It has been half a year since I published my book, and so much has happened! Letโs go over all of it in this post.
Experience of publishing my first book
It has been relatively smooth sailing overall. Giving up some of the control was the tricky part. I am a type A person; I plan out everything, consider that things could go wrong, and research my ass off before doing something. But this isnโt necessary, and a smooth process doesnโt equate to success. Some successful authors just go with the flow, put their book out there, see how it goes, and adjust when and wherever needed. The idea of that gives me chills, but everyone has their preferences! Trial and error is indeed one of the fastest ways to learn.
Expectations vs. results
Iโm absolutely not disappointed. Iโve gotten amazing reviews and compliments on my writing, my books have been bought in all major English-speaking countries (CRAZY), and people even ordered signed copies from my webshop (people I didnโt know)!!
Am I making a living from Battle Heat yet? No. But if I learned one thing from the whole process, itโs that itโs 100% possible. And my chances increase with every book I publish. So, short answer: my expectations were surpassed, and Iโm super happy with my results!
Life as an indie author
Deciding my own schedule is the best thing in the world. The amount of freedom it gives me is a dream. And yes, I do work more than the average person, but if you get to decide when and what you do, work on your dreamsโฆ Thatโs worth everything to me!
I also love that books are passive. They donโt stop making you money after a certain date. They donโt expire. Of course, you need to create/start that momentum, but that counts for everything in life!
The difficulties
As I said before, giving up control was the most challenging part of the publishing process. For me, hiring an editor was the most nerve-wracking. It was the first time a *stranger* had read my book. And when some things donโt go according to schedule, you have to be flexibleโfind a way to fix things or switch them up. Deadlines get pushed. Packages are delayed. People donโt respond (when you really need them to). Lol. You get it. LIFE happens.
But the hardest part of the whole process is writing the book. I love editing, but writing words from scratchโfilling that blank pageโฆ That can be so hard. From what Iโve heard, most authors have it the other way around.
Last half-year
After publishing my first book, I started with ten different plans (and income streams) that I wanted to pursue, but only one of them was writing the next book. Then it dawned on me; that what I wanted to do was write and publish books, not create courses or other digital products. I love creating stories and getting them on the page, wrapping the story in a beautiful package for people to enjoy. So, thatโs what I decided to focus on. Scrap all the rest, just keep writing and publishing my storiesโand do more of that.
Plans & Intentions
Thatโs also when I decided I wanted to publish more than one book a year, only in English. Two is manageable, three is stretching it, but four is too much. Mainly because there will be some thick books that require twice as much effort, counting for two books in one.
So, I set the goal of publishing three books in 2023. Itโs a goal, mind you, so weโll see how far Iโll come because more books = more discoverability. A sentence I heard in several places that stuck with me is: โNothing sells your last book like the next.โ
Book #1: The sequel to Battle Heat, wrapping up the duology.
Book #2: The first book in an urban fantasy romance *series*.
Book #3: The first book in a multiple POV, high-fantasy series. This is my babyโthe series Iโve been working on and developing forย years. Iโm terrifiedย (and you should be too)!!!
Why I wonโt publish in Dutch anymore
It was an optimistic choice to write my book in two languages. As you can imagine, it just takes too much time in which I could write the next story, and outsourcing translations is ๐ธ for now. I also want to focus on the international market, which is way bigger. Plus, I know that many of my target readers in the Netherlands and other Dutch-speaking countries (can) read English like myself. So, thatโs a short explanation of why if you were wondering.
For those interested in numbers: 39% of all books sold were in Dutch, of which the majority were bought by people I knew (so that amount isnโt prone to increase)!
Thatโs it for now!
Lots of Love,
Britt
