Blog Hop Tour - A Letter To Your Younger Self

My writerly pals and I would like to share an open letter to a younger self.

So what would I tell a younger me, hmmmm…. Where do I start! I still feel like I am growing as a person but I am pretty clued up with where my life is heading now and there is a tonne of stuff I wish I knew back then! So here goes, come here my little mini me, let me enlighten you he he

Dear little Nean,

Well, what can I say….what a colourful little life you will lead! Your life will not be boring that’s for sure. You will do some amazing things and meet some great people who open your eyes to a different way of thinking. As each year passes you will gain more wisdom and knowledge, all of which will assist you in helping others. People will fascinate you and are key to your journey, and you will find that you attract a variety of people into your life with  different cultures and backgrounds, and they will all inspire you in their own little way. The child within you will never disappear, and as a result you will live your life to the fullest, enjoying every experience that is thrown your way. Laughter will be a big part of your life, and will get you through some tough times.

So what can I pass down to you….The biggest thing by far is, you must listen to your heart! You will always have a battle between heart and head but I tell you now, your heart knows so much more than you give her credit for. By following your heart you will have such a fulfilling and fun packed life. There will be times when that head of yours shouts to be heard or other people do the shouting for you, but you just have to trust your gut instinct and ignore the ‘rational’  thinking at times. It won’t always be easy and by living this way you will make mistakes, but these mistakes are key learning points. Never, ever look at a bad experience as a negative thing, these times are what makes you stronger, and what makes you grow. Things will scare you.. A LOT! But you are a tough cookie and love a challenge, so you will push yourself to do these things, because you know it will make you grow in confidence. You will always enjoy the experience, so never ever not do something because you are scared.

Your life will be abundant with highs but there will be lows…. and they aren’t great. There will be loss, heartaches, frustration, confusion and self loathing. This will be caused by a number of things, but no matter how lost or confused you feel about your life, trust that this stage is only temporary and that you need to go through the fog to get to the light.  When the time is ready it will all suddenly make sense and  you will realize that everything you have been doing is all part of your journey. You will look back one day and will be amazed by how mapped out everything has been. You will see signs throughout your life, do not shrug these off as coincidences, take note and keep following that heart of yours.

As a 38 year old woman I still have much growing to do but these guidelines have been key to my journey so far and I try my best to live my life by them.

Listen to your heart

Do not let others views cloud your judgement, only you will know what is the right thing to do. By all means listen to advice and take other peoples views on board, but at the end of the day let your heart make that final decision.

Learn to love yourself

You will have a lot of insecurities to deal with, but it is so key to learn to love yourself. Once this has been done you will find that everything is suddenly so much better  and you will find true inner peace. The older you get, the less you will care about how others view you and this is key to your development.

Learn to let go of negativity

Most of this is caused by you over thinking situations that don’t even exist. Yes there will be times when it is clear that there is an issue, but the best thing you can do is to let go of all these negative feelings. Learn to only focus on the good in people, ignore the niggly traits. You cannot change anyone so learn to love people for who they are and simply let go. If things do not improve then it is time to step back from these situations. Do not let others negativity get in the way of your happiness.

Stop worrying about the what ifs and the past, they do not exist. You cannot change anything that has been done nor can you predict the future so live for the now!

Love everyone with all of your heart

You have a big heart Nean and it confuses you at times, but just have faith in the fact that you are meant to love people. The need to help and care has a purpose for you and that will become clear later on in life. You have always known that a part of your jigsaw was missing  and it takes much self discovery to finally know what it is. When you do, you will feel complete.

Be Grateful

Be thankful everyday for all the good things in your life, you have so much to be thankful for, always remember that.

Work hard and never give up.

Keep working towards your goals no matter what life throws at you. Even if it is only a small step forward, all the baby steps will get you closer to where you want to go. Don’t ever give up and don’t stop loving what you do. As soon as the love goes away then it is time to rethink things and to step back. Take time out to take care of yourself and find the love again, when it has returned everything will flow perfectly.

Be kind to others

It is simple but so true, by making others happy it will make you happy.

Meditate and tap into energy healing!

A bit random but this will be the key to your self discovery and will give you that missing piece of the puzzle. I will go into more detail about this in next weeks blog. You have been warned ha ha.

Believe in yourself Nean, you know in your heart what you need to do, so keep following that path and the rest will take care of itself. Try not to get too frustrated, take one day at a time and have faith. Love every day of your life like it was your last, love life, love people, love nature and most importantly love you!

Namaste

Thanks for stopping. For more letters to a younger self, visit these #Gr8blogs today.

Auden Johnson, Dark Treasury

http://audenstreasury.blogspot.com

Cat Michaels, on Cat’sCorner

http://www.catmichaelswriter.com/cats-corner-blogging-about-books-writing-and-more

How a Forgotten Journal Helped Me Move Beyond a Painful Past

Cat shares excerpts from a journal written by her painfully insecure 15-yo self to OlderDarlin’ --- the adult she wished to become and hoped she would do proud.

Julie Gorges, Baby-Boomer Bliss

http://babyboomerbliss.netjuliegorges.com

Leigh Shearin, Leigh Shearin,Writer

http:/www.LeighShearin.Weebly.com

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On 1 February, two more #Gr8blogs share their letters to a younger self:

Carmela Dutra, A Blog for Your Thoughts

http://carmeladutra.com/blog-post/letter-to-my-younger-self/

Karen Emma Hall, Kid LiteratureBlogspot

http://kidliteraturetoday.blogspot.com

To self publish or not self publish - A J Cosmo's success story

pic by http://confusedcartoon.blogspot.co.uk/

As you might be aware I recently self published my first children’s book Animania.

It was not a decision I took lightly, I off course wanted to try to get a traditional publisher on board. However after  a year of rejections from both agents and publishers I decided enough was enough, it was time to do this on my own.

In this day and age it is so simple to self-publish a book. I never thought I would say this but the actual production of the book is the easy part. How to market yourself and your work is a whole new ball game and one that I am still struggling to get my head around.

I have learned a lot the past year with the self publishing versus traditional publishing routes and I am continuing to learn each day. I think it will be a good couple of years until I have established myself as a children’s author. I have had a great start with it, but it is going to take more time and alot more writing/illustrating before I start seeing the results I am working towards.

One of the main ways I have taught myself about the wonderful world of publishing is by connecting with fellow creatives and swapping stories/ideas. I am always fascinated with everyone’s stories about how they have got to where they are today, it inspires me and keeps me motivated to keep going. I thought I would interview a few people that I look up to in the hope that their success stories will inspire me and other hopefuls out there. I will try and do this once a month as a new feature.

A J Cosmo is the first person I have chosen to quiz. This super lovely chap is a creative machine when it comes to writing and illustrating books. Over 40 self published books to date, and his first book was published only 4 years ago… see what I mean about a creative machine! When I first came across A J Cosmo earlier this year I remember going through his website and thinking wow, this is exactly how I would like to see myself a few years down the line. You can’t help but admire the level of success he has achieved all by himself. It just goes to show that self publishing can work providing that you have the passion and commitment to see it through. So here we have a few questions that I wanted to ask the man himself…

INTERVIEW WITH A J COSMO

You are an illustrator and an author; did you have any training in either field? 

I have always taken art and writing classes, my best subjects, and have an undergrad in fine art and a master in film with a minor in painting. I have also worked as an airbrush artist for many years, which gave me my speed, and written screenplays in my spare time to try to break into film.  

When did you realize this was your path in life? 

Children's books were one of many spokes I had in the fire when I found myself unemployed. People responded after the third piece and I have been creating children's book sever since. 

When did you publish your first title and how did it feel? 

My first children's book for Kindle came out in December of 2011. It was called Gordon's Gravy and has since been discontinued. It felt like a naked relief. I never expected fame or fortune, still don’t, but I was happy to simply have something out there. So much of my artistic life has revolved around asking permission; so simply publishing something, anything, was a breakthrough. 

The self-publishing industry has a huge learning curve. Did you find it easy to publish your first book? 

Publishing is easy. You can find hundreds of tutorials and services to get a book on Amazon. Publishing professionally, creating something of value people want, that's hard. Self-publishing has a bad reputation because so many people forget that our audience has been fed filet mignon for years. They have high expectations and want indie writers to match or exceed the professionalism of traditional publishers.  

Did you invest much financially in your first book? 

No. Doing almost everything myself, I invest very little in each of my books. Doing things this cheaply means that I spend a huge amount of time on each project. Luckily I am quick. It also means that I have had to acquire every skill that a book needs to be created. The past four years have been one long education. I do not recommend people break the bank with each book. Rather, spend thriftily and where it matters (cover and content) and expect that your investment will never show returns.  

You have self published all of your titles, did you ever try to go down the traditional publishing route and how did you find it? 

I have tried half-heartedly and still think of trying to this day. Traditional publishers frustrate me because everything is on their terms and they are painfully slow. It's also bizarre to talk to traditionally published authors who brag about their one book and be looked down upon myself for having sold twenty times their numbers. 

What made you decide to go down the self-publishing route? 

Fear of rejection from traditional publishers and ease of entry combined with the newness of the technology. It became a job as soon as I started treating it like one and it definitely gives back in proportion to what I put in. 

What are your top 3 dos and don'ts for self-publishing? 

Do 

1) Be professional. 

2) Pay attention to your market. 

3) Be humble, expect nothing. 

Don't 

1) Carelessly throw anything out there. 

2) Assume that you cannot be better. 

3) Rely on magical thinking, easy solutions, or other people.  

At what point in your career did you feel like you were on the right track and started to see significant results? 

There's an assumption that once you do well you will always do well. Make no mistake, I struggle same as everyone else. I have had mind-blowing months and heartbreaking months. You cannot have success without failure and often they are mixed together. I'm just now coming out of a personal recession, so to speak, and I'm still not entirely sure whose fault the whole ordeal was. Regardless, if this is something you want, expect to keep working even after you do well. That's why it's so important to value the craft over the rewards. 

I have found marketing to be the hardest part about self-publishing. Did you have any help with this or was it a case of picking things up as you go along? 

I have asked many questions of people who call themselves marketers. I have read many books on marketing, taken many online courses, read articles, and watched countless videos, but the most useful advice I ever found was that you need to be of use to other people. No one cares that you wrote a book; they care if you can help them make their life easier. If your book can stop a child from crying at night, you will sell a billion copies. Realizing that the customer, the reader, is the most important person in the world is the first step in effective marketing and is what I stress when teaching marketing to others.  

Have you ever paid for help with marketing and if so was it beneficial? 

Yes I have and I encourage everyone to try whatever he or she can at least once. What works for one person may not work for another. As for me, the most useful paid advertisement has been with the email blaster services such as BookBub and FreeBooksy. Those both require either substantial discounts or for you to offer books free, so to take full advantage of them you need to have an email subscription shell around their promotion. 

I was researching awards recently but was quite shocked with the fees for entering. What is your view on awards and paying for reviews, in your opinion is it worth the investment?

Awards can be a cash cow to the creators of the awards (same with contests) so you would do well to research the notoriety of the award before entering. You want an award that is hard to get and that people care about. Unfortunately, so many authors have slapped award seals on their books that I'm afraid it has lost a lot of meaning (same as palm fronds with films) so the value of the award might be in the recognition that the award gives to its audience, not on what you can stick on your book. 

I have found the journey so far to be a rollercoaster of emotions, a mix of extreme highs and lows. Did you go through similar feelings when you were starting out? 

Always have and always will. Fear is a sibling of creativity. Depression is the shadow of joy. Even the simplest walk has a vast variety of surfaces on the path. It's best to make peace with your emotions and use all that as a fuel to power you. I believe in feeling emotions fully, cherishing them, and then releasing them. It can be very good to be afraid. 

What plans do you have for your future writing and illustrating?

I plan on continuing to create, market, and help in whatever ways I can. I just want to be able to continue to do what I'm doing because it feels right. Sure, other things may come up, but I plan on producing at least one book a month until something stops me. There are a huge variety of projects on the slate from new middle-grade novels, to sequels, to multimedia iBooks, as well. I want to create something for everyone. 

What would be the biggest bit of advice that you would give people like me that have only just dipped their toes in the huge self-publishing ocean? 

Three steps: 

1) Decide if this is really what you want. Some people may only wish to publish one book and be done, that's perfectly fine. 

2) Be honest with yourself. Look at your work like others would. See the faults and the strengths. Look at your work like a stranger would look at you, not someone who is invested in you. 

3) Never stop learning. This industry changes quickly. Learn everything you can about business, marketing, art, graphic design, publishing, everything, and teach whenever you can (the best way to learn.) Knowledge will give you confidence and confidence will give you endurance. 

Thank you Corrina for this opportunity to speak. It was a pleasure. 

If any readers have a question for me I'm always available through email at aj@ajcosmo.com 

You can contact AJ at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you so much for the fantastic interview AJ, you are a true inspiration… keep up the fantastic work!. AJ has always been so helpful when I have had any questions, so do get in touch with him if there is anything I haven’t covered here.

I still have a lot to learn but the biggest thing that came as a shock to me was the harsh realization that selling books is HARD work!. Please don’t be disheartened if you don’t sell many copies. I had a huge amount of support when I published Animania but the actual sales of the book was incredibly disappointing, to the point where I had a bit of a grey spell over it. I soon found out though that this is quite normal and even AJ himself said that the average sales of your first book is 20 copies! Well that made me feel a load better and I have been plugging away ever since. Sales are beginning to trickle in now and I am sure there will be more once I start getting myself out there in person. There is only so much you can do online, it is time to now see how sales go through things like author visits, Christmas fairs etc.

As they say “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so even if initial sales are disappointing you mustn’t give up, keep plugging, get yourself out there and start writing and producing more books. It will take time but with strength and determination you can get there. I won’t lie deciding to go solo is scary, there is a lot to get your head around but the actual process of getting the product together is really very simple and very affordable. I encourage anyone to give it a go, you really can’t lose with it. The hard bit is the work after, but if you like a challenge and have the passion then anything is possible, AJ is a prime example of this.

Have you self published a book? Do you have any tips on what helped you with your journey? If so please do leave a comment. If you have any questions at all then do feel free to ask me, I may not know an awful lot right now but I know a lot of people who do ;)

Happy writing xx