CFOLK AUTHOR
Cindy Folk
a little about me, my books, and my writing experience
“As I’ve stumbled my way through this writing experience over the last five years, I’ve learned a lot, but have also delayed a lot while overcoming my fears as a writer and entrepreneur.
My goal here is to share my stories and my experiences, in the hopes of guiding others through the challenges of writing, be it the craft of writing or the business of writing because in order for a writer to become an author you will need to do both.”
— Cindy Folk
Do You Want to Become a Self-Published Author?
It was in the fall of 2020 that I started setting up my author's website. I remember having butterflies in my stomach as I chose www.cindyfolkauthor.com with the email cindy@cindyfolkauthor.com. I felt silly and didn't quite believe that I was an author yet. A writer, sort of, but an author?
I had come across Shayla Raquel's 10 Commandments of Author Branding, and I was determined to follow her strategy for setting up a website, creating an author brand, posting on Instagram, and getting my ducks in a row to have my book edited. Essentially, it was the start of a ten-month journey towards the June 2021 release.
It was a journey that I documented as I went. I wanted to remember all the steps I had gone through and the research I had done along the way. Even with Shayla's guidance, there were many decisions I had to make myself. I had to decide which platform to put my website on, which web hosting company to go with, and which tool I should use for my email newsletter. The list goes on and on. I took notes so that I didn't forget what I had done, but I also kept them to share with others. I knew that if I didn’t keep track of them as I went, I would no longer have the perspective of someone coming into this world of writing for the first time. I wanted to save those that want to self-publish a few headaches. I want to help them avoid the frustration and the angst that a person feels when they aren't sure whether two systems will work together or whether a tool is worth the money. And I want to be able to answer a few questions for them.
This is a list of the tools, tips and tricks that have worked for me. I wanted to give them to you so that you can skip some of the research and just dive right in!
I have tried to put the list in an order that works logically—from just thinking about writing, to writing and editing, to what is involved in the business of writing. It is by no means a comprehensive list, rather one that I intend on updating as I go.
I hope it is helpful to you.
Cindy
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BOOKS
Northern Escape –
Now Available
Hiding from a controlling and dangerous partner, Grace Rhodes goes off the grid when she joins an artists’ retreat to escape to a remote area of Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park. There, she bumps into Cam, who brings back old memories—happy memories. If only she had done things differently in the past.
In the stunning beauty of the north with her newfound creative friends, Grace finds respite through poetry and reflection but is distracted when she stumbles upon two men searching for a missing friend.
The pursuit is on to locate the lost friend in the vast wilderness of the park, but the group soon learns of the cryptic messages he left behind in geocache boxes. Spun with hidden innuendo, the messages hint at something sinister.
Will they find him, or is he setting a trap? Will an old flame be rekindled, or is it too late? And what will happen if Grace’s ex-boyfriend finds her?
Fast-paced and engrossing, Northern Escape sends the reader down a winding trail of secrets, lies, and dire consequences.
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Book Club Discussion Guide
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Imposter Syndrome
Oct 17 Written By Cindy Folk
Imposter syndrome seems to be the buzzword these days. What is it? It usually rears it’s ugly head when you are doing something new, something out of your comfort zone, and essentially means that you doubt your abilities and feel like a fraud. You say to yourself, “Who am I to…?”
I don’t like to label things. Often people hang on to that label and use it as an excuse for not moving forward. I prefer to figure out how to move past that issue or problem. For example, Writer’s Block. If you sit and think that you may be experiencing this, you hold onto it and use it as an excuse. Instead, take a break from your writing until you are inspired to continue. Even so, I get it. It is because of these kinds of feelings - feeling like you aren’t enough of an expert, for example - that people don’t take that next step.
I was having a real moment of imposter syndrome as I mentally prepared for a meeting I had about a month ago. I had joined Amy Porterfield’s 30-day Digital Course Kickstarter bootcamp where I introduced myself as a self-published author who had documented every step of the process from the craft of writing to the business of writing. Because of this, I received a reply to my post from a man who was a retired news producer in the New York area for the likes of NBC and Good Morning America, who is developing a course in public relations for authors. The man has a wonderful web site with amazing testimonials.
As the meeting drew nearer, I found myself wondering what he wanted to meet with me about. I was concerned he thought I had more experience than I did.
I had to remind myself to be myself and to tell the truth of my story. He was extremely receptive and I feel like I’ve made a pretty neat connection in this writing world. But most importantly, by showing up and meeting with him, it helped with my confidence and allowed me to push The Imposter back into the shadows.
She is still lurking, but by putting in the work, I am finding it easier to ignore her.
Is Self-Publishing Really a Thing?
Oct 7 Written By Cindy Folk
I was talking to a friend recently and she asked, “Is self-publishing really a thing?” I laughed because it hadn’t occurred to me that people might not know that it is not only a thing, but it is a guaranteed way to get your story out to the world. So I answered, “Yes! It really is a thing!!”
Self-publishing is something anyone can do. You don’t need to submit a transcript to a publisher and wait months to see if they would be interested in publishing your book. Instead, you can take the reigns and do it yourself.
Whether you publish traditionally or self-publish by hiring quality professionals where you feel it is important or go a more inexpensive route when it makes sense, you will need to get on social media and let people know that your book is coming soon or already available. Since I had to do that part anyway (which was, to me, the hardest part), I decided to give self-publishing a try.
What was difficult though was knowing where to spend my money and how to know which tools were compatible before investing in them. THAT made me uncomfortable.
I would like to share what I’ve learned by developing and offering a course. I am finalizing the course title, but I believe it will be called Make a Splash Self-Publishing: Test the Waters Before Diving In.
It will have modules and lessons on how to write a book and how to get past the fear of whether it is good enough or the discomfort of telling people about it, but it will also share my experiences on what worked and what didn’t as I got my book ready for release.
If you are considering, or have ever considered, self-publishing, I’d love to get your vote on which of the following course ideas would be most helpful.
1. How to write, edit and self-publish a book.
2. How to write a book that sells.
3. How to make a profit writing and self-publishing a book.
Please put your answer in the comments. 1, 2, or 3.
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
AUTHOR BIO
Cindy Folk was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. She attended the University of Regina, majoring in finance. The co-operative education program there took her to work terms in Toronto and Ottawa. After university, she moved to Ottawa, where she competed in rowing and had the opportunity to explore Eastern Canada and the United States. She moved home in 1998 and met and married her husband, Dan. They now have three children. Although her work environment is very structured, Cindy has always had a creative side that was bubbling just below the surface, waiting to be discovered. Writing has allowed that part of her to flourish. Northern Escape is her debut novel.
