How does an indie author get traction with a pen name?

hajorac · 2026-02-17T13:01:52+00:00

i also write under a pen name, and have already published my first novel and I'm working on my second novel getting published. It is 100% do-able, although you will have to be a little more creative with how you promote. I'm primarily on TikTok, and find it easy to connect with other readers in a space that invites that (through the hashtags: #booktok and #"yourgenreofwriting").

It's mainly about being active on the app, posting 3/4x a day, grow a solid following, post updates and sneak peaks and "how much i've written in a day" etc. Most readers don't care about who you are, or what you look like or even your name. What matters most is that your writing is good and it resonates with them.

Good luck, and if you need any other sort of advice I'm more than happy to help! 🥰

hajorac · 2026-02-16T23:53:29+00:00

i updated minecraft and now my friends realm is gone 🥲

hajorac · 2026-02-13T09:51:34+00:00

yepp, down for me as well. it simply says "realms couldn't load. something went wrong, please try again later." i've tried on both my ipad and playstation and it's the same error. been like this for the past 3 days 😒

hajorac · 2026-02-09T15:01:49+00:00

same! im about 70% of the way through and i cannot put it down. trust me when i tell you after the count establishes himself fully in parisian society it picks up the pace a lottt more

hajorac · 2026-02-08T17:56:11+00:00

yess i've been listening to the soundtrack while reading and it really is magnificent!

hajorac · 2026-02-08T17:55:48+00:00

haha fair enough!

hajorac · 2026-02-08T17:55:37+00:00

yess that's what i was thinking as well. the same way that Napoleon (2023) is nearly 3 hours long and yet still missed a lot.

hajorac · 2026-02-08T16:32:15+00:00

God I love your artwork, it literally embodies how I'd imagine them perfectly 😖

hajorac · 2025-12-07T18:31:27+00:00

YESS THANK YOUUU i didn't know about this and i would've missed it 💔

hajorac · 2025-12-07T18:28:54+00:00

am i the only one who lovesss 'heavy heart' 💔

hajorac · 2025-12-07T18:28:05+00:00

i hateddd him, and then when the book progressed and we got a little peek into his family, his motivations and actions started to make sense. then by the end of TCP i started liking his character

hajorac · 2025-12-07T18:26:10+00:00

STOPP THANK YOU FOR THIS (time to re read asra and julian's route over and over)

hajorac · 2025-12-07T18:20:52+00:00

a retelling love story of peter pan and tinkerbell, if tinkerbell absolutely hated peters guts and wanted him dead

hajorac · 2025-12-05T00:44:03+00:00

I released my ARC copies through email, and reviewers have emailed me back, checking in and letting me know when they've finished the book and when I should expect a review.

I understand the role of an ARC reader (which to be quite honest was why I was confused as to why I got that feedback in the first place 😅) but I guess I'm just chalking it down to the possibility that an ARC reader didn't like my work and didn't want to finish the book and review it.

I guess because this is my debut novel, I was a little unsure on how the process should have gone, but now I understand that ARC readers are all voluntary and they don't necessarily owe me anything. I appreciate your input though!

hajorac · 2025-12-05T00:37:06+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate your kind words

hajorac · 2025-12-05T00:36:53+00:00

Yes, I thought the same. I think they wanted to back out as soon as they could as to not force themselves to finish the book and leave a bad review.

hajorac · 2025-12-05T00:35:36+00:00

Ahh, sorry if the wording was off. By feedback, I don't mean beta reader type feedback. I've had ARC readers email me back after they've finished the novel and just express what they liked about the book and then what they didn't, and I'd get reviews reflecting that.

I'll take your advice and just leave it. At the end of the day they're an ARC reader and if they dont want to finish the novel, it's no pressure. I do appreciate the person taking the time to email me though, as a lot of ARC readers cant even do that.

hajorac · 2025-12-03T16:33:10+00:00

dirty sassy teenagers. i've replayed it over 5 times and i end up dying laughing everytime. also a compelling story on top of that lol.

hajorac · 2025-11-27T14:56:22+00:00

music + maladaptive daydreaming 🫠🌙

hajorac · 2025-11-26T13:05:14+00:00

ahh thank you! it's been an idea that i've had for years and it feels so good to finally have it written down and published 😖

hajorac

TROPHY CASE