self-publishing – Page 7

Category: self-publishing

12
Oct
2017

Never Have I Ever

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, giveaway, Happy Fall YA'll, Kamuzasok Kavarasok, Ninja Girl, self-publishing, writing, YA

Every writer has dreams.

Every person has dreams, but I’m pretty sure writers have specific writer-ly dreams. Dreams about their book babies and how readers will embrace their work. Off the top of my head, I can think of about ten that would apply to most people (write a book (bonus points if it’s a book you love); get a literary agent (I actually had one for a while!); publish a book; have people read said book etc.). I won’t bore you by listing them all lol! But I thought I’d talk about a few of my dreams that have yet to come true.

Caution: This post contains writer-ly “nevers” that may be embarrassing, revealing, and TMI.

You have been warned.

Never have I ever: done a book signing. I know you’re probably like, “The ADORKABLE paperback’s been out a year! What are you waiting for???” Welllll, one reason I haven’t done a signing is because I’m self-published, and I’ll just say: bookstores are still snobby to self-pubbed people–especially if you use Amazon/Createspace. Another reason is, though I’d love to do it, I’m not sure anyone would show up. There, I said it. I’m scared…scared people wouldn’t show…scared they would…ugh.

Never have I ever: participated as a writer at a book festival. Pretty sure there’s a way to make this happen, I’m just not sure how lol. And again, who would visit my table/booth/little corner anyway?

Never have I ever: spotted someone I don’t know reading my books. I’ve seen a handful of people I do know reading my books (paperback and/or ebook), and I just wanna say: I seriously LOVE these people!!! I fangirled every time, and it truly warmed my heart. Now to happen upon a stranger reading ADORKABLE or NINJA GIRL in a shop/restaurant/train/walking their dog? I would love that dog forever! 😉

Never have I ever: hit the New York Times, WSJ, or USA Today Best Seller Lists. Yeah, I’m thinking this will Never (with a capital “N”) happen, but…dare to dream, right?

There are many more, but I’ll stop there. I think a big part of it is fear–and that makes me wish my inner NINJA GIRL would come out. And okay, I know this was supposed to be about “nevers,” but I want to end with a few dreams that have come true–mainly to remind myself, that they actually happened.

Writer-ly Dreams That Have Come True: I got to see the ADORKABLE library book! (Bethany from Washington, you seriously rock!!!)

Adorkable library book

Both ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL have hit #1 in their categories on Amazon (multiple times and in multiple countries).

Adorkable Best Seller

Ninja Girl Best Seller

One of my books has been translated into another language–specifically Hungarian (again, I <3 Hungary!).

A few of my students have asked me to sign copies of their books.

People from all over the world have messaged/left reviews/commented about how much they enjoyed the books.

And that brings me to my biggest writer-ly dream that has come true, and it wouldn’t have been possible without YOU. I published my books (ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL), and people actually read them! Real readers, awesome book-ish people, Harry Potter-loving, YA romance-reading, Korean Drama-watching, Book Boyfriend-collecting people, my kind of people, have actually read and liked my books!!!

I gotta say that was, is and always will be my greatest writer-ly dream. What are your dreams and goals? I’d love to hear about them, and whatever they are, I sincerely hope they all come true!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

P.S. Just a reminder, if you’d like to win a signed copy of ADORKABLE, there’s still time to enter the Happy Fall YA’ll Giveaway! 🙂

26
Aug
2017

Super Secret Shelfie

categories: Adorkable, doing what you love, Romance, self-publishing, YA

I mentioned a “super secret assignment” in my last post, and okaaay, it’s not really a secret. BUT if someone could help me with this, it would be pretty freakin’ super :). So here’s the deal. Last week, I was in L.A. for a few days, and one of the places I really wanted to go was the Los Angeles Public Library. I was seriously looking forward to it!

You get why I’d be excited about this right, fellow bookworms?

Books, shelves, readers, books, card catalogs (are there still card catalogs lol?) and…I mean, seriously, all those books!!!

And I really wanted to go there for one book in particular. If you look up the ADORKABLE paperback on Goodreads, there’s a button for “libraries.” I happened to click on it, not expecting much. I knew when I decided to self-publish that libraries probably wouldn’t order my book(s) just like bookstores wouldn’t stock them. It’s one of the dreams I kind of gave up on because of the stigma attached to being self-pubbed/using Createspace etc.

But when I clicked, I got a shock!

ADORKABLE, book baby #1, was actually available at 11 libraries!!! There were copies in Indiana, New York, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Idaho, California and Washington. And some of them were even checked out! Several branches of the L.A. Public Library had the book, and I was hoping to visit before I left–but alas, I never got the chance :(.

Now, I know this is a long shot, but I decided to ask anyway. If you live near any of the libraries that carry ADORKABLE, could you do me a favor? Could you take a picture of ADORKABLE on the library shelf and post it somewhere so I can see? Or if you have the paperback on your shelf, would you mind taking a shelfie and posting? I’d love to see a picture of the book in its natural habitat!

It’s kinda silly, I guess, but it was one of those author-ly dreams I just never thought would come true. I should do a post about those sometime because they are many lol. If you accept this super secret shelfie assignment, I’d be forever grateful. If not, that’s totally cool, too!

I hope you all have a great weekend surrounded by amazing books <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

03
Aug
2017

5000+ ADORKABLE Readers!!!

categories: Adorkable, debut, doing what you love, Goodreads, Ninja Girl, self-publishing, YA

This post could’ve also been called: OMG, when did that happen?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

But I figured it was too many question marks :). As you can see, book baby #1 finally did it. ADORKABLE reached 5000+ readers on Goodreads! When I first started this journey into self-publishing, I honestly never thought this would happen. I mean, I thought I’d be lucky to have five to 10 readers let alone this many. I am truly floored and humbled by how many people have read ADORKABLE, and I cannot thank you all enough for the support. Sally and Becks are out there, making their way into people’s hearts, and I am so grateful for that.

On a side note, book baby #2 isn’t doing too shabby either. 500+ people have read and rated NINJA GIRL on Goodreads which is crazy amazing. Also, I noticed a little while ago that, although the book is actually rated 4.8 stars on Amazon (which is fan-freaking-tastic), it looks like 5 stars on the site. Definitely not complaining about that lol!

To thank you awesome ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL readers…it’s time for a giveaway!!!

There are several ways to enter, and the giveaway will run until August 31, 2017. One winner will be randomly chosen, and the prize is a $25 Amazon Gift Card. You can enter using the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Once more with feeling: THANK YOU SO MUCH, readers! Thank you for reading the book in the first place. Thank you for recommending it to your friends. Thank you for being the adorkable ninja girl and guy bookworms that you are! ADORKABLE and NINJA GIRL readers really are the best, and I appreciate you more than I can say <3.

I hope you have a wonderful week, and good luck!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

25
Jul
2017

Be Water

categories: Adorkable, Be Yourself, doing what you love, Ninja Girl, self-publishing, YA

I can’t believe it’s been two weeks since I last posted! Two freakin’ weeks…how did that even happen? 0__0

Well, I’m back readers, and I sincerely hope you are still with me! Today, I wanted to share a video I found a long time ago when I was doing research for NINJA GIRL. It’s totally awesome imo, and it’s Bruce Lee in a nutshell–so of course, Snow would love it :). I do, too, and I hope you will as well.

While I’ve been editing my next book to be released and writing a new book, feeling all of the feels, doubting myself at every turn, I can honestly say I wish I was more like Bruce, more like Snow. I try to be water. Whenever new situations or challenges present themselves, I try to go with the flow, roll with the punches. I don’t always succeed…but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

My next YA book will be different than my first two releases–completely new characters, not as fluffy (though still lots of laughs)–and I’m very nervous (see: terrified) about that. And I actually wrote it before ADORKABLE, though it’s been through huge revisions since then. Note to self: The writer-ly fears do not go away after you release a book. They remain, hang around and sneak up on you when you least expect it. I’m also organizing an event for a very good cause, a cause that I care deeply about, and so far? I’ve only gotten one response. Ugggggh…

And yet! I refuse to give up. I’m going to be water, my friends. And it is my hope, no matter what you’re dealing with in your life, that you can be, too <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

14
Apr
2017

Congratulations!

categories: doing what you love, giveaway, Goodreads, Ninja Girl, Romance, self-publishing, YA

It’s time to announce another winner :). Thank you to everyone who entered the NINJA GIRL giveaway and helped celebrate the release of my second book! Thank you for adding NINJA GIRL on Goodreads, visiting my Facebook page, commenting here on the blog and tweeting all the “kickass” tweets (there were a LOT of those lol!).

And without further ado, the winner is…

Sarah M.

Congratulations, Sarah!!! Your $25 Amazon gift card is on the way. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you so much for entering!

In case you didn’t know, NINJA GIRL is available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited, and one of my favorite things is watching the “pages read” count grow :). If you’ve supported my second release in any way (by reading, rating, reviewing, recommending or offering a kind word), I appreciate it and you readers so so much.

I hope you’re all having a fantastic week!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

07
Apr
2017

A Very Good Week

categories: Adorkable, Amazon, doing what you love, Ninja Girl, Romance, self-publishing, writing, YA

Book baby #2 (aka NINJA GIRL) has officially been out a week! Woohoo!!

And it has been quite a time let me tell you :).

Someone left NINJA GIRL‘s first review–its first 5-star review–on Amazon very quickly after the book was released. If you are the sweet soul who wrote it, I just want to say: Thank you sooooo much! You have no idea how excited, relieved and thankful I was to see that :).

My mom got me my favorite cupcake to celebrate the book’s release.

And because she is wonderful, she also got me a cookie (no picture, but it was yummy ;)). Then later, this happened…

NINJA GIRL was a #1 Hot New Release on Amazon! Oh yeah, and this happened…

NINJA GIRL hit #1 in Canada on Amazon in its category!!! My jaw literally dropped when I saw this, and I thought, “Canada, you are awesome.”

Also, in the U.S., NINJA GIRL was #2…right next to ADORKABLE,which celebrated turning 1-year-old at #1 on Amazon! Ah, I love my book babies <3 <3 <3.

Needless to say, book-wise, it was a very good week, and I am so very thankful to everyone who made this possible <3. Your support, your kind comments, reviews, ratings and recommendations to friends mean everything.

Thank you for reading my books–and YAY! I can now say “books” plural lol. NINJA GIRL is out there, you guys! If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll give it a try :).

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

30
Mar
2017

NINJA GIRL Release Day!

categories: Amazon, doing what you love, Ninja Girl, Release Day, Romance, self-publishing, writing, YA

So today is the big day! It’s release day for my second book baby, and for some reason, I just want to throw confetti, hand out cookies and say, “It’s a girl!” 🙂

Ahh, I really can’t believe it.

May the Force, Bruce Lee and Taylor Swift be with you, little book!

NINJA GIRL is finally out there. Bookworms everywhere can read Ash and Snow’s story. Oh, and I hope they do and love it! I hope readers find a kindred spirit in tomboy/awkward/still-totally-kickass Snow. I hope they fall hard and swoon even harder for Ash (like I did <3). I hope everyone will embrace the girl power, the diversity, the kickassery and, of course, the laughs and the romance.

If this sounds good to you, I would love it if you would give NINJA GIRL a chance :).

Thank you so much to everyone who supported my first book–and thank you to those who asked about my next. I hope you enjoy this second release and that it gives you all the feels. As always, if you do read the book, please let me know! Hearing from readers is truly one of my favorite things <3.

Happy reading (and Happy book birthday, NINJA GIRL!),

Cookie O’Gorman

28
Mar
2017

Pre-Order & Promotion

categories: Adorkable, Amazon, doing what you love, Kindle Countdown Deal, Ninja Girl, promotion, Romance, self-publishing, YA

I did it, guys! NINJA GIRL is now available for pre-order!!! What’s even better? A few awesome people have already pre-ordered the book, and that just makes me over-the-moon ecstatic :).

If you want more awesome…

ADORKABLE will be available for just $0.99 for the next week! Yes, that’s right; it’s time for a Kindle Countdown Deal! I’m really hoping that the promotion will drive more traffic to the upcoming release of NINJA GIRL and make this kickass YA romance more visible. For whatever reason–fear, nervousness, self-doubt, take your pick–I’ve been reticent about promoting this release. And it makes me so frustrated will myself. Ugh.

This is one time when I wish I was less introverted and more scream-it-from-the-rootops-I-LOVE-THIS-BOOK extroverted. I love Ash. I love Snow. I love my second book baby, and I really hope readers will embrace and love it, too <3.

I hope you all have a great week–and I can’t believe NINJA GIRL comes out this Thursday!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

23
Mar
2017

NINJA GIRL Giveaway!

categories: doing what you love, fun, giveaway, Goodreads, Ninja Girl, promotion, Romance, self-publishing, writing, YA, YA Bound Book Tours

Okay, so a lot of things have happened in the past few days.

Several people helped with the cover reveal of NINJA GIRL last week, and I just gotta say: YOU ALL ROCK! Thank you so much for your support! I received some awesome book mail from my Hungarian publisher–which really brightened up my Saturday. <3 I reached my goal of 70 people adding NINJA GIRL to Goodreads pre-release (which is sweeet :)). And I set up the giveaway below–because of course, we had to have a giveaway to mark the awesome/kickass/splendiferous occasion of NINJA GIRL‘s upcoming release March 30, 2017.

And yes, I have always wanted to use the word “splendiferous” in a sentence. This seemed like the right time :).

The NINJA GIRL Giveaway will run from March 23 until April 13, and the winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card! There are several ways to enter, and that means tons of chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, I’m off to try and add NINJA GIRL on Amazon, hoping for no hiccups and that the process goes smoothly. I wish you all the best of luck with the giveaway, and I really hope you’ll check out NINJA GIRL when it comes out next Thursday!!! Ahh, can’t believe it’s so close!

Hope you have a great week!

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman

15
Mar
2017

NINJA GIRL cover reveal

categories: Adorkable, cover love, doing what you love, Goodreads, Ninja Girl, Romance, self-publishing, writing, YA

Hi everyone! It’s time for the cover reveal of my YA romance NINJA GIRL :). It was so much fun to create, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out. Seriously, I love it!!! I worked with Stephanie Mooney again, and she did a fantastic job! Ahhh, I can’t wait to finally share it!

Okay, deep breath…and thank you for being patient while I breathe lol.

Here is…

…your first look…

…at the cover…

…for NINJA GIRL :).

Gah…just…doesn’t it make your eyes smile?

The colors, the fence, the too-cool-for-school “lean” the models have going on ;). One of my most favorite parts is how it relates to ADORKABLE but still has its own vibe. They’d look great side by side…sigh. Here’s the link if you’d like to add NINJA GIRL on Goodreads <3.

Happy reading,

Cookie O’Gorman