Wednesday 2 January 2013

Plans for 2013! Ending one Series and the Start of Another...

2012 was a great year for me. I saw a number of new novels published; the last couple of books in my Serenity series, together with a couple of stand alone novels. I rode the high wave of KDP Select, and came down on it too, much like many other authors! I've met some amazing new people - both other authors and readers as well. I've had my books hit the top 100 for their genre, drop back out again, head back in, and fall back down the list again! I've learnt new marketing techniques and given up on some old ones. I've figured out that a quick flash in the pan of sales is all exciting, but the slow and steady sales are the ones that count.

I'm hoping 2013 will bring more of the same. A lot of indie authors are complaining about falling sales, but the fact is being an author has never been easy. It's damn hard work, with lots of highs and lows. Just because the traditional gate keepers have been removed doesn't mean that all of a sudden anyone who can string a sentence together deserves to be successful. It takes time and dedication, often at the expense of personal or family time. I never started this journey with the ambition of being famous and hugely wealthy (not that it wouldn't be nice!), but simply that I would be able to work as a writer and not need to do a day job. I've achieved that now, which is amazing, so my new goal is to be able to support my family completely, and get my husband out of his day job.

I'm hoping the publication of my new series this year will go some way toward achieving this. By the end of January, I should have the first draft of the final book in my Serenity series finished, which will then be put aside to 'mature' for a couple of months. I'll then turn my attention back to editing and publishing the first book in  the Spirit Shifters series, 'Autumn's Blood.' My goal, though it may be an ambitious one, is to have three books in the new series done and published by the end of 2013.

2013, for me, will be all about the new series. I know many people (myself included) will be sad to see Serenity and Sebastian go (though don't worry, Elizabeth will be getting her own YA series, which Serenity and Sebastian may be making the occasional cameo appearance in!), but I'm hoping people will come to love the characters in the new series just as much.

I hope you'll all stick around so see how this year pans out!

2 comments:

  1. Good for you, M. It sounds as if everything is working according to your master plan of world domination. *smiles* I hope so. I really look toward you as a model for how this can be done. I realize that we're different people with different stories to tell, but I love how positive/realistic you sound. If you turn around and find me behind you, I promise I am not stalking - only following in your footsteps. ;)
    Good luck and Godspeed in 2013.

    -Jimmy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yay! I am so excited for the books!

    ReplyDelete