Social media fast-forwarded my writing career by a decade.

Ten years ago, I created an amateur WordPress website to share my short stories and poetry.

I’d graduated with a BA in Philosophy the previous summer, and it had been a few months since I dropped out of my teacher training degree. Three months into that course, I realised how unhappy I was pursuing Plan B (have a stable job), when Plan A (write a novel, submit to agents, and become a bestselling author) was what I truly wanted to do with my life.

That’s when I launched the WordPress site—and an accompanying Instagram page to promote it. The website itself fizzled out within a few months, but the Instagram page became something much bigger than I ever expected.

Ten years later, I’ve built a social media community of over 700,000 people. I’ve self-published five books—poetry, prose, and bite-sized self-help. I secured a traditional publishing deal with Penguin Random House for a self-help book (my sixth, released in June 2024) and have sold approximately 75,000 copies of my books.

Social media helped me—a lot. In ways that the traditional path—write a manuscript, get an agent, pitch to publishers—probably wouldn’t have. If I’d stuck to that original plan of working full-time while trying to finish a novel, I might still be working that full-time job, stuck on draft 348 of a manuscript destined for the drawer. Because, truthfully, I wasn’t that good at writing stories back then.

Maybe I’m still not—but my agent recently read my new adult fiction romance and was more excited than I’d expected. It has to mean something, right? .

Back to my story.

Sharing my work online allowed me to build a readership. Connect with followers. Hone my writing skills. Test what worked and what didn’t. Gain real-world experience in the business, marketing, and technical side of publishing. It opened doors—to community, collaboration, and connection with other authors, artists, podcasters, radio hosts, journalists.

It gave me tools through which I evolved—not just as a writer, but as a mental health advocate, speaker, YouTuber, podcaster, TEDx speaker, performer, and storyteller.

For that, I’m forever grateful. The journey my life has taken since sharing just a few posts on Instagram is unfathomable. The skills I’ve learned. The people I’ve met. The stories I’ve witnessed. All of it has shaped me into a better writer—someone who finally feels capable enough to write the novel they’ve dreamed of since childhood.

Yes, the social media landscape has changed. Everything’s faster now. Trends move at lightning speed. Some platforms feel more like marketplaces than communities.

But there are others—like Substack—that still amplify voices.

Platforms that allow space for honesty, vulnerability, and freedom. Platforms that protect writers’ voices.

While it would be nice to live in a world where everything turns out the way we hope—it’s often in the messiness that we find our own kind of perfection.

And that’s where I found mine.

---

Quick Updates

I wanted to share a few exciting updates with you all!

📚 Order The Path to Self-Love: It’s up to 40% off on Amazon and available worldwide! Thank you so much for your incredible support. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, you can order it here. I hope it inspires you on your journey to self-love!

✨ Subscribe to my YouTube channel: I’ve got new videos coming your way this year, and if you missed the latest ones, catch up here!

🎧 Listen to my podcast: New episodes will be out soon! If you haven’t listened to one yet, check them out here. Your thoughts on the episodes are always welcome!

🎤 Watch my TEDx talk: We’ve hit 12k views—thank you for all the love! If you haven’t watched it yet, check it out here. Please like, share, and comment—your support means the world!

Thank you for being here and for all your continued love and support! 💖

Love,

Ruby Dhal xxx