Eeva Lancaster and BEING INDIE


Almost 3 years
10 to 15 hours a day
Often 7 days a week
Editing, formatting, marketing, designing, campaigning, reviewing, blogging, writing, networking and all the little odds and ends in between.

I look back at the start of my journey as an Indie author, and as The Book Khaleesi, and I can't help but shake my head. I'm a crazy woman. Crazy and kick-ass. And I'm proud of it.

I've always been a very competitive person. Reason why I succeeded as an Executive Assistant. Reason why I was able to build a high earning online business from scratch. I could tell you everything I did to make it, in detail. But the only secret worth sharing is this... I was hungry to succeed. 

How hungry are you to get what you want? Do you feel it too? That mixture of excitement and pain in your gut, and a sort of need that pushes you to twist yourself into a pretzel if need be, to be the kind of person who can succeed at what you've set out to do?

Failure, to me, was not an option. I knew I had to reinvent myself. But before I could do that, I had to say goodbye to my old life. We cannot be in two places at once. Only with total focus and determination can you create something new and make it work.

I built my career in the corporate world for 13 years. I was at the top of my game. I didn't have to leave the safety of my position, with its trappings of power, privilege, and high income. But sometimes, things happen that you can't control. My mother passed away. I started losing my hair. My husband got hospitalized from over work. The corporate world lost its allure for me. I wanted to go to a corner and hide... forever, with my grief and fear and ugliness. I didn't want to be that EA person anymore. It died, when my mother died. I had no need to BE that person. I wanted to be something else.

So, I resigned. With 2 mortgages to pay, I resigned. What a half-assed, purely emotional move that was! And it was one of my best moves. With only a budding freelancing career, earning a few hundred dollars a month, if I'm lucky, I left the corporate world. I was officially jobless. He didn't say a word, but I'm sure my husband teetered on the verge of a coronary at my seemingly irresponsible move. But, he kept his faith and simply watched and supported me in my decision.

I love my husband like crazy, but I love myself too. And during that awfully painful time, only I could've healed myself. See, pity is an emotion I hate. There were moments in my life when I was wracked with self pity and I hated it. The older I got, the lesser time I spent riding the pity train. I abhor the feeling. To me, it's the most demeaning state of mind. I don't tolerate it on myself and I don't on and from others.

In fact, my favorite quote in life is this:

"I have never seen a wild thing sorry for itself
A bird will fall frozen dead from a bough
Without ever having felt sorry for itself."

I'm a wild thing. We all are. We shouldn't let life tame that wildness into compliance.

And with that thought, I poured all my energy on the new me. Eeva Lancaster was born.

Eeva is a collection of all the best parts of me, and when I created her, I knew she was going to succeed. All my actions after that followed that conviction. I learned everything I needed to earn enough money as a freelancer. And when I entered the publishing industry, I siphoned knowledge and practiced the skills required to be The Book Khaleesi. I was a natural. A lover of the written word, I knew I've found my niche. 

Perfecting my craft is a continuous process. I am better at it now than I was a week ago. That's how fast I gulp the knowledge down. I could never be content to be just so... There's always something new to learn.

You know, there's a reason behind my name. A reminder of my purpose for doing this.

Eeva is our SUV. (Yes, I name my stuff.) Lancaster is where we live, where our first house stands. They're important to me and my husband. Not the things themselves, but what they represent. Success, Security, Safety. Our Life... And when I get exhausted and frustrated, this name reminds me that I cannot fail and lose what we've worked hard for. And I'll happily get back to work.

What is your purpose for doing what you do? Never forget that when the small disappointing stuff creep in. Yes, they creep. Often, we don't notice them until they've done their damage, Be vigilant in removing the things in your life that's bogging you down. And if you realize that you're the one standing in the way of your success and happiness, change. At any point in our life, we can change.

I so enjoy what I do. Working with books and authors have taught me so much. Like all learning, some truths were ugly, but much of what I do inspire me enough to carry on. Some of my work lift me and reinforces my belief, like when I'm working with Ken Fry... and some burned me and added to my cynicism... and some, were purely business. But, I keep my eyes on the awesome stuff. The parts that make me feel privileged to be working with people who write the books I love to read. And I distance myself from things that bring me down.

I love BEING INDIE. Independent Author. Independent Worker. Just... Independent. As with all journeys, it wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I'll probably die as The Book Khaleesi, and my family can bury me with all my books and the books I helped create. They can download them all into an eReader and get paperback copies I could take with me.

So, this is where I'm coming from. This is my proof of life.

BEING INDIE will be a book born out of my love for what I do. From my pride in my work. From my love for authors who write the books that kept readers like me sane when life became too hard to bear. For the love of books.

People who know me might think, "Oh, she just wants us to buy her service." And they'd be wise to think that. I like people who are not suckers and take everything with a grain of salt. Because you know, that's the reason why I wrote this book in the first place. So authors can make informed decisions from a position of strength, and not be suckered in by people and businesses preying on their fears and need to sell their books. Yup, a whole industry has cropped up based on the fears of self published authors. It's sad, and it has always bothered me.


I'm not here to prey on fears... but to encourage excellence and make it affordable to seek it. But to my doubters, fact is, I charge double for my services on Upwork than I do on my website. I'd be happy if authors simply bought this book and it helps them find the success and satisfaction they seek. And maybe, my work will become easier too, as a bonus. It's difficult to help people when they keep bucking you.

Why is it especially for fiction authors? Well, the marketing of non-fiction books is quite different, and this is not one of those books that tell you writing books every month on popular topics will help you sell more on Amazon. This is for the real writers. The soon-to-be Stephen Kings and J.K. Rowlings.

If you're an author and you want to pick my brain and hear my whip cracking as I try to tell you what's happening in the self publishing industry, what you need to do to simplify your life but get better results, and share tips on how you can sell more books, do get a copy. I can't promise I won't ramble and lecture and swear. But I promise not to be boring. And there will be wine cooling in the fridge... how's that?




Let's whisper together... between the pages of a book. 
There... nothing is sacred, and secrets are revealed.


Thank you for reading!


2 comments:

  1. Thank you. Thank you for bringing BEING INDIE to the world. I am a newbie in the world of self publishing, and I was quite pleased with myself when I realized that I aced Part 1- Pre-Publishing. No corners were cut; I wanted my first book to be perfect. It took me three years to write it, but it was worth the wait. (Any newbie author reading this right now...DO NOT RUSH YOUR MASTERPIECE. Trust me!)

    The battle I have always been fighting is Part 2- Building the Author Platform. I get terrified, because when people ask me about my book, I freeze. I don't enjoy talking about myself--my hands are literally shaking as I even type this. My confidence needs boosting, I can be the first to tell you that! It's easier said than done, but I'm working on it.

    Your book, BEING INDIE, was a real eye-opener for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your advice! I will definitely recommend this book to my followers, and I hope--no, I KNOW--they will enjoy your book as much as I have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi J.S. Your review really warmed my heart. I'm glad that you found it useful. I too get nervous, even after all these years hahaha. Check out my latest article, there's some advice there on how to market your book... and yourself as well.
      I'm currently writing Being Indie 2 - The Marketing Part.

      Thank you for reading and I wish you the best in your self publishing journey. No cutting corners... you're off to a good start. :)

      Delete

I'd love to hear from you!