Isabella Modra's Blog, page 2
April 23, 2015
The beginning of a new chapter ...
Today I had the privileged of heading down to my local writer's centre to speak to a lovely group of people about my success on the wonderful e-reading website called Wattpad.
Some of you know I have had huge traffic for my books through Wattpad (over 600K reads, actually), and so I thought it would be useful to share that experience with local writers.
I didn't expect there to be so many people. I was kind of hoping there'd be maybe 2 or 3 so that I wouldn't have to work myself up with nerves. But when I saw the sign-up sheet, my heart did a little flip. About 15 people showed up to hear me speak.
What was most amusing about this particular presentation was how surprised a lot of the people there were that I am 21 and already have books (self)published and all this knowledge about websites such as Wattpad. I find it interesting that the older generation of writers are so shocked by what is easily accessible on the internet these days. It's not all about finding an agent or a publisher. There are ways to make your books famous simply by having them on the internet. They were surprised at how far I have come, when really all I needed was the motivation and the will power to brave the unknown.
I had a wonderful time sharing my knowledge with the writing community. I could honestly do it all over again, or teach about self publishing. And not only was it encouraging for me, but I could tell that it was inspiring for other writers, and that is what I wanted to achieve from today.
To those who came along and are reading this - you were a wonderful audience. Please get in touch if you have any more questions! I will likely see you all at another meeting :)
Some of you know I have had huge traffic for my books through Wattpad (over 600K reads, actually), and so I thought it would be useful to share that experience with local writers.
I didn't expect there to be so many people. I was kind of hoping there'd be maybe 2 or 3 so that I wouldn't have to work myself up with nerves. But when I saw the sign-up sheet, my heart did a little flip. About 15 people showed up to hear me speak.
What was most amusing about this particular presentation was how surprised a lot of the people there were that I am 21 and already have books (self)published and all this knowledge about websites such as Wattpad. I find it interesting that the older generation of writers are so shocked by what is easily accessible on the internet these days. It's not all about finding an agent or a publisher. There are ways to make your books famous simply by having them on the internet. They were surprised at how far I have come, when really all I needed was the motivation and the will power to brave the unknown.
I had a wonderful time sharing my knowledge with the writing community. I could honestly do it all over again, or teach about self publishing. And not only was it encouraging for me, but I could tell that it was inspiring for other writers, and that is what I wanted to achieve from today.
To those who came along and are reading this - you were a wonderful audience. Please get in touch if you have any more questions! I will likely see you all at another meeting :)
March 31, 2015
A half-horrible day.
I don't normally write journal-type blog posts, but I feel like today is a lesson we can all learn from.
This morning I received a reply from a literary agent I'd been referred to by another literary agent. To get a personal reply from an agent is a huge deal for me, or any struggling author for that matter. I was a my desk at work, and read the email with a heart beating a hundred miles an hour in anticipation.
Basically, the agent thought my success in self-publishing was admirable, and that I should keep pursuing that. But the really horrible thing this agent mentioned was the reason why she was giving my book a pass. Here's what she said:
"This story is actually very close to a query letter that was making the round back in November. It was also a YA about a girl with fire abilities and a guy with ice abilities, though it took a more high-fantasy route than your idea. Regardless, I know the agency who signed this client will be out on submission with it soon, and this just feels too close, at least from where I sit."
You can imagine my complete and utter deflation as I sat at my desk and let those words sink in. Someone out there has written a book 'close' to mine. They have sent it to multiple agents, one of whom has signed it. This book is now being submitted to publishers and could possibly be released in stores soon.
For a moment, it felt like my series was over.
I rarely let things get to me in life. I don't worry too much, I move on because life is too short to waste time stressing. But this ... this really got to me. I jumped to the worst possible conclusion that no publisher would ever sign my book because it was too similar to 'blah blah blah' and Rouge would fade into the black hole of self-published books.
But ... a close friend of mine helped me realize few things.
1) The future isn't set in stone. Maybe this person's book has claimed the attention of an agent, but that's not the say it's going to be published.
2) I have a fan base, and this newbie author does not. People want to read my books. Over 500K reads on Wattpad and a successful crowdfunding campaign prove that. Not to mention the thousands of comments. Today I got "I've ONLY been reading this over every other book available!" and "Bb (best book) ever". I'm not trying to brag about it, this only cements the fact that my books are making people happy and eager to read.
3) Everyone faces mountains in their lives. JK Rowling went through 12 publishers. Stephen King wrote many books before he was successful. This is just another mountain.
4) When Twilight became popular, the paranormal genre blew up. I don't know how many vampire books I read at the time. If there's a book similir to mine out there ... why can't mine be published along with it?
5) I have faith in my story. I've made it this far. I can't let this knock me down. How could I expect to succeed if I let fear and doubt and negativity cloud my desire to live my dream of being a writer? It sounds cliche, but it's true. I won't let the fact that someone else has beat me to traditional publishing with a similar idea, or that they may have even read my book and stolen the premise bring me down.
Take it from someone who often can't see how much she's done with her life: if you have a dream, do not let anything stop you from fighting for it. Because things like this will try and stop you. You can chose to let it trap you forever, or you can break free from it and keep chasing that dream. Only those who fight for their ideal life deserve the chance to live it.
This morning I received a reply from a literary agent I'd been referred to by another literary agent. To get a personal reply from an agent is a huge deal for me, or any struggling author for that matter. I was a my desk at work, and read the email with a heart beating a hundred miles an hour in anticipation.
Basically, the agent thought my success in self-publishing was admirable, and that I should keep pursuing that. But the really horrible thing this agent mentioned was the reason why she was giving my book a pass. Here's what she said:
"This story is actually very close to a query letter that was making the round back in November. It was also a YA about a girl with fire abilities and a guy with ice abilities, though it took a more high-fantasy route than your idea. Regardless, I know the agency who signed this client will be out on submission with it soon, and this just feels too close, at least from where I sit."
You can imagine my complete and utter deflation as I sat at my desk and let those words sink in. Someone out there has written a book 'close' to mine. They have sent it to multiple agents, one of whom has signed it. This book is now being submitted to publishers and could possibly be released in stores soon.
For a moment, it felt like my series was over.
I rarely let things get to me in life. I don't worry too much, I move on because life is too short to waste time stressing. But this ... this really got to me. I jumped to the worst possible conclusion that no publisher would ever sign my book because it was too similar to 'blah blah blah' and Rouge would fade into the black hole of self-published books.
But ... a close friend of mine helped me realize few things.
1) The future isn't set in stone. Maybe this person's book has claimed the attention of an agent, but that's not the say it's going to be published.
2) I have a fan base, and this newbie author does not. People want to read my books. Over 500K reads on Wattpad and a successful crowdfunding campaign prove that. Not to mention the thousands of comments. Today I got "I've ONLY been reading this over every other book available!" and "Bb (best book) ever". I'm not trying to brag about it, this only cements the fact that my books are making people happy and eager to read.
3) Everyone faces mountains in their lives. JK Rowling went through 12 publishers. Stephen King wrote many books before he was successful. This is just another mountain.
4) When Twilight became popular, the paranormal genre blew up. I don't know how many vampire books I read at the time. If there's a book similir to mine out there ... why can't mine be published along with it?
5) I have faith in my story. I've made it this far. I can't let this knock me down. How could I expect to succeed if I let fear and doubt and negativity cloud my desire to live my dream of being a writer? It sounds cliche, but it's true. I won't let the fact that someone else has beat me to traditional publishing with a similar idea, or that they may have even read my book and stolen the premise bring me down.
Take it from someone who often can't see how much she's done with her life: if you have a dream, do not let anything stop you from fighting for it. Because things like this will try and stop you. You can chose to let it trap you forever, or you can break free from it and keep chasing that dream. Only those who fight for their ideal life deserve the chance to live it.
March 10, 2015
Believe In Yourself
I'm at the halfway mark of my campaign, and I'm literally halfway to my goal!! Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far. And to the people who thought I couldn't do this, here's what I have to say:
If it takes J.K. Rowling 12 publishers to finally sell her book, then I'm happy to wait. I'm going to work my ass off to make my books famous, because not only do I believe in my story and the emotion that it evokes, but I also believe in myself.
So many people always say to me "Wow, I would love to write a book! I just don't have the time or the discipline." True, those things can be contributing factors. But the truth it, they just don't have the passion for it. And they don't believe in themselves.
If there is one thing I have learnt so far in my very short journey as a writer, it's that I will never give up on my stories and my talent. Because I believe I have the power to inspire people and to make myself proud. This goes for anything - a job, a relationship, a hobby. If you love something, you don't walk away from it.
On another note: I still have 2 weeks left in my campaign and I need all the help I can muster! Please pre-order at https://publishizer.com/consuming-fire/
Thanks guys xox
If it takes J.K. Rowling 12 publishers to finally sell her book, then I'm happy to wait. I'm going to work my ass off to make my books famous, because not only do I believe in my story and the emotion that it evokes, but I also believe in myself.
So many people always say to me "Wow, I would love to write a book! I just don't have the time or the discipline." True, those things can be contributing factors. But the truth it, they just don't have the passion for it. And they don't believe in themselves.
If there is one thing I have learnt so far in my very short journey as a writer, it's that I will never give up on my stories and my talent. Because I believe I have the power to inspire people and to make myself proud. This goes for anything - a job, a relationship, a hobby. If you love something, you don't walk away from it.
On another note: I still have 2 weeks left in my campaign and I need all the help I can muster! Please pre-order at https://publishizer.com/consuming-fire/
Thanks guys xox
February 25, 2015
Pre-Order Consuming Fire
It's launched!
I just wanted to let everyone know that a campaign for my 3rdbook 'Consuming Fire' has gone live. In just 30 hours, it's already at 17%, which is seriously amazing.
You probably remember me starting one last year, and even though that didn’t succeed, I am not giving up on my books. It’s my dream to be a best-selling author, and this will help me get there! In reaching my goal, which is an easy $2500, I'll be professionally published AND have a better chance at catching a literary agent's attention. After all - people have ordered it, they must really want to read it.
If you’ve already read my other books, you’re probably dying for Consuming Fire. Well this campaign allows you to pre-order copies, as well as get awesome packages like signed paperbacks and even a minor character named after you! You can also get copies of the first books, if you haven’t read them.
I’d love some support from my readers or writers, too, who are struggling just like me. $5 will get you an ebook, and that's the price of a regular Chai late!
Head to this link to pre-order: https://publishizer.com/consuming-fire/
Thanks so much guys!!
I just wanted to let everyone know that a campaign for my 3rdbook 'Consuming Fire' has gone live. In just 30 hours, it's already at 17%, which is seriously amazing.
You probably remember me starting one last year, and even though that didn’t succeed, I am not giving up on my books. It’s my dream to be a best-selling author, and this will help me get there! In reaching my goal, which is an easy $2500, I'll be professionally published AND have a better chance at catching a literary agent's attention. After all - people have ordered it, they must really want to read it.
If you’ve already read my other books, you’re probably dying for Consuming Fire. Well this campaign allows you to pre-order copies, as well as get awesome packages like signed paperbacks and even a minor character named after you! You can also get copies of the first books, if you haven’t read them.
I’d love some support from my readers or writers, too, who are struggling just like me. $5 will get you an ebook, and that's the price of a regular Chai late!
Head to this link to pre-order: https://publishizer.com/consuming-fire/
Thanks so much guys!!
February 16, 2015
Consuming Fire, coming soon!!
I'm so excited for the release of Consuming Fire (unknown release date, sorry!), that I went full-on nerdy again and made a poster.
January 31, 2015
Getting Creative
So while I have some skills when it comes to writing epic novels, unfortunately the graphic design fairy forgot to give me powers and so I can barely create any kind of poster on paint, let alone with photoshop. But alas, I do like a challenge, so below are a couple of very rough-looking posters with quotes from my books. If you or anyone you know is better at creating images than me, please do let me know - I'd love to run a competition someday :)
January 25, 2015
If at first you don't succeed....
So I have some slightly disappointing news: my campaign to promote my third novel Consuming Fire did not reach its funding goal. As much as I tried to promote the books on all my social media outlets, I only reached 4% of that goal in the 3 months that the campaign was running.
First and foremost, thank you to the people who did support and pre-ordered copies. I'm very sorry that I can't give you what was promised, you will simply have to wait for Consuming Fire to be released. At the very least, I have refunded your hard-earned money, with thanks.
I suppose I was a little disappointed. With the amount of attention my series has on Wattpad, I expected a bit more of a following coming from there. But that's okay. I understand people have finances and we are all about getting as much as we can for free. I'm still incredibly blessed to have so many fans on Wattpad, and happy to give them my stories at no cost as well. At least Rouge is being read by people who enjoy it!
Which is why I am not giving up on my series. And to be honest, I'm almost glad that the campaign wasn't a success. I don't believe that things in life should come so easily, because then we don't appreciate the reward of hard work, and we don't appreciate the journey. It's been 1 and a half years since I released Rouge and this amazing adventure began. I have tried agents, self publishing, giveaways, beta reading, free reading on Wattpad and now a campaign to get Rouge published. And it's okay, because I am far further along than I was when I started.
So what's next? It might be a new campaign. It might be looking for a literary agent again. It might be releasing Consuming Fire and hoping that will raise my reads some more.
But whatever happens, I'm thankful for the support I've had so far, and for everything I've been able to achieve thanks to the people who have encouraged me.
And if at first you don't succeed... try, try again.
First and foremost, thank you to the people who did support and pre-ordered copies. I'm very sorry that I can't give you what was promised, you will simply have to wait for Consuming Fire to be released. At the very least, I have refunded your hard-earned money, with thanks.
I suppose I was a little disappointed. With the amount of attention my series has on Wattpad, I expected a bit more of a following coming from there. But that's okay. I understand people have finances and we are all about getting as much as we can for free. I'm still incredibly blessed to have so many fans on Wattpad, and happy to give them my stories at no cost as well. At least Rouge is being read by people who enjoy it!
Which is why I am not giving up on my series. And to be honest, I'm almost glad that the campaign wasn't a success. I don't believe that things in life should come so easily, because then we don't appreciate the reward of hard work, and we don't appreciate the journey. It's been 1 and a half years since I released Rouge and this amazing adventure began. I have tried agents, self publishing, giveaways, beta reading, free reading on Wattpad and now a campaign to get Rouge published. And it's okay, because I am far further along than I was when I started.
So what's next? It might be a new campaign. It might be looking for a literary agent again. It might be releasing Consuming Fire and hoping that will raise my reads some more.
But whatever happens, I'm thankful for the support I've had so far, and for everything I've been able to achieve thanks to the people who have encouraged me.
And if at first you don't succeed... try, try again.
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January 6, 2015
The Story of Rouge - in a Slide Show
Hey all!
So I'm all about finding new and exciting marketing tools on the internet - and we all know there are THOUSANDS of them. Just last week I discovered The Imagine Film List where I could post a proposal for Rouge and fans could vote for it to be made into a movie/TV series. Freaking cool, if you ask me.
So last night at a writing seminar I attended, I discovered several more amazing websites that help you share your project with the world.
It's called SlideShare.
Maybe I've been living under a rock - or in my case, hunched over my laptop writing - and you've already heard of it, but it's pretty simple: I get to tell my story or pitch my idea in the form of a media presentation.
So I've created one for Rouge. Head to this link - http://www.slideshare.net/IsabellaModra/the-story-of-rouge. It'll take you about 60 seconds to read, and even less to share!!
And once again - thank you so much for all your support. I can't wait to see what this new avenue has in store for my books :)
So I'm all about finding new and exciting marketing tools on the internet - and we all know there are THOUSANDS of them. Just last week I discovered The Imagine Film List where I could post a proposal for Rouge and fans could vote for it to be made into a movie/TV series. Freaking cool, if you ask me.
So last night at a writing seminar I attended, I discovered several more amazing websites that help you share your project with the world.
It's called SlideShare.
Maybe I've been living under a rock - or in my case, hunched over my laptop writing - and you've already heard of it, but it's pretty simple: I get to tell my story or pitch my idea in the form of a media presentation.
So I've created one for Rouge. Head to this link - http://www.slideshare.net/IsabellaModra/the-story-of-rouge. It'll take you about 60 seconds to read, and even less to share!!
And once again - thank you so much for all your support. I can't wait to see what this new avenue has in store for my books :)
January 3, 2015
The Movie Project
As a writer, I often dream of what it would be like for my books to be made into films. I imagine getting out of the glossy stretch limousine to a crowd of screaming fans holding copies of ROUGE. I imagine sitting in a plush cinema chair and watching the opening credits of a movie that I created from my own imagination, watching the characters come to life and seeing a real visual of the story that only ever played out in my head. I imagine being recognized as an author who reached all ends of the market, breaking into a new level of success.
All those dreams could become a reality with the help of YOU.
I recently discovered a website called The Imagine Film List. I love the internet - there's always some website created for the exact purpose of helping me along in my writing career. So this website is designed for authors, artists and actors to start a campaign for themselves or their project. So I created a page for ROUGE:
http://iflist.com/stories/rouge#
All I need from YOU guys is one simple thing: to SUPPORT. If you hit the link and you're logged into Facebook, it's as easy as clicking that 'Support' button. No strings attached. I'm already on 59 votes (thank you Jesus!). Only 1000 votes will get me up there with authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Cassandra Clare.
If you really want to help me out, add in some actors you think would be perfect to play a certain character, or a director/writer/composer. AND, to go that extra mile, you can write an ENDORSEMENT about why you think ROUGE should be made into a movie/TV show.
I need YOUR help, guys. I can't do this on my own. Please support, tell your friends to support, and keep an eye out - maybe soon, Rouge could be up on that big screen. And there will be me, drowning in tears of happiness.
Thanks!! :)
All those dreams could become a reality with the help of YOU.
I recently discovered a website called The Imagine Film List. I love the internet - there's always some website created for the exact purpose of helping me along in my writing career. So this website is designed for authors, artists and actors to start a campaign for themselves or their project. So I created a page for ROUGE:
http://iflist.com/stories/rouge#
All I need from YOU guys is one simple thing: to SUPPORT. If you hit the link and you're logged into Facebook, it's as easy as clicking that 'Support' button. No strings attached. I'm already on 59 votes (thank you Jesus!). Only 1000 votes will get me up there with authors like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Cassandra Clare.
If you really want to help me out, add in some actors you think would be perfect to play a certain character, or a director/writer/composer. AND, to go that extra mile, you can write an ENDORSEMENT about why you think ROUGE should be made into a movie/TV show.
I need YOUR help, guys. I can't do this on my own. Please support, tell your friends to support, and keep an eye out - maybe soon, Rouge could be up on that big screen. And there will be me, drowning in tears of happiness.
Thanks!! :)
December 28, 2014
You CAN travel.
“Did you know, you can quit your job, you can leave university? You aren’t legally required to have a degree, it’s a social pressure and expectation, not the law, and no one is holding a gun to your head. You can sell your house, you can give up your apartment, you can even sell your vehicle, and your things that are mostly unnecessary. You can see the world on a minimum wage salary, despite the persisting myth, you do not need a high paying job. You can leave your friends (if they’re true friends they’ll forgive you, and you’ll still be friends) and make new ones on the road. You can leave your family. You can depart from your hometown, your country, your culture, and everything you know. You can sacrifice. You can give up your $5.00 a cup morning coffee, you can give up air conditioning, frequent consumption of new products. You can give up eating out at restaurants and prepare affordable meals at home, and eat the leftovers too, instead of throwing them away. You can give up cable TV, Internet even. This list is endless. You can sacrifice climbing up in the hierarchy of careers. You can buck tradition and others’ expectations of you. You can triumph over your fears, by conquering your mind. You can take risks. And most of all, you can travel. You just don’t want it enough. You want a degree or a well-paying job or to stay in your comfort zone more. This is fine, if it’s what your heart desires most, but please don’t envy me and tell me you can’t travel. You’re not in a famine, in a desert, in a third world country, with five malnourished children to feed. You probably live in a first world country. You have a roof over your head, and food on your plate. You probably own luxuries like a cellphone and a computer. You can afford the $3.00 a night guest houses of India, the $0.10 fresh baked breakfasts of Morocco, because if you can afford to live in a first world country, you can certainly afford to travel in third world countries, you can probably even afford to travel in a first world country. So please say to me, “I want to travel, but other things are more important to me and I’m putting them first”, not, “I’m dying to travel, but I can’t”, because I have yet to have someone say they can’t, who truly can’t. You can, however, only live once, and for me, the enrichment of the soul that comes from seeing the world is worth more than a degree that could bring me in a bigger paycheck, or material wealth, or pleasing society. Of course, you must choose for yourself, follow your heart’s truest desires, but know that you can travel, you’re only making excuses for why you can’t. And if it makes any difference, I have never met anyone who has quit their job, left school, given up their life at home, to see the world, and regretted it. None. Only people who have grown old and regretted never traveling, who have regretted focusing too much on money and superficial success, who have realized too late that there is so much more to living than this.”
