The Right Reviewers: hustling your book into the right hands

Not everyone is going to love your book. You can’t please everyone and nor should you try. I’ve heard people criticise authors like JK Rowling and Paulo Coelho about finicky little things and it’s always surprised me when people can’t see the big picture. There’s a lot of unwarranted elitism in the book publishing world, and many readers shun books that are a commercial success and label it ‘trash’ – which I think is overlooking the value that some books brings to a popular audience. It may not be your thing, but if a book manages to engage an audience, it is hardly trash. 

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Pubby.co: the book review platform for self-published authors

Many readers won’t even leave a rating, let alone take the time to write a review. And who can blame them? I’ve read a few hundred books and although I do leave ratings, I rarely write reviews. If you contact book review bloggers, they’ve usually got a queue of requests to get through before they can get to your book. So how do you build the momentum for your self-published book as quickly as possible?

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12 Years an Expat: my journey through Australia, Israel, Japan and China

Many people travel for personal and professional reasons. But to actually leave home, uproot yourself and plant yourself in a new country is a whole different ballgame. Over the years, I’ve met many expat kids who get hauled from country to country because of their parents’ jobs. I’ve watched many of them enter adulthood wondering where ‘home’ is. I can’t say I fully understand the sentiment.

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I am the Knight of Wands

The Knight of Wands has been a regular feature in my relationship readings. As a woman, it’s been tempting for my tarot readers to think that it represents the men in my life. After all, the Knight is a man of double fire. It took me years to figure out that the knight was me. The court card’s story inspired me to write my own. 

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The Expat Returns Home: playing tour guide in Singapore

I’ve been a traveller on the road for the past 12 years so it’s strange to suddenly find myself back home and playing tour guide to visitors from abroad. I used to do it a lot growing up. I come from a family of merchants – and hosting our international suppliers was part of my job description. But 12 years can change a lot – especially in fast-paced Singapore. 

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From Rejection to Self-Publication: the joy of doing it on your own

Despite all the bad press that Amazon gets, I don’t believe I would have been able to publish my book if not for their KDP program. When I tried to get published the traditional way in 2013, I collected over 200 rejections letters that I imprinted into my broken heart. I said goodbye to my childhood dream and decided that I was better off doing something else.

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