Rachel D. Oak | allergic to literary snobbery
@theauthorrach.bsky.social
📚 Author of Lavender Bay & Bondi Street Blues
💡 Writing about indie publishing, marketing & bookish chaos
📩 For interviews & media inquiries: theauthorrach@gmail.com
💡 Writing about indie publishing, marketing & bookish chaos
📩 For interviews & media inquiries: theauthorrach@gmail.com
Tropes on Trial is back this week and the court case is *drum roll please*
Monster Reverse Harem!
The book club picked the lineup and i have never resented a group of strangers this much.
youtu.be/YFWSY-ToAMw?...
Monster Reverse Harem!
The book club picked the lineup and i have never resented a group of strangers this much.
youtu.be/YFWSY-ToAMw?...
The Book Club Made Me Read Omegaverse Smut. I Have Regrets. (Tropes on Trial Ep 4)
YouTube video by Rachel D. Oak
youtu.be
November 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Tropes on Trial is back this week and the court case is *drum roll please*
Monster Reverse Harem!
The book club picked the lineup and i have never resented a group of strangers this much.
youtu.be/YFWSY-ToAMw?...
Monster Reverse Harem!
The book club picked the lineup and i have never resented a group of strangers this much.
youtu.be/YFWSY-ToAMw?...
This week’s Substack post is basically my ode to the fics that devastated me.
Read it here: racheldoak.substack.com/p/found-fami...
Read it here: racheldoak.substack.com/p/found-fami...
November 17, 2025 at 7:11 PM
This week’s Substack post is basically my ode to the fics that devastated me.
Read it here: racheldoak.substack.com/p/found-fami...
Read it here: racheldoak.substack.com/p/found-fami...
The reason we love messy protagonists?
they remind us life isn’t chess.
Sometimes you flail, swallow seawater, hurt people. and keep going anyway.
#fictionbooks #indiauthor
they remind us life isn’t chess.
Sometimes you flail, swallow seawater, hurt people. and keep going anyway.
#fictionbooks #indiauthor
August 25, 2025 at 12:06 PM
The reason we love messy protagonists?
they remind us life isn’t chess.
Sometimes you flail, swallow seawater, hurt people. and keep going anyway.
#fictionbooks #indiauthor
they remind us life isn’t chess.
Sometimes you flail, swallow seawater, hurt people. and keep going anyway.
#fictionbooks #indiauthor
My characters say awful things and make worse choices.
I let them because I do the same.
FLAWS MAKE BETTER STORIES
#indieauthor #amwriting
I let them because I do the same.
FLAWS MAKE BETTER STORIES
#indieauthor #amwriting
August 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM
My characters say awful things and make worse choices.
I let them because I do the same.
FLAWS MAKE BETTER STORIES
#indieauthor #amwriting
I let them because I do the same.
FLAWS MAKE BETTER STORIES
#indieauthor #amwriting
I’m not salty about other people using generative AI.
I genuinely believe there’s enough space in publishing for everyone. If someone writes an AI-generated book and finds an audience, good for them. That audience wasn’t mine anyway.
I genuinely believe there’s enough space in publishing for everyone. If someone writes an AI-generated book and finds an audience, good for them. That audience wasn’t mine anyway.
August 5, 2025 at 11:32 AM
I’m not salty about other people using generative AI.
I genuinely believe there’s enough space in publishing for everyone. If someone writes an AI-generated book and finds an audience, good for them. That audience wasn’t mine anyway.
I genuinely believe there’s enough space in publishing for everyone. If someone writes an AI-generated book and finds an audience, good for them. That audience wasn’t mine anyway.
You are not cringe for writing what you love.
You don’t owe the internet perfection.
#writingmotivation
You don’t owe the internet perfection.
#writingmotivation
August 1, 2025 at 1:38 PM
You are not cringe for writing what you love.
You don’t owe the internet perfection.
#writingmotivation
You don’t owe the internet perfection.
#writingmotivation
My taste in books? terrible
My life choices? questionable at best.
but at least I can say I became the disaster I always rooted for 👍
open.substack.com/pub/racheldo...
My life choices? questionable at best.
but at least I can say I became the disaster I always rooted for 👍
open.substack.com/pub/racheldo...
Am I the Problem? Yes.
but also the plot
open.substack.com
July 29, 2025 at 10:29 AM
My taste in books? terrible
My life choices? questionable at best.
but at least I can say I became the disaster I always rooted for 👍
open.substack.com/pub/racheldo...
My life choices? questionable at best.
but at least I can say I became the disaster I always rooted for 👍
open.substack.com/pub/racheldo...
I don’t read book synopses. I don’t check reviews.
I run headfirst into disappointment because some girl on BookTok screamed about the one (1) good smut scene.
Am I the problem?
#BookTok #readerproblems
I run headfirst into disappointment because some girl on BookTok screamed about the one (1) good smut scene.
Am I the problem?
#BookTok #readerproblems
July 22, 2025 at 10:18 AM
I don’t read book synopses. I don’t check reviews.
I run headfirst into disappointment because some girl on BookTok screamed about the one (1) good smut scene.
Am I the problem?
#BookTok #readerproblems
I run headfirst into disappointment because some girl on BookTok screamed about the one (1) good smut scene.
Am I the problem?
#BookTok #readerproblems
No editor. No agent. No budget.
Just me, Canva, and 8 re-uploads because I didn’t know how ISBNs worked.
And now I’ve published a whole 👏 damn 👏 trilogy👏
#selfpublishing #authors
Just me, Canva, and 8 re-uploads because I didn’t know how ISBNs worked.
And now I’ve published a whole 👏 damn 👏 trilogy👏
#selfpublishing #authors
July 18, 2025 at 10:51 AM
No editor. No agent. No budget.
Just me, Canva, and 8 re-uploads because I didn’t know how ISBNs worked.
And now I’ve published a whole 👏 damn 👏 trilogy👏
#selfpublishing #authors
Just me, Canva, and 8 re-uploads because I didn’t know how ISBNs worked.
And now I’ve published a whole 👏 damn 👏 trilogy👏
#selfpublishing #authors
booktok is burning its own house down.
Not with bad books, with clout-chasing cruelty disguised as critique.
When you build a following by mocking debut authors you don’t look smart. You just make publishing scarier for everyone.
#booktok #indiepublishing
Not with bad books, with clout-chasing cruelty disguised as critique.
When you build a following by mocking debut authors you don’t look smart. You just make publishing scarier for everyone.
#booktok #indiepublishing
July 15, 2025 at 2:00 PM
booktok is burning its own house down.
Not with bad books, with clout-chasing cruelty disguised as critique.
When you build a following by mocking debut authors you don’t look smart. You just make publishing scarier for everyone.
#booktok #indiepublishing
Not with bad books, with clout-chasing cruelty disguised as critique.
When you build a following by mocking debut authors you don’t look smart. You just make publishing scarier for everyone.
#booktok #indiepublishing
Write one book with no pressure for it to be good.
Let it be messy and dramatic. Let it be yours.
Cringe isn’t the enemy. Fear is.
#Indieauthor #Beginnerwriters
Let it be messy and dramatic. Let it be yours.
Cringe isn’t the enemy. Fear is.
#Indieauthor #Beginnerwriters
July 11, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Write one book with no pressure for it to be good.
Let it be messy and dramatic. Let it be yours.
Cringe isn’t the enemy. Fear is.
#Indieauthor #Beginnerwriters
Let it be messy and dramatic. Let it be yours.
Cringe isn’t the enemy. Fear is.
#Indieauthor #Beginnerwriters
making a 10-second video about the same bad paragraph that everyone else has already shared isn’t just “just jokes” It’s algorithm-approved bullying.
& the authors paying the price? 9/10 are women.
Funny, isn't it
#selfpublishing #colleenhoover #booktok
& the authors paying the price? 9/10 are women.
Funny, isn't it
#selfpublishing #colleenhoover #booktok
July 8, 2025 at 11:15 AM
making a 10-second video about the same bad paragraph that everyone else has already shared isn’t just “just jokes” It’s algorithm-approved bullying.
& the authors paying the price? 9/10 are women.
Funny, isn't it
#selfpublishing #colleenhoover #booktok
& the authors paying the price? 9/10 are women.
Funny, isn't it
#selfpublishing #colleenhoover #booktok
I didn’t write my first book to be impressive.
I wrote it for the girl who stopped reading because life got too hectic.
I needed to fall in love with stories again.
#romancewriters #indiebooks
I wrote it for the girl who stopped reading because life got too hectic.
I needed to fall in love with stories again.
#romancewriters #indiebooks
July 1, 2025 at 10:30 AM
I didn’t write my first book to be impressive.
I wrote it for the girl who stopped reading because life got too hectic.
I needed to fall in love with stories again.
#romancewriters #indiebooks
I wrote it for the girl who stopped reading because life got too hectic.
I needed to fall in love with stories again.
#romancewriters #indiebooks
Gen AI isn't going anywhere near my books.
I’d rather take five years writing a flawed book I own than publish something technically perfect but soulless
I’d rather take five years writing a flawed book I own than publish something technically perfect but soulless
June 26, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Gen AI isn't going anywhere near my books.
I’d rather take five years writing a flawed book I own than publish something technically perfect but soulless
I’d rather take five years writing a flawed book I own than publish something technically perfect but soulless
the book industry isn’t being destroyed by “bad books”
It’s being destroyed by cruelty in the name of critique.
It’s fun until someone decides your story is fair game. remember that
#indieauthors #selfpublishing
It’s being destroyed by cruelty in the name of critique.
It’s fun until someone decides your story is fair game. remember that
#indieauthors #selfpublishing
June 25, 2025 at 11:17 AM
the book industry isn’t being destroyed by “bad books”
It’s being destroyed by cruelty in the name of critique.
It’s fun until someone decides your story is fair game. remember that
#indieauthors #selfpublishing
It’s being destroyed by cruelty in the name of critique.
It’s fun until someone decides your story is fair game. remember that
#indieauthors #selfpublishing
i’m still hooked a YEAR later on Beautiful Fiend by Lola King. it changed how I read, how I write, what I now expect from dark romance
full breakdown
💌 racheldoak.substack.com/p/the-dark-romance-that-will-ruin-you
#darkromance #bookrec #enemiestolovers #substack
full breakdown
💌 racheldoak.substack.com/p/the-dark-romance-that-will-ruin-you
#darkromance #bookrec #enemiestolovers #substack
The Dark Romance That Will Ruin You For All Others
A love letter to the story that raised the bar and made me obsessed with toxic characters
racheldoak.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 2:35 PM
i’m still hooked a YEAR later on Beautiful Fiend by Lola King. it changed how I read, how I write, what I now expect from dark romance
full breakdown
💌 racheldoak.substack.com/p/the-dark-romance-that-will-ruin-you
#darkromance #bookrec #enemiestolovers #substack
full breakdown
💌 racheldoak.substack.com/p/the-dark-romance-that-will-ruin-you
#darkromance #bookrec #enemiestolovers #substack
Can we all just pause and realize we’re normalizing cruelty in online book review discourse? And overwhelmingly, it's not critique, it’s performance.
it’s sabotaging the next generation of writers
#indieauthor #booktok
it’s sabotaging the next generation of writers
#indieauthor #booktok
June 20, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Can we all just pause and realize we’re normalizing cruelty in online book review discourse? And overwhelmingly, it's not critique, it’s performance.
it’s sabotaging the next generation of writers
#indieauthor #booktok
it’s sabotaging the next generation of writers
#indieauthor #booktok
I wrote my first novel in two weeks with no outline, no editor oh and a $20 canva cover.
It was dramatic. It was cringe.
It was mine.
that book changed my life.
#indieauthor #writingcommunity
It was dramatic. It was cringe.
It was mine.
that book changed my life.
#indieauthor #writingcommunity
June 17, 2025 at 9:42 AM
I wrote my first novel in two weeks with no outline, no editor oh and a $20 canva cover.
It was dramatic. It was cringe.
It was mine.
that book changed my life.
#indieauthor #writingcommunity
It was dramatic. It was cringe.
It was mine.
that book changed my life.
#indieauthor #writingcommunity
Isn't it fascinating that authors can be on their 10th!! book and still face doubts?
meanwhile you're on your first or second think 'this doubt is crippling, i best not'
The fear isn't going anywhere. it's up to you to let it breathe and do what you were put on this earth to do: Write.
meanwhile you're on your first or second think 'this doubt is crippling, i best not'
The fear isn't going anywhere. it's up to you to let it breathe and do what you were put on this earth to do: Write.
I’ve started book ten! Screw you, imposter syndrome.
2639 words down. About 83,000 to go.
We got this.
#booksky #romancelandia #writingcommunity
2639 words down. About 83,000 to go.
We got this.
#booksky #romancelandia #writingcommunity
June 14, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Isn't it fascinating that authors can be on their 10th!! book and still face doubts?
meanwhile you're on your first or second think 'this doubt is crippling, i best not'
The fear isn't going anywhere. it's up to you to let it breathe and do what you were put on this earth to do: Write.
meanwhile you're on your first or second think 'this doubt is crippling, i best not'
The fear isn't going anywhere. it's up to you to let it breathe and do what you were put on this earth to do: Write.
Reposted by Rachel D. Oak | allergic to literary snobbery
June 8, 2025 at 4:58 PM
I react to 1-star book reviews on YouTube for fun
but I won’t trash an author just to look smart.
Because books aren’t jokes or doodles
They’re blood, time, and often the biggest creative risk some people take
when did we start forgetting that?
#indiebooks #authors
but I won’t trash an author just to look smart.
Because books aren’t jokes or doodles
They’re blood, time, and often the biggest creative risk some people take
when did we start forgetting that?
#indiebooks #authors
June 14, 2025 at 10:11 AM
I react to 1-star book reviews on YouTube for fun
but I won’t trash an author just to look smart.
Because books aren’t jokes or doodles
They’re blood, time, and often the biggest creative risk some people take
when did we start forgetting that?
#indiebooks #authors
but I won’t trash an author just to look smart.
Because books aren’t jokes or doodles
They’re blood, time, and often the biggest creative risk some people take
when did we start forgetting that?
#indiebooks #authors
this is your reminder:
Don’t stay silent because the internet rewards cruelty.
Your story matters.
Someone needs it.
Keep going
#Bookencouragement #Romancewriters
Don’t stay silent because the internet rewards cruelty.
Your story matters.
Someone needs it.
Keep going
#Bookencouragement #Romancewriters
June 11, 2025 at 1:10 PM
this is your reminder:
Don’t stay silent because the internet rewards cruelty.
Your story matters.
Someone needs it.
Keep going
#Bookencouragement #Romancewriters
Don’t stay silent because the internet rewards cruelty.
Your story matters.
Someone needs it.
Keep going
#Bookencouragement #Romancewriters
my first novel took a decade to even get drafted, let alone published
It's never too late <3
It's never too late <3
June 6, 2025 at 8:42 PM
my first novel took a decade to even get drafted, let alone published
It's never too late <3
It's never too late <3
my first novel had no pacing structure, no “marketable hook,” no strategy
Just passion (and too little sleep)
And without a shred of doubt that creative freedom is what made me a writer.
#writingadvice #writersonbluesky
Just passion (and too little sleep)
And without a shred of doubt that creative freedom is what made me a writer.
#writingadvice #writersonbluesky
June 6, 2025 at 8:44 AM
my first novel had no pacing structure, no “marketable hook,” no strategy
Just passion (and too little sleep)
And without a shred of doubt that creative freedom is what made me a writer.
#writingadvice #writersonbluesky
Just passion (and too little sleep)
And without a shred of doubt that creative freedom is what made me a writer.
#writingadvice #writersonbluesky
