What is happening in my writing life?
Lots.
Did you know I am now publishing my first two novels under my own imprint? I made the decision to do this because my royalties for these two novels had hit rock bottom. I thought if I had total control of my books, then I could find ways to improve this. Sigh. It is a sad reality that most writers earn less than a living wage for their writing. Like me, they work in employment that helps support their writing life. My goodness. I would not be able to go overseas for research without my employment as a writing tutor at Swinburne University.
So far, I have been happy with what I’ve achieved as a self-published author. I have learnt about Kindle Unlimited and amazon ads. I have learnt about countdown sales. I have rediscovered how supportive the writing tribe is to its members.
Having my first two novels under my own imprint started me thinking. I’ve had three novels published with small publishers – and I do not regret that. It opened the door to an amazing adventure – and gave me opportunities I never dreamt of. I’m so grateful to my small publishers for believing in me, encouraging me – and taking a chance on my work. But the landscape for writers has changed over the last five years, which has brought me to another decision. I will be publishing all my novels under my own imprint – and I’ll see how it goes.
Of course, I would not be braving this road without a lot of support from friends who have walked this road before me. I’m also getting helped by my wonderful students – and even friends of my children.
At the moment I am working on the new edition of Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters for its release sometime in November. I am also working on my promotional plan for publishing its sequel, All Manner of Things. I plan to publish this novel, the conclusion of my Katherine of Aragon story, either in March or May. The publication date depends on the costs involved in self-publishing this new work, and also learning more to help me walk this self-published road. I will have time to do this over my summer break from university.
Truthfully, I am a little scared of taking this road. But I am also excited about the prospect of being in the driving seat for the next part of my publishing journey.
So – here’s my reveal of the most recently tweaked cover for new edition of Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters.
Do you like it?
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