Last year this time I was biting my nails, waiting for my publisher to publish my debut novel, Eye on the Ball . I didn't know what to expect. This year, I’m also waiting for the return of a manuscript back from my editor, but I don’t have that same tension. Why? What has changed so much in a year? That question gave me an opportunity to reflect on the year. Had I reached my goals? What have I learned? What can I do differently in future? So many questions… so little time.
Let’s start with my goals for last year. I had none, to begin with. I was happy to get my debut published. I wanted to write more books and get them published. Even before Eye on the Ball was on the shelves, the publisher already approved Obstruction and Making the Right Call. I was happy as in a matter of months I’ve morphed from an aspiring author to one with a three-book deal. It was what every author dreamed about.
I wrote more books. Taste for Coffee was the first one I’ve self-published and had been a good learning curve for finding editors and cover-designers. It came in handy when I got my rights back from the publisher and I had to start from scratch to get Eye on the Ball back on the market. By the time Obstruction and Making the Right Call came along, I was almost a pro—except for marketing, but we’ll get to that hopefully soon.
So did I reach my goals? Yes, definitely. I morphed from an aspiring author a year ago to one with nine published books and two more to come in the next week. Speaking to other people make me realise that it is an amazing achievement. Me? I’m disappointed that I didn’t reach my target of publishing ten books by the end of 2018. I know now it was an unrealistic goal. If I started in January, I might have achieved it but not starting in May.
I had a good wake-up call when I got book 7 back from my editor. I haven’t even looked at her edit but reading it I realised I didn’t like it. I accepted that I was in too much of a rush to get to my 10 books and I’ve made a complete hash. I pulled back, re-wrote the book and published in January. I did the same with book 10.
I've learned not to put so much pressure on myself. I didn't set my publishing deadlines in stone. I'm self-publishing. I can publish when it is ready, so that is why I'm releasing Books 10 and 11 three weeks after the set date.
I had to accept it. Things happen. Life happens. And load shedding, for those of you living in South Africa.
I also realised that life doesn’t just centres on my publishing. I have family responsibilities and other interests. I need to make time for my family and friends and to relax.
Do I listen to my advice? Of course not ! What little time I have I spend on writing and editing and formatting and publishing. And I will probably continue to do so, but now I'm more relaxed about it.
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