The first anniversary of "Wicked Hunt"
It’s been a year since I self-published Wicked Hunt. To honor the anniversary, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my writing journey so far.
Before anything else, I would like to convey my heartfelt appreciation to all of you. Thank you for embarking on this journey with me. I’m humbled by your messages, reviews, and ratings. It’s an honor to know that my words have reached so many and that they have entertained you.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let’s dive into three lessons I learned from publishing Wicked Hunt, and later on, Wicked Justice.
Lesson one: I’m unusual but not unique
All writers have a distinct perspective of the world. However, soon after I embarked on this journey, I realized that I’m not as unique as previously believed—and that realization was liberating.
I always had an active imagination. When I work on my books, I see the scenes in my mind, as if a movie trailer is playing with stunning cinematic glory. It’s the same when I read a book. If it is good, the words dissolve, and I become enveloped in the story.
When I shared this with friends and acquaintances in the past, their reactions were always blank expressions. I could tell they thought I was bonkers. It was annoying, but talking to other authors who experienced the same phenomena eased my mind.
Lesson two: Being an author can be lonely
The second lesson I learned was that self-publishing is a demanding endeavor that definitely isn’t for everyone. It's a staggering amount of work and can make one feel lonely at times.
Self-publishing entails more than uploading your book on Amazon and watching the cash roll into your account. There is a lot to understand, from outlining and writing the book and blurb to building your author platform (website, newsletter, social media) to commissioning an editor and cover designer. After publishing, it’s crucial to obtain reviewers and buyers (however, it's better to start your marketing before publishing 😊).
With the many tasks, it is necessary to prioritize them. Pursuing a self-publishing career is akin to juggling two full-time occupations, leaving minimal time for personal relaxation. Furthermore, you must also fight project fatigue and self-doubt.
I read many tactics to fight those and writer's block. Some work better than others. But in the end, to me, it bottles down to one thing: you have to be tenacious. Keep writing. As American writer Jodi Picoult said: “You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page.”
Lesson three: It’s all worth it
The satisfaction of having readers who appreciate my writing makes all the toil worth it. I am glad I took the leap because seeing my books on my bookshelf makes the (financial) investment totally worth it. I have total creative freedom and control over content and design, as well as pricing and timing of publication.
In the past 12 months, I’ve sold around 400 books and have hit over 25,000 page reads on Kindle Unlimited. That number doesn’t sound much compared to others, but to me, it means the world. As do the ratings and reviews I received, which are almost all very positive.
So, again, I thank you for buying or borrowing one of my books so far. Your support during this early stage of my writing career has been incredible, and I’m very grateful for you taking a chance on me.
Buy Wicked Hunt
Wicked Hunt is the first book in "The Empath Series", a paranormal suspense series about a reclusive empath rejoining the world and the people he left behind.
