Hi everyone. Please click here to read my most recent post about self-publishing.
So I was thinking of a way to pay it forward and I thought that for Valentines Day, I'd write some sort of Q&A post about self-publishing for Filipino writers. I need to emphasize the Filipino part since I'm Filipino myself. As such, I'm in a better position to share info, insights and stuff about self-publishing from the Philippines.
On the other hand, I don't think I'm in a position to offer advice about self-publishing to authors outside the Philippines. Plus, a lot of more experienced authors have already offered really good advice about this so I don't think I'd have anything much to offer.
Anyway, if you've only stumbled upon my site or post and you don't read my books or you don't know anything about me, here's a very brief summary of my writing career so far---
If you want something more extensive, I have my Road to Publication story posted here somewhere.
So basically, that's it. If you think I can answer questions you have about self-publishing then you can post it here as a comment OR if you want to ask anonymously, then you can email me at [email protected] with SELF-PUBLISHING QUESTION as subject line. Feel free to ask anything that concerns you as a self-publisher (e.g. marketing your books, connecting with an international audience, royalties, etc. - anything goes!).
I'll also go through my older emails and share relevant questions (and answers) asked by Filipino readers.
Expect the post to be up on V-Day. :)
On the other hand, I don't think I'm in a position to offer advice about self-publishing to authors outside the Philippines. Plus, a lot of more experienced authors have already offered really good advice about this so I don't think I'd have anything much to offer.
Anyway, if you've only stumbled upon my site or post and you don't read my books or you don't know anything about me, here's a very brief summary of my writing career so far---
- I worked as an online content provider / Internet writer for about 8 years. One of my articles was republished by Yahoo! Small Business (content syndication) and another by MarketingProfs.com
- I once had a literary agent in US but it didn't work out.
- I have been rejected too many times to count by numerous literary agents and local publishing companies.
- I write steamy romantic comedies. And YA horror when I have time. Oh, and children's stories, too, under my real name.
- I made the deliberate choice of rejecting certain golden rules about writing (e.g. head-hopping POVs, use of adverbs) when I started self-pubbing.
- I get my share of one-star reviews. Most of it have to do with the fact that my heroines are so naive (but hey that's because I tend to be naive IRL too and I keep forgetting to take off my rose-colored glasses) and my heroes are jerks (what can I say? I also believe that reformed rakes make the best husbands). Oh, and that I have too much sex in my stories (errr...no comment. :D). Lastly, there would occasionally be reviews that say my stories - ex: The Werewolf Prince and I & How Not to be Seduced by Billionaires - are Fifty Shades copycats. However, that's not true and my long-time readers over at Girltalk (a forum on Female Network, owned by Summit Media) will be the first to tell you that my stories were completed way before FSOG became viral.
- I know for a fact that I have more US and non-Filipino readers than readers here in PH.
- I currently have almost 2000 subscribers in my mailing list.
- I have one traditionally pubbed book here in PH - a chick-lit novella pubbed by PSICOM. This was back in 2007 or 2008 I think. Can't remember now.
- I now have almost 20 books available on Amazon and other e-retailers.
- My best ranking books are The Werewolf Prince & I (Top 250 on Amazon US) and Nick & Lilac (Top 220 on Amazon US and Top 200 on Amazon UK)
- I became a NYT bestselling author when the Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance Boxed Set (multi-author anthology) hit the COMBINED LIST OF BESTSELLING EBOOKS AND PAPERBACKS on its first week. The boxed set made it to NYT for two weeks.
- Two of the boxed sets I'm a part of made it to the USA Today - Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance (3 weeks) and Tangled: New Adult Romance Boxed Set (1 week).
If you want something more extensive, I have my Road to Publication story posted here somewhere.
So basically, that's it. If you think I can answer questions you have about self-publishing then you can post it here as a comment OR if you want to ask anonymously, then you can email me at [email protected] with SELF-PUBLISHING QUESTION as subject line. Feel free to ask anything that concerns you as a self-publisher (e.g. marketing your books, connecting with an international audience, royalties, etc. - anything goes!).
I'll also go through my older emails and share relevant questions (and answers) asked by Filipino readers.
Expect the post to be up on V-Day. :)