
The year 2024 had me on a rollercoaster. There were so many ups and downs and quite a bit of checking to make sure I still wanted to be on the ride. From surgery to new cover launching, to delays, to so much more... Let's break down my 2024! Combined audiobook, KDP, signed, and table sales, we found 1,434 new homes for The Source Keepers books. I had a table at a total of 18 events in 2024 and was featured as a guest at a total of 2 conventions. Now these numbers may not seem like much, but when you take into account everything below... WOW!

JANUARY: I went into the year with very little expectations. I was hard at work on the new covers after the copyrighted image fiasco of 2023. For the new cover relaunch, I wanted to expand the reach and that included the usage of Ingram Spark. My nemesis it did become. I found myself spending many days inside Panera or my local coffee shop trying to get Ingram to agree with my format choices. I ended up leaning heavily on my assistant at the time to figure out Ingram and get these books up there as soon as possible. Customer service grew to know us very well.

FEBRUARY: Things were gearing up. I thought I was burning myself out. Sleeping all the time, struggling to focus, random pains, joint inflammation. It had been going on for a while. If only I knew what was about to come... This month mostly consisted of prep work for the covers, formatting, planning content and live streams, and how I could make it the best launch to date after the dud that was Caligo's Fall August 2023 release. But as usual, the universe had other plans.

MARCH: The start of this month took off with a BANG! To increase readership for the new cover launch I started giving away Mercy's Light FOR FREE on Kindle. Over 700 people snagged a free copy to add to their TBR. Because of this, we hit #1 on the New Adult Fantasy free books list! We also reached #2 in Action & Adventure. What an accomplishment for The Source Keepers! The end of March brought on the peak of my medical issues... Ushering in a scary April.

APRIL: I found out at the end of March I would need to get surgery to remove a giant ovarian cyst. I was scared, nervous, unsure of what was to come. The words cancer and infertility were being thrown around. But so was the idea of getting better. I had to start mentally preparing for the worst. At the same time though, I was determined to launch the new covers that month. My surgery was scheduled for April 17th, and the new covers were set to launch in paperback on the 19th. I leaned on my assistant as much as I could to get things ready with such short notice and her not knowing how the systems worked. I did it though. From my bed, still on pain medication and a little loopy, the brand-new cover for The Source Keepers launched. There was no big release party, no countdown live stream, no influx of marketing. It was me, laying in bed, wondering if the universe was trying to tell me that my indie author dreams were unobtainable. It seemed no matter what, I was met with an obstacle, and this time my own body was failing me. It was like all that work had no impact on the outcome... I ended April recovering from surgery and full of doubt.

MAY: After some encouragement, I decided that hopping back into vending was a good way to usher in my recovery. Since online marketing was wearing me out and I felt myself hating it, in person was the way to go. So May consisted of planning a few small local markets and then gearing up for signings in the summer. I was determined to get the series going again. On May 31st, I was cleared for normal activity.

JUNE: I hit the ground running. I was out at a market with my local coffee shop the day after I was cleared, talking to potential new readers and connecting with my community. It was my first event since December of 2023. Not only that, but I had an additional 2 events set for June. If I couldn't find my audience online, I was going to find it in person. The feeling of talking directly with readers, talking about my series, and being out and about became an addiction. It was just the start of a whirlwind that would involve 18 total tables and 2 convention appearances in just 7 months. I also started expanding from only selling my novels to featuring blind date books, and bookmarks and brainstorming what else I could add.

JULY: This month was when I learned that I needed to be more selective about my events. Doing signings was not going to cut it. I would spend hours at a book shop or comic store, spend $100s in gas and lodging, and end up going home feeling doubtful I could make my dreams come true. I found myself at a bookstore called Bookish Boutique in Panama City, FL and this location became a game changer. I connected with a local artist who suggested I bring my novels to a fantasy-themed night market and it got me thinking... Why hadn't I been tapping into fantasy-themed events all along? This month also brought along more cover artist issues. The artist that I had been working with for over a year, and commissioned over 10 pieces from, had taken payment for the next cover and vanished. I had been trying to connect with her for months, the payment given to her before my surgery in April, with no luck. Once I received a refund from my PayPal claim, I had to start a search for yet another series artist.

AUGUST: This month I decided to take a break from tables after a hectic June and July and focus on finding a new and reliable series artist. It also gave me time to prep for DragonCon! I spent the majority of August live-streaming the creation of book roses I planned to give away at DragonCon and raising money to commission multiple artists to see if I could find someone who could match the style of the new covers. It felt like a restart and refresh. I left DragonCon feeling motivated like never before.

SEPTEMBER: I started doing my tables solo this month and celebrated my 31st birthday alongside my local comic shop's 5th. They even got me a balloon and my assistant brought me cupcakes. It was a magical day and set a record for my best event in 2024. Little did I know that I was going to continue the path and break that record. I also appeared as a featured guest at ThunderCon in Tifton, GA. I did a live Q&A where students from the college and attendees were able to ask me any and all questions they wanted about my life as an indie author and my writing process. Things truly felt like they were looking up for The Source Keepers. I also vended my first book fair this month, which opened up a whole new door. I didn't want people to come to a location to meet me, I wanted them to come to a location and discover me.
HURRICANE HELENE: September also brought along one of the most terrifying nights of my life. I didn't sleep at all as she tore through my town. We were without power for 3-4 days but were lucky enough to have a friend loan us a generator. Compared to others, my town was hit lightly, but it didn't stop me from realizing just how scary mother nature can be. It was quite a way to end September.

OCTOBER: I started the month with a hard decision, but after making the tough choices, I found myself feeling a little more free. I no longer had to worry about another person when booking events and found myself enjoying not asking someone else for their input every step of the way. It meant I could book a night market 3 hours away and drive home at midnight if I was up for it. Which is exactly what I did. October also welcomed my new art series "Bookish Bugs." I had no idea how popular they would become. I was re-diagnosed with my hypothyroidism (because ya know my last doc thought it would magically go away?) which made me REALLY start healing my body.



NOVEMBER: My first table to break $1000 in sales was back at Bookish Boutique for another book fair. I brought my Bookish Bugs and they became the star of the show. Before that, my record sat at $541, with an average of around $350. My mom had also started doing tables with me. At this point I had my events curated to book fairs, conventions, and fantasy-themed festivals/events and it was proving to be a success because December followed this trend.

DECEMBER: I kicked off the month with the Middle Georgia Whimsical Masquerade Ball in Warner Robbins, GA. Oh, how I enjoyed the night! It was filled with fantasy, whimsy, and fantastic vibes. Due to a miscommunication, I ended up getting to be in the ballroom with all the magical attendees. I had curated my December lineup perfectly. The ball, a nerdy market at a fantasy-themed brewery, a whimsical night market, and a cryptid creatives event in Atlanta, GA. This month was able to pay off my final payment for the next book cover, purchase items for the next book's pre-order packages, and ignite my love for all these tables even more. 2025 is already looking to be STACKED with potential and I can't wait to see what's in store.
Moving forward into 2025, I'm going to trust my gut and rely on my intuition (just like Sylas Bellator). I will no longer let my fear of being disliked limit my progress. Not to mention that being professional is better than being friends. For 2025 I'm going to focus on finding my own peace and lean on the support system I already have.
Here's to a wonderful 2025!
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