Charissa Ong’s tale of success in publishing begins with a scenario that would be relatable to many. While working at an advertising agency, the mindless drag of routine work was getting her down. “It didn’t bring me joy to create social media content every day, and although I did enjoy dabbling in front-end coding, I realised that I had a lot of words left in me that needed an outlet,” she recalls.
In her free time, Ong staved off the boredom by penning poems to share on Instagram. “I posted once every two days or so, just to feel like I had ownership over something and a chance to craft authentic works.”
After two years, Ong’s followers began to request that she be