I hope you all had a safe, fun, wonderful New Year's Eve.
Firstly, I'd love to thank all of you for lugging me into the new year with you. It means a great deal to me, and I surely do not take you guys for granted!
Secondly, in the tradition of making resolutions for the new year, I'd love to share mine with you.
Last year, I only made one goal for myself: to write double what I had in 2023. In my first manuscript, I'd written about 26.2k words through the year, so this year, I wanted to write 52k.
I wrote 94k.
And when I tell y'all my jaw hit the floor when I finished all that math and saw that number staring back at me... I was floored! I've never written that much in a year. Ever.
So, of course I have to factor that into my goals for this year, which are as follows:
1. Finish the first draft of the first book in my new series, The Detectives of Defiance.
(If you've been paying attention to my socials, maybe that phrase/series name isn't new to you ;)
2. Write 120,000 words.
3. Sell 50 books on Amazon.
4. Sell 20 books on Etsy.
5. Attend three in-person author/book events.
And, if I somehow manage to surprise myself again by meeting all of those, here's some of my stretch goals:
6. Finish a second draft of The Detectives of Defiance Book One.
7. Begin outlining/plotting for book two.
8. Do some extensive world building--flesh out more characters, create deeper back stories, etc. (This, I should honestly include in my first half of goals, but I'm just gonna keep it a stretch goal to not overwhelm myself haha)
9. Write 150,000 words.
10. Sell 75 books on Amazon.
11. Sell 30 books on Etsy.
These are all fairly reasonable, right...? I'll tell you, just looking at the list, I'm slightly intimidated by myself. But, if I could surprise myself in 2024, who says I can't do it again in 2025?
And, as always, I will need your help to reach some of these. As an indie author, you guys are an integral part of my marketing team. Every single social media interaction (likes, shares, comments, etc.), every single recommendation to family, friends, and coworkers, every single one makes a huge difference in my visibility.
So, please, if you see my posts, interact. (A simple like and share goes a long way for the algorithm!)
If you haven't checked out my Etsy store lately, I have some mix-and-match sales going on to help kickstart my "20 book sales" goal! You'll get 10% off your order if you buy certain books together. Go check it out, and please share with your friends!
If you like what you're reading, tell a friend who likes/reads the same books, and request your local bookstore to add my poetry books to their shelves. Supporting your favorite local author and bookstore all in one fell swoop. (Epic bragging rights for you, Glen Coco.)
If you know of any local author events happening in your area, or any bookstores looking for new authors, tag me! DM me, email me, spam my phone with notifications, scream at me in the street, whatever it takes to make sure you get my attention (okay, maybe don't scream) so I can try to throw my hat in their ring.
I am forever grateful for all of your help in reaching my 2025 goals. I couldn't do any of this without you! Here's to the incoming year, and all the fun, mystery, and reading it may bring!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Purchase my new book on Amazon here.
Browse signed books on my Etsy store here.
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