Hi, I’m Cindi, the founder of TIRAA, The Independent Romance Authors Association.
I self-published my first works quietly in 2011 on Amazon, hoping to be discovered (didn’t we all dream it was going to be that easy??). Turns out no one even knew it was there and nothing happened FOR YEARS. Not a single sale. But, I carried on writing. In 2016, I finally completed my first full-length novel and again I put it up on Amazon, this time, doing things a little differently and had some, but limited success. At least there were sales and reviews (yay!). In 2018, I did better– learning from previous mistakes, and in 2020 I went full throttle and released Trust Me in 2021 doing everything by the book, and wow, what a difference it made.
I longed to have someone to talk to about self-publishing, the business of it, and the nuances specific to catering to the ferocious romance readers out there. But every writer group and organization I joined was geared toward traditional publishing (and good for them!). For me, the publishing journey has been fulfilling BECAUSE it also flexed my entrepreneurial muscles. The idea of creating from start to finish still gets me excited EVERY TIME I release a book.
Since I was not finding a community that was focused on romance writing AND indie publishing, I eventually decided to launch my own, and in 2021 TIRAA came to be in the form of a paying online community group hosted on the Mighty Networks platform.
So why does the TIRAA Associate membership cost money? Well, it’s a reality check. It solidifies the notion that self-publishing, with any chance of success, will take investment. That means time and money. You just can’t get around it. I believe the price is nominal and generally affordable, and what you gain in return is invaluable in terms of community, support, education, motivation, and inspiration. We have speakers and experts from all around the world joining us for live events and educational sessions. And our online community runs 24/7, not to mention we prioritize the most important part of being an author: writing. Our virtual write-together sessions take place a number of times a week, to help you stay on target with your writing goals.
TIRAA is still evolving and I can’t wait to see how it grows in the future.
If you want to give our Community a go, you can join for $40 per year HERE.