Reflecting on a "Failed" 2024

2024 was my worst year of publishing yet. That’s it. End of story. While I came out of 2023 triumphant, high off the success of my most profitable year to date, everything came crashing down in 2024. And yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll get into why in just a moment, but let’s start with some data. 

Here’s a look at my numbers for 2023:

• Kindle Unlimited pages read: 79,077

• Copies sold: 1,649

In contrast, here’s a look at my numbers for 2024:

• Kindle Unlimited pages read: 39,807

• Copies sold: 469

  
  

Before I dive into reflecting on the last year, there are a few more numbers I would like to present for your consideration.

• Signings held in 2023: 21

• Signings held in 2024: 9

• Books edited in 2023: 30

• Books edited in 2024: 17

• Books published in 2023: 2

• Books published in 2024: 4 (6 if you include anthologies)

  
  

Last but not least, I would like to state that 2 of the 4 books I published in 2024 were actually written and edited in 2023. 

So, as a recap, in 2023, I wrote and edited four of my own books. I published two of them. I held twenty-one full-day signings throughout the year. And, to top it all off, I read and edited thirty books written by fellow indie authors. As a result, I had my most profitable year of publishing, grew my audience the most… and set myself up for what would become the biggest crash and burn of my career.

You see, I did all of that on top of having a full-time day job. I did all that on top of somehow making time to spend with my family, partner, and friends. I did all of that, and my mental health was at an all-time low, my anxiety at an all-time high, and my sleep was either non-existent or all I could do some days. Sometimes, it was like being half a person, and I missed out on more than I should have because I was too busy or too tired to step away.

As 2023 ended, I came to a very harsh realization that the success of my publishing career was not worth the complete and utter annihilation of my life. Before the new year, I had decided to step back from signings, as I had spent nearly half of my weekends driving all over the state to spend 8-10 hours a day sitting in a Barnes & Noble. And while meeting and connecting with new readers remains an experience I treasure, it became something I could no longer maintain on that level.

Cutting down on my signings came with a massive cut to my book sales, and I knew it would. However, as I eased up and set new boundaries for myself, my brain and my body had had enough of working overtime, and I was burnt out. 

And so, in my burnout, I struggled through writing the last of my 2024 releases. It took me until April to finish. As I write this blog post at the end of December, my creativity has still not quite healed from forcing it throughout 2023, though it is getting there and I am finding joy in writing again for the first time in a long time. 

So, let’s talk about a few more reasons why my page reads and copies sold were so low this year. I managed to write a couple books, sure, and scheduled a few signings (shoutout to Barnes & Noble Tempe Marketplace for putting up with me so often, they’re the best). I even maintained my strict editing schedule for my clients - well, until about September, that is. But while I trudged through all of that - and don’t forget the day job and, you know, trying to have a life this year - marketing was the one thing that slipped through the cracks.

Most days, the thought of standing in front of my phone and making a few TikToks made me want to die. So, TikTok was the first thing to go, and as my #1 generator of new readers, engagement suffered drastically. I did what I could to keep up with Instagram, but without Reels content, my posts haven’t performed how I wanted them to. I tried a post scheduler on Instagram to try and save myself some time, and it turns out that the IG algorithm HATES scheduled posts - so that was a waste of time.

Here’s the thing. I admit that this was a bad year for publishing. But I’m not sad about it. I lived, and I learned. I was doing too much, and I almost got to the point where I hated this.

And I don’t ever want to hate this. Writing is what I do. It’s what makes me who I am. Even if I don’t make any money or go viral, I still want to do this. 

Over the last few months, while I’ve dealt with my ongoing creative burnout, I’ve made a few changes for myself looking into 2025. Because 2025 is looking to be an incredibly busy year personally (ya girl is getting married!!), it is going to take planning and mindfulness to maintain any sort of publishing next year. Here are a few changes I have made or am making:

• I no longer offer editing services. While I love editing, it simply became too time-consuming, and ultimately, I found I could not write and edit simultaneously. When it came to choosing one, I had to choose my writing.

• I have a very tentative goal of 10-15 signings next year, but I will only be scheduling a quarter in advance to account for life experiences I refuse to miss out on, so we’ll see how that works out. I will also schedule only 6 hours per signing when I can, instead of 8-10.

• Instead of trying to force myself into writing a new book, I have spent the remainder of 2024 planning new marketing campaigns and strategies. Going into 2025, I plan to make marketing a priority and work on selling the books I have rather than focusing on what comes next. 

  
  

All of this is, of course, a work in progress. But the point is that I’m making strides to find a balance that works for me. And while it took a disappointing year to get me to this point, as someone with a terrible habit of correlating her self-worth to her successes, I’m going to call setting boundaries and doing what’s best for me a win. 

See ya on the flip side - in 2025.