An Indie Author's 2023 in Review

2023 was an insane year for me as an indie author. I came into 2023 guns blazing, ready to make this the year of the Source Keepers, but by July, I found myself breaking down in a Panera Bread wondering if this was the end. Now though? I feel hopeful for what 2024 has to offer and sitting down to write this blog really put into perspective what I truly accomplished this year and how I couldn't do it without the amazing support system I built.

Before we break down the year... Let's take a look at our 2023 WRAPPED because these stats deserve to be seen by the people who make this series possible... YOU!

January:

I found myself adding a new creative mind to the team. I took the leap and brought on Keri, a marketing and media assistant, to help me brainstorm and take some of the pressure off maintaining my marketing and socials. I was struggling to juggle the books and my full-time job, and Keri was just what I needed. She ended up being a saving grace and became a dear friend over this last year. Not only could I see her passion ignite for the series as time went on (I mean this girl will send me literal books about why the Validus sons deserve better), but I found someone I could rely on through the good, the bad, and the ugly that came along with being an indie author and influencer.

February:

The behind-the-scenes stuff is always moving and this is a great example. While on the outside, I was simply posting my normal content, behind the camera, Caligo's Fall went out to beta readers and was a HIT! Several said it was their new favorite book in the series and left me smiling. This time around I even added some of my dedicated readers to the mix and it was the best choice I ever made! I was also in negotiations for a real publishing deal during this time, which I inevitably turned down to keep creative control of my series and keep my team.

March:

When March came around, readers were hyped to see Caligo's Crow: An Unlikely Friendship come out! This is the series's first (and maybe only?) kid's book. How did it come about? In late 2022 my friend Jessy, who fell in love with the world of the Source Keepers, reached out voicing she wanted to share the books with her daughter Ambi. She called me up and asked, "If I fund the project, could you make it happen?" Of course I said YES and Jessy was with me every step of the way. Seeing this months-long process come to fruition was something I was ecstatic to see.

March was also the first time my novels were sold IN A STORE! Gray Ghost Comics in Tifton, GA began carrying Mercy's Light and Mercy's Reign. This was something I never thought I'd see in person. It led another local comic shop to carry the novels too. On top of that, I was featured on the local news in a live segment, which I can honestly say was 3 minutes of my life where I blacked out and had no idea what I actually said until I watched it back when I got home.

April:

In early April, I was invited to Chicago's Comic and Entertainment Expo, aka C2E2, as a content creator. I flew back to the windy city for the first time in over a year and attended all 3 days of the event. This was the first ever convention I attended in any form of a "guest" and had a blast making content and meeting fans and readers.

May:

In May, we were fully engulfed in fundraising for Caligo's Fall. This took on the form of a 24-hour live stream, an additional 12-hour stream, and an in-person event at Gray Ghost Comics in Tifton, GA. This was an exhausting leg of 2023, but we raised $2,665/$5,000 in total for the launch of book 3. Though we didn't reach the goal, I was so happy to have the audiobook and the new portraits covered. My readers showed up to support me in these hard times and I couldn't have felt more blessed.

June:

To celebrate 2 years of the Source Keepers, new merch was dropped and the first 2 books were put on sale for $0.99 on Kindle. We brought in a whopping 250+ new readers from this campaign selling over 500 books in total. New merch included t-shirts, canvas maps, stickers, and MORE! We also introduced "Mercy's Workshop" to the online site, which ended up being a highlight at many of my pop up tables later in the year.

July:

This was when I felt everything was going to end for the Source Keepers. After a closer look at my covers at the time, I began to panic, realizing something wasn't right. I ended up having to contact a legal consultant and end my previous artist's contract the same day. After a long day, Keri came over to my house and we pulled all the old covers and threw up some basic ones for the time being. I had to make a video. I had to explain without hurting anyone. I had to find and fund all new covers. All while producing the audiobook for Caligo's Fall and the actual novel coming out in less than a month. I was in tears by the end of the night. I remember calling Patrick (my audiobook narrator) and telling him what was going on and that we might need to pause recording book 3. He said to me, "Hey, if you need to talk, just call." I knew him and Keri would have my back through this. For weeks, Keri and I were meeting after work to try and get everything together. (Mostly at Panera and Olive Garden) We even made a set of unreleased covers. I broke down several times in the coming weeks... But we kept going. There was still so much to do and I wasn't going to let this stop me from continuing my passion.

August:

On August 5th, Caligo's Fall came out on Kindle. I remember sitting with Keri leading up to this day and telling her how heartbroken I was that the third book was being overshadowed by such a horrible situation with the cover artist. About a week later, we were able to drop temporary covers for the entire series to go out on paperback. On top of that was full-on prep for Dragon Con in Atlanta, GA. I remember saying to Keri, "Of course, my first big convention appearance as an author, and my series is in shambles."

Keri and I also took a much-needed day trip to Ichetucknee Springs, FL that month, which turned out to be more of a team-building exercise. Basically, I panicked and Keri kept us steering straight on. You know... The usual. We're hoping next year we can bring the whole Source Keepers series team along. This was sadly the last time we ever saw my rainbow heart sunglasses as well. (insert that one song from Titanic.)

September:

September meant Dragon Con was here! Technically this ran from August 31st-Sept 5th, but I'm counting it for September. This was my FIRST convention making panel appearances and I was nervous as hell. They ended up having me speak on FOUR PANELS, one about YA Fantasy writing, and three about digital media creation. I met so many amazing authors and creators at this event. I was also able to meet my audiobook narrator, Patrick, for the first time in person and my friend Jessy, who co-wrote the kid's book, came down from Chicago with her daughter and husband too. We almost had the entire Source Keepers crew at this convention (minus the new series artist Vennec Illustrations.) Learning the traditions of Dragon Con and attending this convention was a highlight of my year! Additionally in September, the new character portraits by Vennec Illustrations were revealed on my social media. I also turned 30 this month! WOW!

October:

This month was a lot of sitting back and watching things unfold. I was working full-time, burnt out, and struggling to find motivation for pretty much everything. The months working on the books had felt more like years. Though I was still editing away on the audiobook, I did take a much-deserved break from pop-up tables, writing, and/or filming videos. I spent my weekends with friends and family and playing Baldur's Gate 3 A LOT.

November:

This was another BUSY month for The Source Keepers! We had been planning for the Tifton, GA Arts Affair for months, and it started November with a BANG. Our table was the most popular on Author's Row and one of my readers, Victoria, came all the way from Tennessee to attend the event and help at my table! This was also the month the Caligo's Fall audiobook dropped on Audible and iTunes! This audiobook took me the longest by far to edit and is definitely the best performance Patrick has given thus far. I also released a new re-edited version of Mercy's Light on Kindle and paperback. It was a much-needed re-edit that I was so happy to finally release. This included corrections to grammar, punctuation, continuity, and even slight story/dialogue changes. As an author, I am always growing and changing, and it was amazing to see how different the versions truly became without steering too far away from the original writing style.

December:

Rounding out the year, I couldn't help but show off the new cover coming out for Mercy's Light! This was what finally made me go, "2024 is going to be our year." Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after all that stress and panic filled me with a new wave of determination. My love for my characters and their story had a new fire behind it that keeps shining brighter.

I also ended the year with one last book table at my first actual bookstore! Keri and I took a road trip to A Novel Experience in Zebulon, GA to attend their local author showcase. We only sold 2 books, but we had so many amazing conversations with potential readers and learned a lot to prepare for indie bookstore tables in the future. Including to make sure we pack the smaller table! We had a blast, enjoyed some delicious coffee, and had some great conversations before calling it a wrap for the 2023 year.

Overall:

While there were some seriously huge setbacks in 2023, I am proud of everything me and my team accomplished. We released two brand new books in the series, produced an audiobook, started a complete rebranding, raised over $2,500 in funds for the series, and sold (insert sales stats). Not bad for an author and her rag-tag team of creatives.

Here's to making 2024 the best yet!