Saloni Surah worked closely with Blue Pencil Agency’s head editor and founder Sara Sarre on an Early Reader book Flora Investigates: The Case Of The Missing Gold Eggs which she has recently self-published. We were curious about her self-publishing journey – an option which continues to grow in popularity within the writing community – and asked Saloni if she would accept to do an Author Q&A so that we might glean some insider tips on the dos and don’ts of a more hands-on approach to publishing. 

How did you start your writing journey? 

I started writing in 2010 when I was working on my PhD on HIV infected drug users. It was the first time I actually had some headspace and time to write after the conveyor belt of a medical career. Writing about fairies and dragons was such a wonderful contrast to the heavy, formulaic scientific writing I was doing at the time.

On your website, it says that you’re a coach. What kind of coach? How has it informed your approach to writing?

Yes, I am a spiritual life coach. I love to see and assist life transformation. I originally trained as a ‘tapping into wealth’ coach back in 2014. This modality is all about money blocks, which tend to lie deeper. Having worked as a doctor for so long in sexual health and HIV, I witnessed so much morbidity and saw how upbringing and programming manifested. I wanted to do more but was limited in the framework of healthcare, so when I got my consultant job, I went part-time so I could write and coach.

My medical career has no doubt shaped my coaching work and vice versa. It has made me unshockable as I have literally heard everything! In my coaching, I work intuitively; it is tailored to the individual client and what is coming up for them. It can sometimes go very deep and be unpleasant at the time. My clients tend to have major shifts. It’s wonderful when they have shifted so much that they no longer need me!

Congratulations on publishing Flora Investigates: The Case Of The Missing Gold Eggs! It’s an Early Reader book for 5 to 8 year olds based in Florence, Italy. Flora, a 10 year-old detective has to find out who has stolen Gina, a gold egg laying chicken. Where did you find the inspiration for the novel?

Flora Investigates is loosely based on my husband’s friends and family. My mother-in-law used to keep chickens (sadly the foxes have recently decimated them). Not too soon after my husband and I first got together, one of his mum’s chickens went missing, and he joked that there had been a murder in their backyard in Florence. The story really started to brew when I met my husband’s friends, family, pets (cats, dogs, parrots) and stuffed animals when I first went to Florence with him.

Do you write exclusively for children? How would you say writing for children differs to writing for adults? What do you love about it?

I don’t write exclusively for children, but I’m trying to close off some of my oldest work which is for kids. What I love about writing for children is the magic. I get to be otherworldly and play with fairies, flying pirate ships, farting elves and such. Essentially I write to escape the mundaneness of everyday life. However, as I’ve worked as a HIV and sexual health doctor, I’m someone who doesn’t shy away from challenging conversations and topics; hence some of the themes in my children’s books are about bullying and abuses/imbalances of powers.

“Essentially I write to escape the mundaneness of everyday life. However, as I’ve worked as a HIV and sexual health doctor, I’m someone who doesn’t shy away from challenging conversations and topics.”

What made you decide to self-publish?

Well, it was a funny route if I’m being honest. I tried traditional publishing through agents for years. I’ve done mentoring, paid feedback, conferences etc. but I had some personal issues, and then two children in close succession, so there hadn’t been much creative time for me the last few years. I’d had some really good feedback on this book and my fairy book that I hope to have out for Christmas, but last round was told this was a tough age group and something to the effect of celebrities being sought after. Then when I balanced up having to wait circa 2 years after being picked up, and my social/work situation, it actually felt more freeing for me to self-publish and regain some power back in my life.

Can you take us through the steps of self-publishing?

I published with the support of Tauk Publishing. So, I paid to publish. For me, having done a PhD, I needed editing and support as I know how challenging it is to see your own work objectively. They helped with plot, story-line, editing, illustrations, formatting and uploading onto Amazon KDP.

“It actually felt more freeing for me to self-publish and regain some power back in my life.”

What are the advantages/disadvantages of self-publishing? What has surprised you? Do you have any advice for a writer looking to self-publish?

There have been both advantages and disadvantages to self-publishing. Having some more control is good, and obviously you make more money from the books you sell. Through Tauk, I got great support and advice along with the book creation itself, which made it much less lonely, as writing can be very lonely.

But obviously you don’t have the ‘might’ of a publishing house behind you, and their marketing budget, and I didn’t know the system and about things like advanced reader copy (ARC) reviews, so I was a little on the back foot. It’s also challenging getting reviews and many of the Instagrammers and TikTok reviewers won’t touch those who are self-published. I’ve been working on the social media, but it takes time, and I’m sure this would have been easier if I’d published the traditional route.

The book went to the top of the Light Novels for Children’s chart, congratulations! What are the reasons, do you think, it’s doing so well?

I think Flora did well because we managed to create a buzz upon release. I started my social media campaign about two months before release. It is a fun, adventure-packed read, with elements of a different culture as it’s set in Italy. Flora is a wonderful role model for children in that she sets up her own agency, finds her first case and battles her fears to save the agency.

How are you self-marketing? What are you doing to make your book visible?

I’m active on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram. I post read alouds, share some of my paintings and coaching work. I paid for some advertising, but it didn’t seem to do much. I’ve been sharing about my journey, which obviously is very varied as I’m a HIV and sexual health consultant, as well as a coach.

“It’s challenging getting reviews, and many of the Instagrammers and TikTok reviewers won’t touch those who are self-published.”

Sara Sarre, BPA head editor and founder, mentored you. How do you think that helped you and at what stage was it of your writing journey?

Sara was amazing; she helped me to develop as a writer and helped to form both books. I then came back and got reviews from Katya Balen, who again brought the story along, got me looking at similar books in the same age range and suggested the notes that you see in the book.

What are you working on at the moment? Can you tell us anything about the second book?

I am currently working on the Last Fairy Guardian. This is a grade book about a forbidden friendship between a flower fairy called Harri and a human girl Isobel when the fairy forest is under threat by humans. Wings are at stake! It’s magical but also deals with heavy themes, such as bullying and captivity.

I started writing the sequel to Flora Investigates a few years ago. This is on my list for 2024.

Flora Investigates is available to order here.

Dr Saloni Surah is a published author of her first children’s book Flora Investigates: The Case Of The Missing Gold eggs. She is also a HIV & sexual health consultant and has a PhD on HIV Infection & drug use. Working in her particular area of medicine, Dr Surah became acutely aware of the mind-body connection with regards to ill-health and wellbeing. She has an active interest in meditation, self-development and other healing modalities and also works a spiritual coach.

Website: salonisurah.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaloniSurahAuthor

Instagram: https://instagram.com/salonibook

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@salonisurah