This year is one I’m proud of. It’s been an emotional roller coaster, filled with joys, failures, and blessings. I found something I find joy in, and that’s something to celebrate.
This year, I started writing. It was more of a bucket-list subject of mine, something I wanted to do with this wonderful life I’ve been granted. I never thought it’d end up like this. I never thought I’d be published, selling books, my books on display at shops, a readers following, but here I am…
I started writing my first book January 3, 2017, A Gifted Curse (The Cloven Pack Series: Book One). I was an avid reader before a writer and stories began forming in my head. My husband was away on business for three months and I grew lonely. Eventually, I was tired of reading everyone else’s world, sat down with a tablet (because that’s all I had), and began clicking away with my fingers, building my own world, my own characters that I adore. ‘
I published A Gifted Curse April 27, 2017. I went into this not knowing what I was getting myself into. I started asking around for Read to Reviews, found a few who were willing. Many of those became beta readers for me, because to be honest, I needed them. My first book is crap, compared to where I am now with my writing style. I’m not tooting my own horn – this is just a fact. So if you read or have read A Gifted Curse, hang in there.
Today, I have NINE books on Amazon under my pen name D. Fischer. This is an amazing goal. In 8 months time, this is my success.
A few months ago, I joined an author friend writing a short story series. Under the pen name Penelope Pattelbottom, we have NINE published books.
So, combined, I have EIGHTEEN published works on the market. It blows my mind every time I think about it.
Here’s my success in a nutshell:
- Instagram Followers: 143
- Twitter Followers: 356
- Facebook Followers: 186 + 254 + 569 new friends.
- Email Followers: 1,700+ (This has been trimmed twice this year for inactive subscribers) + 27
- Street Team Friends: 26
- Goodreads Followers: 129 + 67 new friends
- ARC Team of 25 members
- I have books on Smashwords and Amazon. My books are in a few libraries, as well as a gift shop in my own town.
- Participated in numerous online book parties
- A relaunch book tour for the Cloven Pack Series
- Learned to make graphics and my own covers
- Started a team of like-genre authors to help support and share each other’s work
My failures/lessons learned in a nutshell:
- Twitter ads do not work
- Never give away gift cards at a book party
- Marketing budget is important
- Book spending budget is important
- Oh, I’m sure there is much more. So much more. But these are the first that come to mind.
My goals for 2018:
- I will no longer be giving free books away, no matter how short the book is.
- I will expand my readers reach, adding more of my published works to Smashwords. This is a trial and error, so we will see how it goes.
- Publish two more books in Rise of the Realms (A series of four books)
- Start a new series
- I want to become a full-time writer (this is far-fetched for this coming year, but I still want to do it. I plan to fight for what I want.)
- Write the second true short story for Night of Terror
- This is also far-fetched, and I have yet to share my goals with my co-author, but I’d like Penelope Pattelbottom’s books to reach 30 this year.
- Find my target audience for Rise of the Realms
I’m the type who is spontaneous. I’ll set goals, but I often veer off, doing something entirely different. There’s a chance that this list of goals is too small. I’m excited to see where 2018 takes me and I hope that you join me for the ride.
D. Fischer 
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