An Indie Author's 2025 in Review

It was a record low book sales year for this indie author, mostly because no new books came out in 2024, and 2025 became the year of a prequel no one asked for. But numbers alone do not tell the whole story. So... This was the year I showed up anyway.

I went to 25 events in 2025. I vended my first real convention. I broke personal sales records multiple times at in person events. I learned how to talk about my books out loud, to strangers, with confidence. And somehow, unexpectedly, I discovered that bugs can fund a book series, which still feels fake but remains extremely true.

I started 2025 with plans. I ended it with rewritten outlines, surprise subplots, emotional attachment to side characters who were never supposed to matter, and a browser history that is mostly “how to fix tense issues” and “is it normal for writers to cry over fake people.” The difference is that now I know this is part of the work, not a sign of failure.

There were wins I am wildly proud of. There were flops that taught me things success never could. There were spiral moments where I swore I was done, and plot twists that dragged me right back in. Some days, I felt unstoppable. Other days, I stared at the same paragraph like it had personally wronged me. Both counted.

So here it is. The unfiltered recap of a year that didn’t look impressive on a spreadsheet but changed everything behind the scenes. The words I wrestled into existence, the lessons I learned the hard way, and the stories that reminded me why I started writing in the first place.

JANUARY

Since I chose to be chaos incarnate on New Year's Eve and announce that the prequel was coming in 2025, January was a much-needed recovery period. I stepped back from events and zeroed in on the upcoming release of Zero’s Solace. I spent time with family, wrapped up final edits, lined up projects, and announced that the audiobook would be a duet narration with the incredible Kelly McGaw joining the team.

Yes, the audiobook is still pending. I’M SORRY. 2025 was unhinged, and audiobooks take approximately 1,000 years to edit. Though it is done. I finished exactly 32 minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve of 2026. So... SOON!

Preorder packages for Zero’s Solace launched and immediately took off like a rocket. This was my first release with an “ultimate preorder” tier featuring limited-edition art, a personalized card, a handcrafted book hook, and more. Absolute blast. An exhausting, joyful blast.

FEBRUARY

On February 1st, I hit the ground running with my first event of 2025 and received the official copyright paperwork for Zero’s Solace. Which was great timing, considering it was released the following month. This month was full promo mode. Scheduling things out. Content was flying. The hype engine was fully operational and I was very sleepy.

MARCH

March was NUTS. The boxes of preorder books arrived. Seeing that mountain on my doorstep nearly took me out emotionally. Even though the prequel was, allegedly, the “least hyped” release since everyone wants book 4, it meant everything seeing readers excited for Zero’s story.

On March 15th, Zero’s Solace launched. No launch party this time, but we did have a release-day signing at Gray Ghost Comics in Tifton, GA, and y’all showed up and SHOWED OUT. It became my best sales at an indie-owned store to date. Actual tears. Real ones. I also learned, gently and loudly, that maybe releasing a prequel before finishing the series was… a choice. My readers made that known with love and honesty. As much as my heart yearns for endless spinoffs and trauma flashbacks, books 4 and 5 are now the priority.

March also brought the Georgia Indie Book Faire in Marietta, GA, where I was both a vendor and a panelist and hit RECORD SALES. This event reshaped my perspective on what reader support for indie authors really looks like. Unreal energy. 10/10. Catch me again in 2026 in Albany, GA.

March also taught me that sometimes event coordinators care more about themselves than their vendors. I gave one company multiple chances after they repeatedly failed and lied about attendance. Hard lesson. Early lesson. This is why vendor networking matters so much.

APRIL

April slowed down with only two events, but one of them landed in my personal top five for the year: JordanCon in Atlanta, GA. I vended in Author’s Alley, served as a panelist, and mentored new writers. The community at this event was unmatched. It was my first multi-day event where I genuinely felt cared for as a guest. Parking covered. Meals provided. Helper badge issued. They checked on their authors throughout the weekend, and it meant everything. I sincerely hope to return in 2026.

MAY

Unfortunately, May became a cursed montage of rained-out outdoor events, more health issues, and a looming surgery on the horizon. Storm after storm after storm. By the end of the month, soaking wet, exhausted, and emotionally humbled, I finally accepted what I already knew in my soul: April needs to be my hard cutoff for outdoor vending. Books, bugs, and rainy weather are simply not compatible past spring.

JUNE

June marked four years of The Source Keepers, which meant Mercy’s Light was $0.99 all month on Kindle. This is a yearly tradition for me, and it never fails to bring in new readers.

I also had yet another surgery and underwent testing for endometrial cancer. Talk about SCARY. Luckily, everything came back clear, and I was able to go into the rest of the year knowing my family, medical team, and my reader community were there to support me and lean on.

June also delivered another hard vendor lesson. An event from May was canceled due to rain, refunds were not an option, and vendors were pushed to later dates instead so I tried again in June. Two hours of rain, ruined inventory, and frustrated tears later, I packed up and went home. That experience pushed me to finally speak honestly about vendor realities. I wrote a tell-all post about the city that hosted the event. They offered to “get coffee and talk" after it went semi-viral. They still refused refunds. The coffee never happened.

JULY

July kicked off with Infinity Con in Tallahassee, FL,. It became one of the best event experiences of my year. I was welcomed immediately, guided to my booth, helped with unloading, and felt genuinely supported as a vendor. I also learned that battery-powered personal fans save lives.

And then it happened. I SOLD OUT of Mercy’s Light. Halfway through day two, my last copy was gone, and people were still asking for more. I still have not emotionally recovered. I signed up for InfinityCon 2026 before I even left the building.

AUGUST

August asked me what I was willing to stand for, and then charged admission. EnchantiCon was a convention I signed up for early in 2025 in St. Louis, Missouri, advertised as a fantasy event. In the weeks leading up, it became clear it was, in practice, a Harry Potter convention wearing a fantasy coat. That mattered. Platforming JKR was not something I was NOT willing to be part of.

I wasn’t alone either. Over half of the authors who had signed on to vend withdrew in solidarity. For those still curious, none of us received our table fees back. The organizers simply stopped responding to authors who withdrew. It was frustrating, but it was also the right call. In continued support of the trans community, I donated copies of my books to charity giveaways benefiting trans people.

Since I now had an open weekend, I signed up for my local book fair, put on by Second Thoughts Bookstore in Tifton, GA. I almost canceled because I wasn’t feeling great that day, and I am so glad I didn’t. This ended up being the highest sales-per-hour event of 2025. I will never stop recommending it to other authors. Bands, Booze, and Books are a winning formula.

DragonCon also returned as it always does. I moderated my first panel, served as a panelist across three tracks, and acted as a mentor again. My 15-minute mentorship slots were booked solid for the entire hour, which was WILD to me. I got to share both writing and marketing experience, and that alone made the whole con worth it.

SEPTEMBER

September was a month of change. After returning from DragonCon, I handed in my 30-day notice at my job. Burnout had made it impossible to keep giving my best to writing and traveling with my series, which was why sales struggled so much in 2025. I'd come home from work, cry, eat dinner, cry some more, and go to bed. When I saw the footage and reflected on how I felt during DragonCon, I realized I needed to remove myself from the environment that was dulling my spark. It was terrifying. It was necessary. On September 3rd, everything shifted. I left my job of 3 years behind to embark on a new journey. I wasn't sure where I'd land at the time, but just a month later, I found myself accepting a position at a Center for Invasive Species, something I am far more passionate about, and it gave me the chance to reignite my spark.

I also made my longest journey yet to Winston-Salem, NC for the Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors. Nearly 30,000 people attended this event, which made it my largest event to date! Nonstop crowds. Absolute chaos in the best way. I met one of my alpha/beta readers in person for the first time, and I will never forget that moment. Bookmarks fully earned its place in my top five.

OCTOBER

The long-awaited Syligo merch drop finally happened. A portrait commissioned back in June became shirts and posters after months of begging from readers.

I also dipped my toes into Renaissance faire vending with a smaller market in Tallahassee, FL, and immediately fell in love. New crowd. New magic. New connections with Common Grounds Bookstore. A whole new lane unlocked.

NOVEMBER

November 1st marked my fourth year vending Arts Affair in Tifton, GA. This festival is where everything began for my vendor journey, and returning always feels like coming full circle.

I also vended my first full Renaissance Faire in Scottsboro, AL. Two-day outdoor event. Mountain air. Readers traveled in to see me. Friends drove down from St. Louis. It completely sold me on the Renaissance Faire life and directly pushed me to add two more for 2026.

DECEMBER

December was quieter, and I let it be. There were a few bust events. Slow tables, long hours, the kind of days that remind you that not every appearance is going to sparkle. I still got to say I did 25 events in 2025, and that number alone felt like a small flag planted at the end of a very long road.

The real victory came at the wire though. At 11:28 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, December 31st, I finished editing the Zero’s Solace audiobook. A little late, considering the book came out in March. But finished is finished, and that timestamp will live rent-free in my memory forever. I took time off work to make it happen, and to actually enjoy the holiday season instead of white-knuckling my way through it. There was rest. There was relief. There was the quiet satisfaction of closing a loop I’d been carrying all year.

December didn’t ask me to hustle harder. It let me land the plane, breathe, and walk into the next year with something fully, finally done. And that was a fantastic way to end 2025.

OVERALL

2025 did not look like success in the way I once thought it had to. There were no shiny upward graphs or easy wins handed to me on a schedule. But this was the year I learned how to show up consistently, how to advocate for myself, how to protect my values, and how to trust my instincts both on the page and behind the table.

I learned what kinds of events deserve my time. I learned which risks are worth taking and which lessons I never need to relearn. I rebuilt my relationship with my work, my body, and my boundaries. I finished things that haunted me. I walked away from what was hurting me. I made room for what lights me up.

This year laid the groundwork. Quietly. Relentlessly. Intentionally.

So if 2026 looks louder, stronger, or more confident, just know it’s standing on the bones of a year where I refused to quit, even when quitting would have been easier. I didn’t disappear. I showed up. And that counts for more than any number ever could.