Looking back: 18 months as an Indie Author

 

It's been eighteen months since I released Beckoning Light. It's hard to believe how fast the time's gone! If I need a reminder, I only need to look at my 15-month old son. I've never done a post reflecting on book sales or lessons learned, but I thought I'd do one now. 

Stats:

5 books published to date. 3 in the last 4 1/2 months
over 10,000 books sold. (over 8,000 in the last 4/12 months)

Types of books

YA Fantasy (2)
Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance (1)
New Adult Contemporary Romance (2)

Looking ahead:
Next release is Focus (Crescent Chronicles, #2) in late January

Biggest Lessons Learned:

Covers Matter. They really really matter. But it's not as black and white as a good cover or bad one. A cover has to be great, but it also has to be the right cover for your book. What does that mean? I'm still learning (i.e. Derailed cover revamp).

Friends Matter. They really really matter. I can't imagine where i'd be right now if I hadn't met other indie authors and bloggers along the way. A huge shout out to Jennifer Snyder here-- seriously how did I put out books before you?

Writing what you love matters. This is really important. I'm pretty sure I would have burned out by now if I wasn't writing stories that fill me with the kind of excitment my books do.

Writing a lot matters. I've read tons of advice from other authors, and the one rule that seems to work for EVERYONE is to write more books. If I'd stopped with Perilous Light...well I probably wouldn't be writing this post.

Just because something works for one author doesn't mean it's going to work for you. You have to experiment, and try different things. Along the same lines, don't compare yourself to other authors. You have to make your own way, and feel good about your own successess, even if they aren't as large as someone elses.

Just because something works for one of yours books doesn't mean it's going to work for your next one. Don't get down on a book that isn't as successful as your others. You wrote it. Be proud of it. Sales don't equal quality. The book I'm most proud of is also one my lowest sellers to date. Does that matter? For my pocket book? Yes. But for myself as a writer? No. It's important to remember that part of writing is improving. Every book you write should be helping you improve your craft.

And my biggest lesson? Have fun. Write the books you want to write, take chances, and challenge yourself. When I first hit publish my husband made me promise that I'd stop if the stress ever outweighed the enjoyment. I'm happy to say that hasn't happened. I've absolutely loved this crazy yet amazing journey, and I can't wait to continue with it in 2013.

Thank you to everyone who has walked this path with me. I appreciate you all.


Have a Happy New Year!