A is for Author --My journey of becoming an author ; What did I learn during the journey of self publishing my Ebook? #Astitva

Soon after I started blogging , I came to know about Ebooks and I could find many bloggers who had self published their Ebooks . Although I was a newbie but imagining my name on the cover of a book excited me and the thought  made a mark in my subconscious mind . The  desire   of publishing an Ebook was getting intensified and I was getting more and more curious about the what and how of  self publishing an Ebook . Then came the BlogchatterA2Z carnival where every blogger was supposed to write daily in the month of April , starting with the alphabet of the day . A on 1st April , B on 2nd April and so on .Daily blogging was a challenge but  I love when something challenges me ,because  that is the best time to know your limits , push yourself to bring out the best out of you .I decided to go for it and registered for it. But till that time , I didn’t  have any idea what would I blog about .  I explored  a lot of websites to get an idea about the theme  on which I could blog daily . But no idea clicked my mind . I kept brainstorming and then my mind finalised to write on the aspects of a woman . I took a paper and  started a rough draft of the topics about women from  A to Z on which I would be writing .  Deciding the topics was much more difficult than writing on those topics . It was all the more difficult when I reached Q , X , Y , Z .  First I chose Q for Queen but after lot of research , I preferred to write Q for Queer Gender . Same way deciding of a topic  from Z was so so  difficult . The only word I could think initially was Zeal , but my mind didn’t settle on it , I surfed many sites to find the right word from Z which fitted well in my theme of a woman . Finally I googled about the urdu words and found Z for Zulmat . Ok , the topics were decided and then  was to start the actual writing .  Before the actual writing , I wanted to give my theme a name too . For that too I had to think deeply before I could find the suitable word Astitva , meaning existence . As I was planning to write on women , so I found this word Astitva very appropriate as my mind said that  a  woman  still had to struggle to find the  balance for her  existence  in life .

The A2Z carnival was to start in April and I managed to draft my  A2M posts in the month of March only . When came the 1st of April , I published A for Abuse .   After M , I had to really push myself to complete till Z . When I published my last post from Z , I  felt so accomplished to have successfully finished the month long blogging challenge .

Now it was the time to work in the direction of Ebook . I simply had no idea how to go for it . But. Thanks to the #blogchatter community who really explained each and every little step involved and inspired us to set the ball rolling . It was exciting to make a book cover  with my name on it and it felt proud to  write ”about the author ‘ I.e. about myself . I got a foreword written for my book  from one of the professors from Chandigarh and finally My Ebook was ready.   I launched its book cover few days before the actual release of the book . My friends and relatives motivated me by their online and offline inspiring messages which helped me become more confident of my maiden Ebook . My Ebook was officially launched on 22nd May . Today it is 28th May and around 75 downloads have been done so far . Thanks to Almighty and all of you my dear friends who made this possible .

In one of my posts few months ago , I expressed my wish of turning to an author from just a blogger . And see , my wish has come true ! I feel so happy ! Yes , I have done it ! Thanks to BlogchatterA2Z  for giving me the designation of an author .It really feels great . It was destined to proudly own this designation as I enter my forties .

The things I learned during my journey of becoming an author :–

1. Nothing comes easy in this world . Not even your own name . I really had to spend many nights to see my own name on the cover of a book .

2. I gained discipline in my writing .

3. When you start working for something with all your determination , success definitely follows you .

4. The journey blessed me with many friends who not only inspired me but helped me too in my writing or resolving my queries . The doctor blogger @doc2poet is a must mention here .

5.  The journey of writing about women compelled me to research quite a lot and which enhanced my knowledge about the various crimes or stigmas the women go through .

6. I felt happy as I could give a message to the society through my Astitva that a woman has an individuality which should be respected . Hope my message spreads .

7. I felt happy to write not just about the crimes or the age-old customs  but also tried to write about empowering a woman . A woman must follow her dreams , find her special qualities , invest in herself , empower herself and help empower other women too .

8. Reading other blogs broadened my vision .

9. We all have something to learn from each other . Everybody is unique .

10. Although it felt hectic But as the the month of April came to an end , it filled me with happiness and gratitude . I feel grateful that I decided to take part in the daily blogging challenge .

11.  There may be many mistakes in my first Ebook but it is more about the hard work and thriving on the challenge .

12. Some friends ask me ” What did you gain by writing this Ebook ? ” By gain I think they mean monetary gain , but I think it’s not about money all the time . Satisfaction after my hard efforts is my priceless gain .

13. Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after successfully accomplishing a difficult task .

14. The days spent to become an author have added a value to my life .

15. I am happy that I could utilize my time effectively in creating a book on women empowerment , otherwise we can find many excuses like “time hi nahi hai ” before doing anything that requires even little extra effort .

16. Obstacles and fears would always be  there but they should not stop you . The best way to overcome fear is to face it .

My first Ebook journey would always be memorable for me .  In 2017  , I started my blog  and an year later  I have become A for Author . Thanks A for Almighty .

You can go to the following link to get  my Ebook :

 

 

Happy Reading !