup the money I spent on advertising. (PREPARE YOURSELF. CALCULATIONS ARE COMING)

Step 1: I calculated the average number of copies sold per day between April 27 to May 3 (last 7 days of sales before the prequel went free on May 4) for DEAR GREEK BILLIONAIRE and got THIS NUMBER.

Step 2: I then calculated returns that can be attributed to the prequel going free.
May 6 Royalties - (THIS NUMBER x Royalty Per Book) = Profit #1.

Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 for LOVE, YOUR GREEK BILLIONAIRE.
May 6 Royalties - (THIS NUMBER x Royalty Per Book) = Profit #2.

Step 4: Calculate how much I still need to earn to recoup my advertising expenses.
Advertising Expenses - (Profit #1 + Profit #2) = Balance

Based on my calculations, I already earned back 57.90% of what I spent on advertising on May 6. 
Based on past experience, I think I need about 2 to 4 days more to earn the back the rest. 
Everything is pure profit after that. :D

One thing I should spell out is that, obviously, all these books are under ROMANCE. Not sure how the numbers would differ for other genres but if you check out Russell Blake and J.A. Konrath's blogs, I think it's safe to say that free books helped them a lot, too. 
Also, it definitely took longer for me to recoup paid advertising expenses in the past. I was a newer author, I had fewer books, and I made a couple of rookie mistakes. So...bottom line, YMMV. 
However, I believe you can improve results on setting your book free with the following:

• If you have a series / serial, set Book 1 or the prequel free.
• Cliffhangers can get you lots of love and hate. I personally love writing them, and though you could get a lot of flak of it, there's also nothing like a cliffhanger that gets readers to one-click faster). In my part, I try to give readers a heads up in advance about it. For The Greek Billionaire and His Secretary, I warned readers that there's heartbreak ahead (they rightfully equated this to cliffhangers) and it will be so until the last book.
• Set the book free once you've completed the entire trilogy (especially if all the books revolve around one couple) or you've written at least 80% of your series (say, Part 4 in a 5-part serial). I learned this from Liliana Rhodes, by the way.
• Make sure you have all the links available in your front and back matter before setting the book free.
• Experiment with covers and blurbs for Book 1. 
• Do marketing (paid or free). There are all sorts of things you can do, and you may have to experiment with each (a.k.a. trial by error) until you find out what works for you.
• If you're writing a series of standalones, you can switch it up. Let's say Book 1's free for a year. You can get it back to paid then make Book 2 free. I learned this from Cora Seton, although I forgot if it was from an article or podcast.
• Some authors give readers an added incentive for clicking the sequel by pricing Book 2 at $.99 then the rest at $2.99 or whatever their regular price is. I haven't done this yet, but I heard from other authors that it worked for them so I thought I should share this tip as well.
• Have it available on as many retailers and websites as possible.

And that's it. I hope this helped! :)

Today's gospel is very apt...

This line in particular struck me---

Lately, this is something I've been struggling with. Recently, author friends of mine have achieved several wonderful milestones in their careers - hitting the bestselling charts on their own (NYT / USAT) and making it to Amazon's Top 100 also on their own or even with secret pen names. While I am EXTREMELY HAPPY for them and would be happier if they keep becoming more and more successful, it did make me reflect on my own writing. And before I knew it, I was plagued with the same doubts that I had once struggled with back when I was seeking an agent for literary representation (aka query hell).

• It starts with asking myself, When is it my turn?
• Then self-doubt sets in. Maybe it will never be my turn because I can’t ever be good enough.
• This is followed by self-pity. That’s okay, that’s my life. I should just be happy with achieving this much.

But…here’s the thing.
Who I was before isn't who I am now, and I need to remember that. 
Back then, I had nothing. So when I kept asking, When is it my turn - it was because I never really had any kind of turn, never had a taste of what life is like in the other side of the fence (a.k.a. being published and having readers want your next book).
Fast forward years later and I can’t be thankful enough that I didn’t get my turn. 
You see, if I had gotten my turn, and I had eventually gotten a publishing deal through my then-agent, I’m pretty sure I’d be too content with having my book in bookstores to even consider dipping my toes in self-publishing. I’d have told myself it was okay to earn a tiny amount of money as long as I was doing what I love. If all this had happened, I’d also have to keep working at my day job and accept freelance writing gigs on the side to support myself. But I’d be happy because – hey, I have my books in bookstores all over the world!
I'd be happy but NOT COMPLETELY HAPPY.
You see, I love my family the most. I will never hesitate to give up writing as a full-time job if it means being able to give my family a comfortable life. And I believe that would have eventually happened if I had stayed on the road that led to traditional publishing.
But through God’s grace I found myself on the path of self-publishing / indie publishing and I have never looked back since then. 
Now, I realize that it hadn’t been my turn back then simply because it wasn't for me.  Self-publishing has changed my life SO MUCH that I can’t ever thank God enough for it. I want to help as many people reach their dreams, if only to give back a little what God has given me. 
So this post is for me and for you - it's to remind us that if there's something we want or have been wanting for such a long time and it hasn't been given to you yet, it could be it just isn't the right time or something better's in store for you. Of course I'm not saying you should just wait and do nothing. You should keep writing - keep doing what you can to improve your skills and there will come a day when the stars will align and there'd be no stopping you. 
I believe in that, and I believe that God will make it happen for us. :D
 

So first of all - this is my anniversary post. Almost two months late, I know. I didn't get to write one right away because I couldn't think of any new information to share with you guys then. But now, I do, thanks to the new trilogy I recently started (and which is also about to end).

The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire (Book 2 in my six-part serial) was released in December 2013. Average word count for the books was 20k to 25k although Book 5 (the longest) was about twice as long, if I remember correctly. 
When you do serials on Amazon, expect a lot of low-star reviews hating on the length (or lack thereof) of the book. Ranking doesn't have that much staying power either although there are exceptions to the rule. (Case in point, my super fave Whitney Gracia Williams). 
On the other hand, you can also see from the chart that Apple users don't give an eff about the length serials. On Amazon, my biggest selling books for each month are the newest releases. On Apple, my newest release also takes the #1 spot but the second spot ALMOST ALWAYS goes to - yes, you got it - The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire, which is one of my oldest self-published books.
My takeaway: If you like writing short (and steamy), Apple is your BEST (but not your only) friend. Just be sure to have a permafree to keep sales steady. I really want to encourage Filipino authors to write serials since we grew up on serials and cliffhangers - I mean, hello, our telenovelas are rife with them and if you do them right, they can make a reader more invested in a book. Personally, as an author, nothing makes ME more invested in my own books than the heartbreak my characters are experiencing. The more painful it is, the more invested I am in their stories.

Now, one of the reasons why Trusting continues to sell well (based on my fairly low standards :D) on Apple is because Book 1 is permafree and drives sales for Book 2. Recently, I started a new trilogy, which is set in the same world as my first Greek billionaire serial. The only difference is that the new trilogy has NO PERMAFREE to boost sales for the second book. My prequel, The Greek Billionaire and His Secretary, was released at $.99c. Dear Greek Billionaire, Book 1 in the trilogy, was released a couple days after it.

This was an eye-opener for me. Huge eye opener, which is why I'm rewriting a part of Book 2 and use it as a permafree to boost sales on Apple. BN sales as shown in the chart are normal for a $2.99 release - although the chart makes my earnings from BN miniscule, you have to remember that BN's market is also a lot smaller compared to Amazon's. 
My Apple sales usually outpace BN sales with a permafree but obviously that's not happening with DGB.

ALL MY SELF-PUBLISHED SERIES start with Book 1 as free. Old ones like The Werewolf Prince and I don't count because they're not self-pubbed. Even my Silver and Lace series will have  either a free prequel or short story of sorts to promote the series. But with my new trilogy (Stavros and Willow), I tried something different. I didn't set the prequel free but instead priced it at $.99 since it was only 44 pages long or about 10k words. I had super low expectations that it would sell since I figured people were used to me making Book 1 free. But THIS happened. 

My ratio for Amazon / BN sales are never like that. NEVER.  But for the first few days, BN sales actually outpaced sales in Amazon and honestly, if I were to base it on market size, I think TGBHS was able to sell at the same pace on both Amazon and BN for more than a week. I've NEVER sold this well on BN before so I'm thinking that it's a combination of a good strategic title and a $.99c price point. Obviously, it's just mostly conjecture at this point, I know I need more hard data, but even so, I have a good feeling it has to do with those two things.
Anyway, because sales of TGBHS were so spectacularly curious, I wondered how effective it was at driving sales to the next book, which is DGB. I compared this to the sales of Burn, which was preceded by Book 1 (Swish) being in a USAT/NYT bestselling boxed set (Wild Rides). 

Obviously, not that huge a difference. But there are a couple things to note. 

• DGB went live only a few days after TGBHS. Burn went out THREE MONTHS after. 
  
• Swish was part of a boxed set that made it to Top 50 on Amazon and even Top 20 on B&N. My $.99c prequel made it as far as Top 500 on Amazon and Top 100 on BN.

Again, I still need more data to make certain conclusions, but for now, I'm thinking $.99c releases for Book 1 is a good way to go and ESPECIALLY IF you release the next book right after. 
I also noticed that Dear Greek Billionaire "seems" to be reaching more new readers compared to Burn as you'll see in the graph below. I'm thinking that Burn's decline on Day 16 was because I had reached virtually all of my old readers in the first fifteen days. Day 16 onwards, mostly new readers were the ones buying (and obviously they're not that many). 
With DGB on the other hand, weekend sales account for the spikes (Day 9, 10, and Day 16, 17) but other than that they're selling more steadily.  Again, I'll need more data to back this up but that's what I feel about it for now at least.

Sales for DGB are parallel with sales for TGBHS by the way (too lazy to create another graph for this, sorry) but when you consider that, then one way to interpret it is that TGBHS is still doing its job at driving sales for the next book.

Same thing's happened with Books 1 to 5 for Damen and Mairi although not in the same scale. I'm thinking new readers were more inclined to one-click The Greek Billionaire and I because it's a standalone.
My takeaway: Amazon and BN readers may be feeling so overwhelmed by the number of permafrees available that they've taken to checking out $.99 releases and using it to decide which series to follow. Obviously, the opposite's the case with Apple. For now, though, I'm thinking I'll stick with $.99 releases for Book 1 of my serials and see how things will continue to work out.
Another thing I want to emphasize on is TIME. If you feel you don't write fast enough then consider writing your entire series in advance before releasing them simultaneously. I know from firsthand experience that readers' interest in your books tends to wane the longer you make them wait. So either work on writing fast enough OR release the entire series in one go. ANOTHER alternative - which I'm still working on - is to have SPECIFIC release dates you can stick to (my greatest weakness alas) and maybe even set preorders up for sequels. That's one way you can be sure to get them hooked until the end.

If you've been following my blog, you'd know that I love, love, love talking about niches - probably as much as I love to talk about outlining. Now, one thing I've noticed is how sales for a particular book seems to be greater on one retailer than the other. 

A few facts about Meant to Be Yours:

• Released in October 2014
• Book 2 in a two-part serial
• Book 1 published in February 2013, was part of USAT bestselling New Adult Romance bundle in January 2014 and was set free when MTBY went live
• Categories / sub-genres: New adult / college age characters, contemporary romance with BDSM theme

First, here's a look at the number of copies it sells on Amazon, BN, and Apple.

At first glance, it may seem like Amazon is once again outpacing sales (slightly) on BN. But remember - BN has a smaller market than Amazon. When you take that into account, you'll know that MTBY has a larger market share on BN compared to how it's doing on Amazon (and Apple). This, by the way, is my ONLY BDSM-themed story (Jason & Keanne does touch upon this issue a little) so I'm thinking it's because of that it's still been selling steadily. 
And just to show you how well MTBY is doing on BN compared to my other books, here's a chart comparing sales of MTBY to Burn (Aug. 2014), This Round I'm Yours (Feb. 2015) and The Art of Trusting a Greek Billionaire (Dec. 2013).

Before my Greek books, I used to be more known for writing werewolf romances. Late last year, I finished a werewolf trilogy - it didn't rank as well as my first werewolf books (owned by my former publisher) and I think one reason was because the latter was initially priced at $.99 while my trilogy were priced at $2.99 for Books 2 and 3 (Book 1 is permafree though).
Another thing I've noticed is that shifter romance doesn't really sell that well outside Amazon (refer to graph). Initially, it did well on BN and Apple but afterwards, sales just kept declining until they reached a certain (low) plateau.
My takeaway: Every retail site seems to have its unique share of popular niches. Up to you to find out what it is and see which one you'd like to write more. Pricing may also have to be adjusted according to which niche you're in and, lastly, it may pay to be exclusive with Amazon, depending - again - on your niche.

Anyway, that's it for now and I hope even just a little bit of what I've shared is able to help you figure out your next step in self-publishing. Nothing I've shared is ground-breaking for most indie writers but for those in the Philippines, I thought it would be a good thing if I summarized everything here, in case some of you guys were wondering about the same things. 
Some of you may also be wondering why I haven't discussed KU. To be honest, I just don't have enough data because KU seems to work better for new SERIES and as of now, I haven't any to speak of. Next month, though, I'm hoping to be done with another shifter romance trilogy so maybe I'll have figures then. It depends.

Note: Everything here is BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. You aren't obliged to follow my advice or even think that I'm right. All I want is to give back and have more Filipino authors earning enough from self-publishing to be able to write full time. Is all.

So...last Friday, Lulu.com shared this infographic.

Indie authors generally agree with it, I think, but there were also those who went, 'not so fast...' Like the piece on Dear Author, for instance.
Both have good points, and I've got no plans to disagree with either of them. What I do care about is making sure that the problems the DA article pointed out are addressed so that Filipino writers like you and me continue to survive (or even thrive) in today's publishing scene. 

First of all, yes, there are a couple of unavoidable expenses - if you want your book to be good then yes, you need to pay for certain services.
Cover Art 
I know a couple of authors who do their own covers and really great ones at those. I can't remember, though, if the fact that they do their own covers is something they acknowledge in public so I won't name names. But the fact is, they do exist and so it IS possible that you don't have to pay for your own covers. But the question is, CAN YOU DO YOUR OWN COVERS?
If you can't trust yourself to be honest then look for someone artistic and someone you trust to be honest with you. Ask his or her opinion about your cover. If they think it sucks then it sucks. 
Remember, though, that you don't have to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on your first cover. A lot of cover artists today offer pre-made covers and these are always cheaper than customized ones but NOT NECESSARILY uglier or cheap-looking. My cover artists are Kellie of Book Cover by Design (from UK) and Clarise of CT Cover Creations (who's Filipino-Chinese like me). Both of them offer affordable ebook cover designs. 
Please take note I specified ebook cover designs. I suggest that you don't focus on looking for a paperback cover just yet. That's an added and unnecessary expense for now.
When getting someone to do you covers, just make sure you decide early on what your branding is. I learned about this a little too late so I had to redo a lot of my covers. By branding, I mean that people take one look at a cover and they immediately know it's YOUR book and even what SERIES it is. If you check my Greek billionaire romance series, you'll notice that I'm using the same font for GREEK. You'll also notice that I always use the same font and style for my author name for all of my books, whether they be contemporary or paranormal.
PROOFREADING AND EDITING
You absolutely must pay for this. I won't even go to explaining why. You must. My editor is Wendy, a.k.a. The Passionate Proofreader. Like Clarise and me, she's Filipino-Chinese and like Clarise, virtually 99% of her clients are from the US.
MARKETING
Some types of ebook marketing are free but still effective.

• Reach out to reviewers. Word of mouth always helps. If they can post their reviews on multiple sites, so much the better. Don't just limit yourself to Filipino readers. You want readers from the US and other countries, too, because with ebooks, the entire WORLD is your market.
• Give away a free ebook or create a free sampler of your work. It's not as effective as before but it will still get you readers.
• Make use of the "free days" promotion and Kindle Unlimited service available from Amazon's Kindle Select program. Just remember that when you do this, your book can't be available OUTSIDE Amazon.
• List your new releases with websites that offer free promotions. I recommend WTRAFSOG (Jamie McGuire herself mentioned it in one of her interviews) and other similar pages on Facebook.
• Use hashtags when posting or tweeting about your book. Every little bit of strategic marketing counts.
• Create a newsletter and get your readers to subscribe FROM DAY ONE. This is important. EXTREMELY important. I cannot emphasize it enough.

Now, what you do have to pay for---

• Blog tours. It's a hit or miss, but when they work, they REALLY work.
• Paid ads (such as Facebook and Bargain Booksy). They won't cost you as much money as you fear as long as you've targeted the right audience for your ad and you have a compelling image for your ad. Make sure you use an affiliate link to track clicks.

Ebook formatting
Most of the authors I know format their own ebooks. They say it's easy to do and I believe them. The only reason I don't format my own books is because it's covered by my publisher. Money saved is still money saved so please take the time to learn this skill. It should serve you well.
Paperback cover design and formatting
As mentioned earlier on, I don't recommend focusing on this if you're new and you mean to focus on selling ebooks. If you have other priorities then sure, it's up to you. But if you want to be smart and practical and you don't have any existing readership base who'd buy your paperbacks, why spend time and money on it? 
Website
The only thing I paid for is my domain name. The rest, I did myself. I use Weebly as my web host (it's very beginner-friendly and considerate of tech-challenged peeps like me) but a lot of people say Blogspot and WordPress are great, too.
Print and offline advertising
Not at this point. 'Nuff said.

Not everyone's suited or able to be a doctor, the same way not everyone's not suited to be an author, much less one who's Filipino and self-published at that. Be that as it may, I'm beyond happy to be one because at the end of the day, the pros that come with the job far outweigh the cons.

On being an author
UP: You get to tell stories for a living. I love telling stories. I could tell stories - well, write them that is - all day long. A lot of people have asked me about where I get all these stories, and I've always said it really just comes from anywhere and everywhere. However, so many people have asked me this that recently, I've been worried about running out of stories. It probably has to do with the fact that I have been writing a lot more in the past few months as well. Thankfully, though, when push comes to shove, my fingers just start moving, and the story gradually unfolds. 
So will I ever run out of stories? No. I won't like every story I conceptualise, but I definitely won't run out of stories to tell and I look forward to telling stories my whole life.
DOWN: You have a responsibility to your readers. For some, this may be an 'up' - like if you're the type to embrace being a leader or a role model. And I agree, this is an 'up' in the sense that authors should be thankful for having the privilege to reach so many people with their work and the power to change the way people think, feel, or even live. 
However, the downside in all of this is just how daunting it is. If your work promotes the wrong kind of message, you could end up influencing your readers to do something wrong or make them think that something wrong is actually right. 
UP: You don't need to leave your home to work. Again, this is one of those things that could go either way but for me, it's a tremendous advantage. Having to go to an office to work doesn't just take time better spent on writing. It also requires more effort and money. Also, being able to work from home means that you don't have to dress for work, too - which (for me) is really convenient.
DOWN: You don't get to talk to a lot of people. Most of my days are spent either cooped up inside the room writing or typing away at a coffee shop. Either way, I don't have the time, inclination, or need to talk to people. Being an introvert, I find the solitary nature of my work an advantage. However, it's also made me feel more unused to being with so many people, to the point that I've become even more socially awkward. 
UP: You're your own boss. This is another up/down factor. It's an advantage because it means what you says goes. You don't need to ask permission from anyone. On the other hand, this also makes you fully accountable for everything. If you're not self-motivating and self-sufficient, then you'll find it hard to stick to your deadlines and meet your writing goals.
DOWN: You are (to an extent) dependent on trends. I know it can be argued that every job is dependent on market trends and demands to a certain extent, but I also think the job of an author is more so than others. While many consider books as valuable commodities, they cannot, however, be strictly defined as a basic or necessary good the way, for instance, water, food, or even fuel is. A lot of people are able to survive - even live happily - without ever reading a book, much less buying one. It's for this reason that authors have to remember how important it is to please their readers if they want to continue selling books and making money from it. Obviously, if you don't care about making money and you're just writing for the art then this factor doesn't apply in your case. :D

On being self-published 
UP: You write what you want. Just do a little digging, and you'll be able to read numerous articles on how traditionally published authors have their most precious manuscripts turned away without any offers simply because it wasn't what the editors considered "sellable". If you want to be traditionally published, you need to go through several gatekeepers: agents, editors, publishers. Granted, self-published authors face the same dilemma, too. They could end up writing something they don't like because they know what sells as well. The difference here, however, was that they chose to write those books. No one forced them to write those books the same way that nobody can stop them from writing or publishing whatever they want.
DOWN: You need to be business-minded. I've talked about this matter to death, so I'm going to keep it short this time: if you can't be business-minded about your work, then self-publishing might not be for you. Luckily for me, I've got Chinese blood and Chinese are very, very business-minded. :D 
UP: More royalties! This is nothing to scoff at, especially when you see the latest surveys about authors not making as much money as most people think they do. 
DOWN: Less opportunities to get your books in bookstores. Like any author, I've also dreamt of seeing my book in bookstores. I had that dream when I was in my mid-twenties (just a local publishing deal, mind you, so that book never made it outside PH). It was a fantastic experience. Would I care to experience it again? Of course. But would I trade my self-publishing career for it? Absolutely not. :D 
UP: You have the flexibility and liberty to experiment. This is even more essential nowadays because with so much diversity being offered by indie authors, just about anything can be a huge hit, which would then immediately create a huge demand for similar books. Traditionally published authors are advised not to chase trends simply because by the time their books are out in the market, it's too late - the trend's no longer a trend. But it's a different situation for self-published authors. Because you're your own boss, you have the ability to cater to those markets right away.
DOWN: You need to live with the stigma that's still associated with self-publishing. I'm not really sure this will ever go away so if the thought of being looked down on by traditionally published authors and publishers greatly bothers you, then self-publishing might not be your best bet.

On being Filipino
UP: You have the potential to be unique. Most internationally and independently published books are written by native English speakers, which are mainly Americans, British, and Australians. As a Filipino, I'm definitely part of the minority but I consider this a good thing. I've always been told that my heroines are not like others and I truly believe one of the reasons for this is the fact that I'm Filipino. Being different is never a drawback - and you just have to believe it's not to turn it into your specialization.
DOWN: Your English may be considered "strange". This, by the way, is more likely to be a problem if you've lived in the PH your whole life or you haven't spent a significant amount of time in any native-English-speaking country. The good news, however, is that you can improve on this. 
DOWN: People might not understand or appreciate what you're writing. This factor actually plays quite the critical role in my life. As many of you know, PH is a conservative country and one that's predominantly Catholic / Christian. Since I write steamy books, I do my best to avoid mentioning about anything regarding the genre or type of my work. I just know that if I mention the heat level of my books, a lot of people would start looking at me differently. I even hesitate to volunteer in churches because I don't care to risk embarrassing myself by being removed once they find out what I write (and decide that they hate it). Also, I don't care to risk putting them in the position of having to defend their decision for allowing "someone like me" to help out.

So there it is, the ups and downs of being a Filipino self-published author. It's just kinda sad that when I had to start thinking about the pros and cons of being a Filipino author, it's mostly disadvantages that occurred to me. Hopefully, one day, that will change. 

Every time I feel like I've achieved a particular milestone in my career with God's blessing, I do my best to give back. One way I'd like to give back is to share tips which I feel would be of help to Filipino authors like me.
Today, I'd like to talk about the importance of being true to yourself. If I had not been true to myself - and continue to be so, I don't think I'd ever be where I am now. However, being true to one's self is not easy at all. At least it wasn't for me. The first version of Death Loves Me Not was very much influenced by Twilight. It managed to get a few bites but no one really snapped it up or received real interest until I rewrote it into what it is now - a YA horror with the smallest bit of romance in it. (Read: they didn't even kiss!!! IKR. How could that be possible? A Marian Tee book without kissing?)
In the end, though, what really helped me find the courage and experience joy in being true to myself was my readers. More specifically, their feedback - reviews, emails, messages - helped me appreciate my own writing and stop being so easily influenced by what other people say. 
Again, I'm not saying that it meant not accepting constructive criticism. NOT AT ALL.  Rather, I define "writing for yourself" as being able to write what you really like to the best of your ability. 
Keep in mind there are two essential elements here: 1) Writing what you really like and 2) doing your best, which means constantly finding ways to improve your writing.
I needed to clarify that because some people mistakenly believe that writing for yourself means ignoring all rules about grammar, plot, etc. That's one way of looking at it, but that's NOT what I'm talking about. If you really love writing, then there'll always be burning urge inside of you to continuously hone your craft. Likewise, every time you write, you should have this burning urge to write something that you yourself would enjoy reading.
Secondly, being true to yourself as a writer also means being true to yourself as a READER. 
I remember there was a time when one of my former online bosses asked me about the books I read. I was totally honest when I told him I haven't yet read Jack Kerouac - and have no plans to do so. I even had to google his name and nope - one look at the kind of books he's writing told me they're not the kind I'd enjoy.
When I was interviewed by Ms. Alma Anonas-Carpio, I felt totally sheepish when I admitted to her that I haven't really read any books written by local authors except those that made it to required reading lists in school like those by Lualhati Bautista. I didn't even recognize most of the names she mentioned to me. >.< 
(Off-topic: I really felt bad about that and I started researching about local authors. Eventually, I stumbled across F. Sionil Jose. When I read his life story, I was blown away. What he's achieved is just amazing and I wish more readers would know more about him. I haven't read any of his books yet, but I know I'll get to them eventually - with the kind of life he's led, I just know I'll enjoy his writing.)
I don't like reading books that have the main characters dying in the end (or at the start, doesn't matter, dead is dead). It's why I haven't watched Titanic and why I haven't read The Fault in Our Stars. It's just not for me. 
I don't enjoy reading diverse books, mostly because I can't relate to them. I don't see myself as a person of color, but I don't see myself as Western either. Because I'm very much an introvert and prefer spending most of my time with my family, social issues regarding diversity don't really figure in my life. I am aware of it, of course. I'm 100% behind the call for more diversity in fiction, media, etc. but I also know I'm not the best person to spearhead such campaigns.
Poems are okay, but I don't go out of my way looking for new poetry to read - or write. I did chance upon a few passages by Neruda, and I have to admit - they touched my soul. I may read more of his works next time.
As for what I like - 
Books that allow me to escape, dream, and experience a whole new life or adventure, may it be a grand sweeping romance, mind-bending mystery, or life-changing nonfiction. I don't care what people say when I tell them I love Twilight as much as I love Harry Potter. I love 50 Shades as much as I love Narnia. 
Bottom line: being honest about what you do and don't like when it comes to books is one of the first steps in discovering who you are as a writer.
Another way to be true to yourself and to your writing is being honest about what you want to achieve.
When I write a book---

• I hope to make readers fall in love. I hope to make them happy and cry and then make them smile again. I  want my books to be a roller-coaster ride they won't ever forget.
• I hope to make money. 

Like I always say, you don't have to choose one or the other when it comes to these things. If you work hard enough, there's a way to ensure that you achieve both your artistic and financial objectives with one book. Sure, some will tell you it's not possible. Others may say that while it is possible, your book didn't do it for them. And that's okay. As long as you're earning the money you need to earn and your readers are happy with you, it's all good. Do it like Taylor Swift does - shake it off and get back to work.
Also, I know writing with making money in mind is still considered taboo, but I'm sorry - I'd feel even more like a hypocrite if I lie about my objectives. Writing is what I want to do in life and the best way to achieve that is to earn from writing. So, yeah, of course I always take in point what would help my book sell when I write.
Fourthly, I think it's important to accept that being true to your writing doesn't automatically mean EVERYONE will love your work. No matter how hard you try, there will be people who will NEVER get your work. And that's okay - you mustn't let yourself be pressured into trying to win them over - to the point that you end up ignoring the readers who actually love your writing as it is. 
Lastly, I really believe that being true to your writing means finding your calling and doing what God wants you to do. For me, this is really important. I'm sure people will think that it's weird to say so when I write really steamy books. However, if you read the reviews of my books, most readers say the same thing: the books are hot, but what they really like about it is how LOVE always trumps everything in the end. And that's what I believe I was meant to do - I'm not meant to write life-changing books. I'm just meant to write books that will make you smile, laugh, cry, hope and BELIEVE in love and life again.
I know most of the stuff I've discussed here is something I've taken up in the past, but I just think it bears repeating. YEARS - it really took me years to embrace the way I want to write. Hopefully, this post will help make your journey of self-discovery as a writer easier.

Of the various parables there are in the Holy Bible, I think this is one of those you could interpret in many different ways. This and this share good insights about The Parable of the Bags of Gold, but as for me, I'd like to reflect on it as someone who writes for a living.
1. Don't worry about each other people's talents. I used to be crippled by self-doubt. It paralyzed me, to the point that I've neglected to try getting any of my works published for a long, long time. But eventually, I've realized that I'm only hurting myself by doing that. If I only focus on what other people have done with their careers, I'd just end up throwing my life away.
As this parable shows, it's not what you started with that matters. It's what you do with what you have that's important. So if you really think you need an MFA to be a better writer, stop feeling bad about not having one. Figure out what you need to do to get your degree. 
2. Don't be afraid to take risks. In this parable, the third servant was given just one bag of gold - less than what the other servants were entrusted with. If you think about it, he had less to risk but he ended up the one being most afraid of risking and losing.
God gave us all that we need to get where we're destined to be. But we'll never finish our life's journey if we don't start believing in ourselves. If we don't take a chance on ourselves. I am where I am now because I took a risk. It was a giant leap of faith, a sink-or-swim kind of decision. All the odds were against me and the only thing that kept me writing was my faith in myself - and my belief that I was doing what I was meant to do.
3. Don't blame others for what you can't accomplish or haven't accomplished. In the parable, when the third servant was called to do an accounting, he started off with an explanation of how his master's attitude has influenced his decision. As far as I'm concerned, he's pretty much blaming his master for the fact that he's done nothing with his bag of gold. 
If my book's a flop, I'm not going to blame you or anyone else because of it. I'm just going to try and figure out what I could have improved on, move on, and chalk it up to experience. Blaming other people or factors for one's failure is not only pointless, but in some cases it can also be unnecessarily hurtful. Dishonest and cowardly even. 
4. We are all born with "something". To end this on a positive note, this parable also reminds us that we were all born with one or several talents - an "X-factor" if you will, and it's just up to us to recognize what it is and develop it into something great. :)

P.S. I've pasted the passage for today's gospel below in case you'd like to read it.
P.P.S. If you previously posted a comment / emailed me, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I'm only blogging when I need to take a break from editing / writing. Sorry for the delay!

So there's this smart man - a pastor - who said (I'm paraphrasing) "Truth does not change lives. It's truth applied that changes lives." I think the same goes for knowledge or information for writers who want to succeed (and by success I mean being able to sell enough books to make a living from it).
Knowledge matters - but it's knowledge applied that will change your life. My point is, indie writers have it extremely lucky today because the information you need to succeed is already at their fingertips. It's there for anyone and everyone to use - but that's the thing. Your life - your career - won't change until you take the necessary steps to apply those changes.
I admit to being unable to understand why some people don't apply what they've learned to their lives. However, for this post I'm going to try placing myself in their shoes and see if I can figure out where they're coming from - and what they need to do to make those all-important changes.

Fear of change
You know that when you apply certain changes to your work, your life is going to change with it. Those changes - whatever they are - are terrifying for you for some reason. But be honest with yourself.  Are those changes that bad? Also, weigh your options - which matters to you more: avoiding those changes or succeeding in writing? Because those changes you fear are your opportunity costs. You can't have it all. Something's always gotta give.

Fear of failure
If you don't try, no one can say you failed. But consider the other side of the coin - if you don't try, you can't ever say you succeeded either. And trust me, failure is vastly overrated. Failure WILL NEVER be able to ruin you unless you allow it. It's only extremely painful the first time around, but when you get used to it, you'll be able to shrug it off and move on. You'll learn to see it as a learning experience and even though failure will always sting, the pain will get bearable because you know it's part of life.

Fear of discrimination
You refuse to write steamy stories because you're worried about what other people would say. You don't want to write mainstream because you feel it won't be considered literature by your peers. I get where you're coming from, but what I don't get is why you're letting what other people say stop you from writing what you really want. Use a pen name if you have to, but just start writing what you want.

Fear of going broke
This is a very specific fear that could fall under #1 (change) or #2 (failure) but I thought it deserves special mention anyway. Some of you may think that embracing your career as a writer could put you at financial risk. I understand. That was my fear, too, but I took the risk and it paid off. However, I wouldn't have been able to take that risk if I didn't have a partner who supported my decision. He was the one who footed the bills during the months I hadn't been able to contribute financially.
I'm not saying that you should find a partner to do this for you, too, obviously. :D But it would be great if you do have one of course. If you think writing full-time is the only way for you to succeed (in my case it was) then so be it. However, you can also mitigate the risks you'd be taking by planning well ahead of time.
I'm going to refer you to Sha Nacino's Money and Me if this is one of your fears. Some of you may have noticed how I recommend this book frequently. Please note that I do not know the author personally and I am not paid to recommend her book. But I really believe in her book and even though I only read it after I had quit my day job and was earning from self-publishing, I still found her book very motivating and enlightening. I could see how it would have helped ME if I had read it before I had quit and consequently, I could see how it would also help writers thinking of quitting their day jobs to write full-time.

Time
When browsing the Internet, I frequently come across people saying they just don't have enough time to do this or that - things that have to do with their ability to achieve their goals in writing. They already KNOW what they NEED to do. They just don't have the time to APPLY the knowledge. 
If you're in the same boat, then you should realize time is not your enemy here. It's yourself. You are the master of your time and not the other way around. You're the one with the power to decide what to do with your day and you're the one who chose not to do what you had to do to succeed.
This is an excuse. You may not realize it, but it is. If you really want to succeed in writing then you must make time for it. The same goes for anything you want out of life, really. Time is one of your greatest resources, and you must learn how to effectively allocate it.

September 21 is my birthday (which, I'm thrilled to say, is also Stephen King's birthday. On the other hand, I'm also not-so-thrilled to note that 9/21 is also Martial Law day in the Philippines). 
I turned 32 this year and I have to say that this is my HAPPIEST birthday so far. This year, I can really say that I'm a full-fledged author. This year, I was able to spend my birthday not just with my loved ones but most importantly, this year God has given me more than enough blessings to share with others. It's not that I have millions and millions of pesos, but I just feel so blessed to be doing what I love that I really want to share my happiness with others.

The readings and gospel for 9/21 are also particularly meaningful and I can't help but think of it as a special message to God. Here are a few lines I'd like to highlight...

These lines made me remember all the times - ALL THE YEARS - that I "saw" (online) one writer after another accepting offers of representation and book deals, some of them only after sending a handful of queries. I kept asking myself - or rather God - when would it be my turn? I was not angry, but sometime I was envious and I definitely felt very frustrated. 
But now I realize how wrong I was. For His ways are not our ways. There is a reason for everything, and we must not question His plans for there is a reason for everything that happens and because it is God, it will always be for the better.
Comparing our lives - our writing careers - to others is also something we should avoid. All blessings come from God. Knowing that, why should we then feel bad when God is being generous to others? Why are we envious when God is generous? Shouldn't that be a great and glorious thing? Wouldn't YOU feel bad if you've learned other people despise you (envy is often - not always but often - close to despisal) because God has blessed you? When you put yourself in their shoes, it doesn't feel right, does it?
There are so many things I still wish - things that I hope to be able to do as an author and as an individual, but I hope I am now mature enough not to feel frustrated whenever other people achieve the same things before I do. 
All I can do right now is to work harder, love my job more, and thank God for every single day that He's allowed me to write for a living.
God bless you all! :)