Thanks Bookstagram
Bookstagram changed everything. You might wonder how a trending community on Instagram brought me here - my own website where I’m writing about it, so let me explain.
I started my bookstagram account (@bookworm_freya) in April 2025. Immediately, I was consumed by the stunning photos, jaw-dropping artwork and special editions, hyped ARC reviews and most of all, the community. By May I was in multiple groups and my dreams of finding a place to chat about books had come to fruition. All these wonderful people were SO down to talk about books all day, and more? Listen to me talk about books! My husband is phenomenal, don’t get me wrong, but he doesn’t respond in all caps when I say, “Gasp! There’s only one bed!” Bookstagram people will. Every single time. And thus, I had found my people! I’d found a place so curated for me, so welcoming it almost didn’t feel like the Internet.
But finding the community was always part of the plan. It was just a lot easier than I had anticipated.
You see, in 2023 I quit my full-time job and tried to become an author—a dream I’d had since a kid and something my husband convinced me to try. Between 2023 and 2025 I wrote five books, queried one (and got a lot of rejections) and ultimately relied on my green-flag hubby, few online friends and my dogs to keep my spirits from withering. The five books I wrote never felt worthy of sharing with the world, let alone publishing and charging people to read them. I was a bit defeated, but still trying to salvage this insane dream.
Then I stumbled into my current idea - Mythos Horizon. A series that lets me explore endless mythological creatures (an obsession of mine) and create fun characters in a world fairly similar to ours! I see it as an alternate reality where mythological creatures have always existed but were in hiding. It’s been the perfect balance of familiar, new, and exhilarating. And the idea hooked me!
When I started writing book one, Sunrise Between Worlds, something changed in my brain. I wanted to share it. I wanted people to read it! But just because I finally had a manuscript I wanted to share didn’t mean I could just magically will it into readers’ hands. I had to learn how to get it out there. Essentially, I had to learn how to market. Ew.
I’d been hearing all about BookTok, because… Well, who hasn’t at this point? But that particular site never appealed. I’d used Instagram a lot to share my personal life and liked it, so I started a bookworm account. The original idea was just to observe and try to figure out a plan for marketing. That did not happen. Instead I was scooped up by countless phenomenal people and embraced in a community I knew nothing about. They showed me the ropes, supported me, and a few are currently some of my best friends.
I posted a lot about books I’d read, saw the space through a reader’s eyes before ever mentioning my book. I saw how beautiful the community is and how supportive they are toward indie authors. Success story after success story for small, little authors in the same space as me and it was like a whole new world opened up. I already had one foot in the door. All I had to do was take a leap of faith and mention my book. So I did.
Being brave was all it took. That lit the fuse. I found two phenomenal beta readers, who encouraged me that I wasn’t insane, that I had a good book in my hands. So I dove in. Editors, artists, research, building a street team. All of it. Now, I’m set to self-publish my book in January 2027. And damn, it feels good.
I didn’t think making a little throw away account would result in the friendships I’ve made nor the genuine excitement about doing something so utterly terrifying. There’s a vulnerability in sharing pieces of yourself with the world, and sharing a book feels like cleaving your soul open for the world to see. If you read this one, feel free to ask me where the inspiration came from for various scenes. I can almost promise that everything you’ll read is related to something I’ve experienced. Each page holds a piece of me, of my history. And I was once terrified to share those words with the world. Of course I’m still anxious, but layered into that anxiety is genuine excitement.
And I owe it all to the online community I stumbled into. So thanks, boooksta from the bottom of my heart. <3
