Hey, I'm Clare!
I write, publish and sell fantastical, female-driven young adult novels.
Keep reading to learn the story so far...
I’ve always been a writer, ever since I was little.
We had one channel (sometimes two if reception was good), dial-up internet when I was thirteen (the best available at the time), and the nearest movie theatre was over an hour away, so my sister and I had to come up with our own entertainment in the rural Nova Scotia village where we grew up.
I’d make up stories about our cats or my friends and create little books out of paper.
I would write my novels when I got home from school, my short story assignments were always too long, and I would journal my days each evening.
It was inevitable that I would attempt to pursue writing as a career.
Which, turns out, is a lot harder than twelve-year-old Clare believed.
But I don’t shy away from things that are hard.
So why publish myself? When I started submitting my mammoth-sized manuscripts to publishers when I was fifteen, I researched everything I could about publishing. This research continued up to the second year of my journalism degree, around 2008 when we were all being told that there were very few jobs for writers anywhere.
That was when I started thinking seriously about publishing my own work. I’d look at traditional publishers in North America and think: I could make my books look just as good as theirs, if I had the proper resources, time, and knowledge.
So I finished my schooling...
I continued to write and research, and two years later I graduated with my journalism (honours) degree from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was accepted into the Humber College Publishing Programme in Toronto, Ontario.
Pictured is me, yes, wearing sneakers with my grad dress...and my King's degree...I flew back to Halifax for 24 hours for the grad ceremony, and then back to Toronto, in the middle of my publishing programme!
It was there I met a lot of great people (including my now-husband, Dave), and filled in the gaps in my publishing knowledge. I also got a reality check about publishing. It’s not something you can do alone. It’s a lot of work. Like…a lot of work.
Did that make me not want to do it?
No, of course not, you’re here, wanting to know about me and my books, aren’t you?
I completed the program, worked for different publishers in Canada, and freelanced for various independent authors, publishers, and companies all around the world (still do).
How did I know I was ready to become my own publisher?
You’re never going to be 100% ready. I had the knowledge, I had the resources, and I had the time. I jumped in, and published my first book, Within, in 2011.
I’ve been publishing at least one book a year since.
Because of you, my life has shifted...
Being my own publisher has taken me to cities I wouldn’t have thought to visit, become friends with people I may never have known, and learn way more about publishing than I ever could from just researching it (although school and my own research did provide a firm foundation).
It’s not always easy. But I don’t do things because they’re easy. Publishing is time consuming, resource draining, and frustrating. I’m always learning something new. Publishing isn’t a one-and-done kind of deal. It’s a lifelong commitment.
I am building something that will outlast me.
my ultimate mission:
to build an innovative direct-to-consumer publishing brand that inspires readers to face the world with the strength of a protagonist.
You've probably heard the news: book publishing is dying. Or is it?
Publishing and bookselling has changed a lot in the past few decades with technology innovations. Never has it been easier for you to discover new authors or search the internet for your favourites from childhood or adolescence.
It's also never been easier for you to support independent writers, publishers, and artists from around the world, from the comfort of your own home.
When you purchase a Faery Ink Press book directly from me (FaeryInkPress.com) - you are directly contributing to my success.
You become part of the story.
When you purchase a book directly from me, the author-publisher, you are directly contributing to my success. You become part of the story.
Stories from selling books across the country
Every time I sold books at a comic con, craft show, or festival, I wrote about it and how I could improve. This helped me keep track of my progress - but it also helped you see the ins and outs of writing, publishing, and selling fiction books. Discover the highlights of my progress below.
Advice for aspiring, serious self-publishing authors
“You can’t just do it once. You have to do it again, and again, and again, each time with improved knowledge from the previous iteration.”
Official Bio of Clare C. Marshall
photo by Terence Yung