Hi everyone,
I was advised by Admin to introduce myself.
My name is Nguyen (a common Vietnamese last name, pronounced WIN). I used to live in the U.S., but now I live in a small village roughly 200 kilometers south east of Ho Chi Minh City. I had to come back to my home country to care for a sick father. He has had three strokes and is now paralyzed.
While in the United States, I was fortunate enough to finish high school, graduated from the University of Kansas State with a Bachelor's in English. In my free time there, I had written three book manuscripts. Because English is my second language, writing was--and still is--a big challenge for me. But because the events that I had witnessed as a child were so extraordinary that it compelled me to write my first book Northern Wind: Memoirs of an Asylum Seeker. My second and third books are just, as a very ancient friend of mine used to say, "figments of my (twisted) imagination."
During the day (after caring for dad each morning) and most of the night, I work on Native Camp as an English teacher. I love meeting new people and the flexibility of its booking system, but I despise its meager salary. Since I grew up in the States I speak American English like a native; but because I'm Vietnamese, I receive non-native status and pay :(. Can one call it discrimination?
In any case, in order to supplement for my meager salary, I decided to self-publish my three books on Amazon. Although I wanted very much to hire a professional editor to go over the manuscripts, my financial situation does not allow such a luxury. Thus, I feel that all my books lack the literary value they deserve.
Since I'm new to the publishing world as well as its vast market, I'm in dire need of your advice. I'd love to learn from all of you. Thank you.
