Monthly Updates and Real Indie Author Royalties Part 2
One week until release day and another day closer to a panic attack
Yeah, that subtitle sounds dramatic…
Welcome back to another episode of whose book is it anyway where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. Is that reference too old and niche now? Let’s skip my existential crisis and jump right in, shall we?
Personal Updates
I’m struggling right now. It’s hard to say that… Harder than I like to admit, but I promised when I started down this path again that I was either going to be myself along the way or it wouldn’t be worth it. I knew when I started to get back into writing and being part of the public eye again that there would be difficult times for me, and I accepted that. What I didn’t expect was for this to coincide with some really hard times personally and professionally.
At work, we’re going through layoffs. You may already know that I work in education. Next year, I’m being asked to do not only my job but another staff member’s job for virtually no raise (a cost of living increase that doesn’t keep up with inflation doesn’t count). I am frustrated and stressed about the whole situation, and it’s hard to see somebody who by no fault of their own is being let go, especially when that person is such a pivotal part of the team.
At home, I have a lot going on. I usually try to keep my personal things, well, personal, but like I said, I’m trying to be my genuine self for you all. My house has been listed for sale for a while with zero traction. At this point, I doubt it’s going to sell, and I’ve hit a point of frustration with the whole thing that leaves me feeling desperate for something to change at the end of each day.
This leaves me feeling very frustrated and feeling helpless, and I’m not going to lie and tell you I feel hunky dory. I’m struggling with depression. Even though I want to have to spoons to do everything I planned, I just don’t have the mental strength and fortitude every day. I’m doing my best, and I’m trying to give myself some grace. And yes, I am seeking out a therapist. I may be an idiot times, but I know when I need help.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that if things are a little off schedule or odd over the next few weeks, that’s on me. On my good days, I’m trying to get stuff done. On my bad days? I do my best to forgive myself and rest. After a lifetime of being indoctrinated to feel guilt for being unproductive, I’m working so hard in the shadows to break this toxic cycle that my family taught me.
If I give you some half-assed piece of content, you’re going to be able to tell that I didn’t care while making it, and that’s why I’m writing it 9 days ahead of time.
Book Updates
Upcoming Release
By the time you’re receiving this, we’ll be a week out from the big release day for Be Still My Undying Heart, and I am having the world’s quietest freak out. I still feel like there’s so much to do, and there’s so little time to do it. I had all these grand plans to hopefully help make this book that I’ve worked so hard on a success, and I can’t be sure if I’ve done anything right or if it’s all for nothing.
Needless to say, I’m near panic about the whole situation. I know that I just need to release it in to the world and hope that people love my book and share it with their friends. I know that the chances of it going viral and me being able to quit my day job and let the person being let go take my job are slim to none, but a girl can hope and dream.
All I want is to do this for a living. It’s something that brings me joy and doesn’t feel like work, but right now, the day job pays my bills. The books occasionally buy a coffee.
Book Plotting
Yeah, I hoped to get this done over the course of June, but despite really loving this idea, I haven’t had the spoons to commit much time to it. I was really going strong in May, and I’m really hoping to get back there. I’m really feeling the itch to write, and I may just start something to fill my time while I continue to plug away at character creation and creating my spiderwebs of storylines.
I’m OBSESSED
The Dallergut Dream Department Store, Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Water Moon, The Full Moon Coffee Shop. These cozy stories of magical realism have me in a damn chokehold, and I am dying to write something as whimsical and character driven as these binge worthy light novels. I’m not sure my next book is that, necessarily, but I have some ideas in mind for the future.
Real Indie Author Royalties (Update 2)
Remember the last time we talked about indie author royalties? Well, here’s the next update. These numbers are from February 2025.
Kindle Direct Publishing - 3 Kindle Unlimited page reads. $.03 earned.
Draft2Digital - 5 borrows on Hoopla. $1.92 earned.
Ingramspark - 0 books sold. $0.00 earned.
Findaway Voices - 1 book borrowed. $1.18 earned.
Total Royalties - $3.13.
Oof, yeah, that one hurts. I know I had a couple of abysmally bad months this year, but this one was among one of the worst. I hope to see it improve here in the near future, especially when I keep in mind the fact that I started really pushing advertising after I finished writing Be Still My Undying Heart when I finished writing it in February.
To be honest, I haven’t really seen a lot of sales of anything but my upcoming release. I’m hopeful that the new book dropping will help with a small uptick of sales. They say that the best way to advertise your old books is to write a new book, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever really seen that in action. Maybe I’m just too “new” an author with too few sales and fans for it to matter yet. (Thanks for being here, by the way, I truly appreciate all of you who are here along for the journey.)
YouTube Updates
It still kind of feels weird to drop YouTube updates in my “author” newsletter, but here we are. LOL. One of my favorite ways to avoid writing is to play games, and I’m getting to share that with you. We’re currently on episode 8 of our Fields of Mistria playthrough, and I’m both so much further along than my personal off-stream playthrough and so much further behind because some people decided to troll me in my poll about which tools I should craft first. That’s okay, though. All of the goals can happen at any time. They’re not super time sensitive. It honestly increases the shelf life of the game. I’m super excited about the new update, whenever that drops. I’ll be changing the format of my videos after that update since there will be new, “fresh” content that I can actually live-react to, so if you’re following the series, you can look forward to that.
I received my copyright document in the mail, so I’ll be dropping my How to Format a Paperback Book and How to Format an eBook videos soon. And by soon, I mean… sometime in July. I’m thinking July 13th and 27th right now, but that could still change. Keep an eye on my upcoming newsletters and my monthly update videos for more.
Also, don’t forget that I have a blog on my website where I basically keep a running log of EVERY SINGLE THING that my business has done every month. Newsflash: It’s A LOT.
Long story short, it’s the best place to catch every single update that happens with the books and videos and book promos.
Speaking of Book Promos…
Nice segue, huh?
A police officer wakes up with no memories of her past life. When Zera witnesses her colleagues transform into magnificent winged warriors during a hostage situation, her reality crumbles. Her boss, Sam, reveals an impossible truth: she is a Volcan Knight, a supernatural protector of humanity, and his soulmate. Together, they had a daughter who was stolen by shadow creatures that feed on human souls. As Zera struggles to accept her newfound identity, she finds herself drawn deeper into a world of ancient powers and deadly enemies. The shadow creatures are hunting her, drawn to her unique status as the first female Volcan Knight. With her powers awakening and her scar burning with supernatural energy, she must decide whether to embrace her destiny or run from it. But can she afford to deny who she truly is when the shadows are closing in?
I went to the Velvet Lounge to celebrate my 21st birthday, and escape my father’s iron grip. He secretly betrothed me to his client’s son… Now I’m expected to marry him on my birthday!
Instead, I bumped into Andrey Belov. Actually, he crashed into me, spilling his sticky, sweet drink all over me. He oozes confidence, power, and… danger. Not to mention, he’s drop-dead gorgeous. And he awakens a desire in me that I can’t control.
Andrey vows to protect me, even from myself. But will he race to save me when I fall into the hands of a dangerous stranger? All my hope rests in the hands of this ruthless Bratva boss who turned my world upside down… And managed to put a baby in my belly.
Wrapping Up
I have a bunch of videos I still need to record, and I haven’t finished planning my next book. Hopefully I will have a more substantial update by the time we get to the next more “traditional” newsletter like this one. Again, giving myself grace (or at least trying really hard to). I realize I’m planning 4 books and not just 1. I just thought I’d see more progress by now. What books are you reading now? Is Be Still My Undying Heart on your TBR? What sort of video content would you like to see on my channel next? Chat with you in the comments… or next time. Whichever comes first. Peace!