Celebrating My Two Year Anniversary of Indie Publishing: A Retrospective/Looking Back

Today marks my second anniversary as an Indie Author. It's been a wild tempestuous twelve months. The first year I worked on getting my back list published; this year, I'm having to write new stories.

Having to write . . . like that's bad or something. Hah!  I'm finally living my dream; I'm writing stories and sharing them with readers. And making a little dab of money.

Writing/publishing . . . writing/publishing . . . How awesome is that?!?

Publishing directly to readers not only gives me total control of every aspect of the writing/publishing operation, it also allows me to experiment and try new things. For example, I tried my hand at writing short stories and had a lot of fun with them.

So far during this second year (beginning last August), I've published seven stories for a total of seventeen products available to readers across many channels. I've added three short stories, sold individually and in a bundle, two Regency novellas, and the fourth novel in my Diamondback Ranch Series.

And talking about trying new things: I have audio versions in the works, as well as print. I'm very curious about how the audio books will sell. It should be interesting. It certainly has been an interesting experience choosing narrators for the different books and series.

I'm a firm believer in making my books available across as many channels and in as many different formats as possible to the reading and listening public. The more, the better.

It's been a busy year. Publishing directly is a lot of hard work. And like I've said before: It's not for the faint of heart. It's still a roller-coaster ride in regards to sales and emotions.

Last November and December, sales were bleak for me. During this time, I took a look at my covers and decided on revamping them and creating an Anne Marie Novark brand. It seemed to work. With the sexier covers, sales started picking up.

April was a spectacular month. The kind of month authors only dream about. I hit the best seller lists at Amazon, B&N and Apple. I received many fan emails, mostly asking when the next book in the Diamondback Ranch Series would be available. And naturally, I was hard at work on it.

Last week, I released Lone Star Heartbreaker, and it has given my sales a much needed boost. It has certainly reinforced the maxim that the next book is the best promotion. And of course, I was holding my breath wondering if the book would live up to my readers' expectations. From the amount of emails I've received, it has. Thank goodness!

I'm so glad I took the Indie plunge. I've found the joy in writing again, and sharing my stories with readers is my dream come true.

Every sale is golden; every enthusiastic email priceless.

Happy Writing and Reading and Publishing!!!

Anne Marie   :)