The beginning of my journey
I began my journey as an author with traditional publishing. I sent my second manuscript to one of Lithuania’s largest publishing houses and received a positive response just over a month later. That is how it all started.
I published my first novel in 2017, and my second book came out two years later. In 2020, I was invited to my first book fair, but I had to decline because my baby was only a month old.
A creative break
A creative break came naturally, alongside changes in my personal life. I prioritized my family, and my creative thoughts seemed to fall silent. It was not an easy period of life. It was a time of doubt, self-reflection, and a fundamental question: why do I write at all? Why do I need this? To pour my heart out for strangers to scatter it into pieces.
When I gave myself time and my mind calmed down, I finally found all the answers. I write because it makes me happy; it fulfills me. Writing clears my head, and no matter what happens in the future, I will still be writing.
Self-publishing path
Day by day, I started playing with the idea that came to me late at night, the one that transformed and became a book, “Wolf’s Daughter.” As long as I was writing it, I understood one thing: I wanted a different path for my book. It deserved more. Despite how much experience I got while working with a publisher and how much my editor taught me, I made a decision. I chose self-publishing, knowing that after releasing my book in my native language, I would be working on a translation into English. I needed full control of my project.
Trad vs. Self-Publishing
Traditional publishing taught me a lot. I met amazing people, the real professionals, and it was a wonderful experience for me as a debut author. But for me, self-publishing is a bigger school of publishing entirely. Being a one-person team most of the time taught me even more. If someone thinks that it’s easier than trad publishing, they are wrong. It gives freedom, but it’s definitely not easier. It’s damn hard work, but I would never change it into anything.