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I’ve always loved history, especially stories about powerful women who don’t get talked about enough. That’s what inspired me to write The Last Stand of a Queen, a historical fiction book based on Rani Lakshmibai.

One of the biggest challenges was balancing research with storytelling because I wanted the book to feel emotional and engaging, not just educational.

Self-publishing at a young age has honestly taught me a lot about writing, patience, and how much work goes into bringing a story to life.

I’d love to hear from other indie authors here. What was the hardest part of publishing your first book?

I started writing The Last Stand of a Queen because I became fascinated by the story of Rani Lakshmibai and realized how emotionally powerful historical fiction can be when it focuses on the human side of history rather than just events.

One thing that surprised me while self-publishing was how much time goes into things outside of writing itself. Research, editing, formatting, covers, marketing, and even learning how readers discover books ended up teaching me almost as much as writing did.

The biggest challenge for me was balancing historical accuracy with storytelling. I didn’t want the book to feel like a textbook, but I also didn’t want to lose the emotional weight of the real history behind it.

For other indie authors here:

How do you balance authenticity and readability when writing historical or research-heavy stories?