As rightly I should, and rarely do. I do self-promo myself, I talk about my books,b it’s usually done from a mild place. A humble place. I very rarely ever outright brag, or have it come from a look at me! place. Dunno. It’s just me. Maybe most writers are that way. We just quietly work, do our thing.

In the beginning when we don’t have as many books, or years published, yeah you’re gonna see a lot. Experience tempers it. That super duper excitement.

Still, I thought I would mention this. I have today marked as

8 yrs self-published

although it’s technically a few months ago when I hit my first upload anniversary. Realized that with all my account cleansing I’m doing. But I decided to just keep this date.

What does that look like for folks who are new to self-publishing? Well, I started with a pen name. Then I changed it. Then a voice said use my own. So when I first began my sales were up there. That can sometimes happen and I was in the new wave of self-publishing. So books at that time were bought like crazy.

Then I changed my name. I’ll go into this more later, but sales slowed down big time because of my own mistakes, because of the switches, because people had a lot more books to buy from others like me, louder others in many cases, annnndddd buyers became more discerning. My original editor passed away so I had to find a new one too. I’ve had the same since who became my best friend.

So after all that time, nearing ten years, and after all my mistakes, I’m finding my place and really settling in. Which may well be why I’ve been going through this cleanse. Inside I know deep down that it’s time I prepare for the next phase. Once you get to ten years, you finally are established in any business world.

Ten years makes or breaks. Ten years says, I’m not going anywhere, I’ve hit my stride and I’m just getting started. I’ve learned, I have some experience now.

I barely made it to 10 selling Avon. By then? I was beyond done. That is not a knock to the company at all. This is not in any way a put down. It’s a great company. I still use and love the products actually. Their mineral powder cover-up? Heals my skin, makes it glow. Love it. It’s just the job itself. The passion was gone by then. I was done.

But with writing? I have over 30 stories published and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity. I am beyond happy, my passion for this is solid, and I hope for many many more years of doing it. I already have years worth of ideas lined up and ready. They are. Sitting all planned, plotted, ready to dive into. Others are waiting to be edited, I have a whole series already written, but it needs rewriting for the first two books, and the others a pov change.

So after 8 yrs what does it look like? A career I never imagined having, wanting, but I can’t imagine doing anything else. I hope to be doing this until my last breath. That might just be the only thing that stops me.

P.s. forgive errors in writing. It’s late, I’m wiped, and I’m doing this on a very funky tablet, which keeps changing stuff.

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