How long did it take you to write “iawwyah”?

in a world where you are here was written in, and published, this 2020 calendar year. I first came up with the idea for the book while I was finishing up another (unpublished) one. I had it in my mind at the time to publish two books at once. One that was more about me, and the other, a give back to you. I realized when writing iawwyah that it was coming out stronger than the first, so I decided to merge the two after I finished it.

What was the inspiration behind the book?

As a person who draws inspiration from nature and conversations, I was inspired to write in a world where you are here to remind people that they are not alone. With the world being so great and vast, there are numerous correlations that can be found in our daily explorations. All we have to do is find them.

What was the publishing process like?

Contrary to popular belief, the publishing process is really easy! I used Amazon’s self-publishing platform, KDP, and all I needed was my book and cover in PDF format. Once I had those things, I created an account and followed the steps!

What advice would you give to readers looking to publish their own work?

Write a lot and read a lot! Unless it’s poetry, you don’t want to be accused of plagiarism lol But most importantly, write what you feel. Poetry can be anything you want it to be. Make sure it comes from the heart. Make it count.

How do you stay motivated?

I think motivation is something that comes naturally if you believe in it enough. You have to be motivated about what you’re doing in order to keep doing it. I’m currently working on book 2, and the poems are flowing out of me like clockwork because I’m so inspired by the concept. That concept is my way to stay motivated. It lets me know I’m onto something good.

How did you get your following on Instagram?

Consistency is extremely important when it comes to the app. Especially since Instagram changed their algorithm and users no longer see posts on their timeline in chronological order. That being said, here is how I did it:

I started my account in July of 2014 and found a small niche by joining month long poetry challenges and tagging accounts like @poets. My theme at the time was overlaying text on photos I found on Google, or placing them on solid color backgrounds. My account stayed like this for about 2 and a half years, and by the end of December 2016, I had about 500 followers. I revamped my theme the following year and started using line art by popular artists on the platform. By March of 2017, my account had doubled in size. During this time, I noticed a fellow poet posting poems similar to mine and having more engagement. The analytic side of me kicked in, and I started posted whenever they did. They were posting from Australia, so when it was 5pm their time, it was 3am my time (EST). Call me crazy if you like, but I would set an alarm, go to sleep, wake up at 3, post, and go back to sleep. I noticed a significant increase, jumping from about 50 likes per post to 300.

I immediately created a Facebook page so I could set up Instagram Business Analytics, and began posting whenever my followers were most active. I also posted twice a day, but the minimum for best results is once a day. By November 2017, I was at 10K. My theme, timing, consistency, maxing out on all 30 hashtags, and being reposted by community poetry pages, played a huge factor in this growth. After that, the rest was history.

What app do you use for your poems?

Currently, I use Unfold. It’s an app for Stories, but it’s just as effective as a Post.

Do you promote other poets?

No. I am not a poetry community page, please don’t comment on my work asking me to follow or check out your account. It’s rude.