Q&A – Part 1! i can’t believe my blog turns 1 today

It’s my one year blogiversary today and I cannot believe it’s been a year already!!! A FREAKING YEAR!! I have learned so much throughout this year and have met some really amazing people. Blogging has been such a great experience for me. Thank you all for riding along with me. I am so happy to be here. I would’ve never thought I would make it this far and stay CONSISTENT! I know I miss out a week here and there but for the first time, I’m actually consistent and not abandoning ship here.

Reminder that my poetry book love, and you is 99¢ via kindle today!!! Click on the photo for the link!

I posted a Q&A announcement earlier this week and many of you asked me questions! This blog post will be dedicated to those questions! Let’s get started =)

Misty @ mistysbookspace:

Q: Will you be writing another poetry book?
A: Yes!! I have a few in mind! One of them is pretty much done.

Q: What is one thing you have learned while blogging that you think other/newbie bloggers should know??
A: Take part in the community! I think it’s important to give back to the community and I mean that as in commenting and liking other people’s post. And definitely don’t be afraid to be yourself on your blog!

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Danielle @ Books, Vertigo and Tea

Q: If you could look back to when you very first decided you wanted to publish a full book what advice would you give yourself?
A: To relax and take it easy. And that your book isn’t for everyone so just because someone doesn’t like it, doesn’t mean I’m not a writer or that my experiences aren’t genuine. I have stressed myself and lost so much sleep over my first book baby that my body literally responded in a negative way to it. Which isn’t great, you know? But I’m a lot better now and on the days I feel low, I don’t check my stats and/or ratings at all.

Q: Is there anything all at that you feel you would do differently?
A: Yes! I wish would’ve looked for help (ex: therapy) sooner rather than later. I feel like that could’ve helped me a lot more with my mental state and anxiety.

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Stephanie @ TeacherofYa

Q: When can you DM me and tell me about how you got your book published?
A: I’m self-published and I used createspace to publish my book.

Q: How long have you been blogging and what was your genre of choice when you started?
A: I have been blogging for exactly one year!! And I didn’t have a genre of choice because I love reading anything that interest me =D

Q: Did you always intend on your blog being an outlet for your poetry?
A: I definitely created my blog with the intent of sharing my love for books and sharing my writing pieces since booktube didn’t workout for that. I didn’t initially have poetry in mind but that just flowed out of me naturally, so yes? lol

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Amanda @ Caffeinated Constellations

Q: If a poet uses a pen name do you recommend they register the copyright with the US copyright office before publishing?
A: oooooooo this one is hard because I use my real name and never looked up any of this info, I would definitely say though to register with US copyright office for sure! Make sure poet has all their paperwork ready before publishing the book so that way when the book is out, they have no problems with copyright infringement and the IRS (royalties).

Q:What advice would you give to a poet who really wants to self-publish but has self-doubt?
A: I would ASK if they were to place self-doubt aside, would they feel that their book is ready to publish? And if the answer was yes, I would then advice them that as long as they have that hope, let that hope drive them to publishing. I learned that self-doubt (in my case) is always there but as long as you have the drive and this is a goal that you want to accomplish, you have to pretty much fight with yourself and self-doubt. But when you win over yourself, it’s an amazing feeling that no one can give you but yourself.

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Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm

Q: In your first year of blogging what achievement gave you the most sense of satisfaction and accomplishment?
A: my consistency in blogging and posting my writing pieces was the greatest achievement! I honestly tend to give up on things which is why I am super in shock that I’m even doing a one year blogiversary today because I thought I wasn’t going to make it this far lol.  Also! Posting my writing which is something very personal is really huge to me =)

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Tiana @ The Book Raven

Q: What is it about poetry that draws you to it? 
A: I love how simple and complex poetry is all at the same time. I love how one stanza can be so short but pack so much power. It’s hard to even explain, the fact that you can say/write something so empowering with simple words draws me to poetry.

Q: And was there anyone in your life that introduced you to poetry?
A: No one specifically introduced me to poetry. My earliest memory of learning poetry was in school.

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Lilly @ Lair of Books

Q: Will we be seeing more from your People I Once Knew series?
A: This will be a book in 2018! However, for copyright reasons, I will not be posting anymore of those poems here on the blog.

Q: What would you say has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while blogging? Any tips/advice for new bloggers?
A: Most valuable lesson is consistency with posting blogs and giving back to the community! Both of these things go hand in hand with one another! Tips for new bloggers is just to be yourself, make sure your blog is easy to navigate, and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Sometimes thinking outside the box (ex: having a unique approach to writing reviews, tags, memes, etc) can be a really good thing for your blog.

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Jessica @ Breathe and Read

Q: What was your favourite part of publishing your collection? 
A: Wow this is such a hard question! I think my favorite part of publishing was when I held the final copy in my hand. Knowing that one of my biggest dreams came true when I clicked the published button on CreateSpace was bittersweet. Side note to Jessica, I hope you publish your book! I feel like every writer knows when their book is ready and shouldn’t add more, it’s like a gut feeling. You got this!

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Sydney @ Fire and Rain Books

Q: What is the first book you remember reading? 
A: The first book I remember reading is Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

 

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to be continued tomorrow!

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