2023, a year in review

And just like that, 2023 is coming to a close, and it’s time to look back on the journey. The year started with publishing Noonday in the North, book 3 of my Absolution of the Morning Star series (AMS), at the end of January. The book has done reasonably well and accumulated some positive reviews (currently has a 4.8 rating). Forty-five percent of readers who finish The Mourning Son go on to read Noonday, which is an excellent conversion rate and shows the series continues to be viable.

I also finished Koen, the prequel to the AMS series, in November, so technically, I completed two books this year and reached my annual goal. I’ve begun to test the waters querying and will go full steam after the New Year. As many of you know, I am trying the traditional publishing route with Koen. I will hold any progress there close to my chest until I have something exciting to report- I think a summary of my experience will be more impactful than a play-by-play. As the market becomes more competitive, it will be an uphill battle, so I have no dissolutions, but Koen is a great book, and getting traditionally published is on my bucket list. I gave my parents a copy of the book for Christmas (the only paper copy in existence), so they are satisfied, and I now have time to try my luck. I’ve given myself one year to get some traction. Koen will be available on Amazon in early 2025 if I’m unsuccessful. If I am fruitful, who knows when it will come out? That’s why I am diligently working on Destiny of the Daystar (book 4 of AMS). Currently, I’m completing chapter 6. I still haven’t gotten in the flow, and it is slow going, but I am making progress. Vacation and the holidays have been worthy distractions. I finally got back into the flow two days ago.

Overall, it has been a positive year in my writing world. Sales are up 36.41% from last year, with my monthly average increasing by 36.22%. Dawn of the Lightbear continues to be my best-selling book, followed by The Mourning Son. Noonday in the North hasn’t yet taken the third spot (currently held by The Island of Stone) or the fourth (Slaying of the Bull), but it will get there. March was my best-selling month, and May was my worst. I also had good sales in February, October, and December. Spring and late summer prove to be my worst seasons.

As for my social media presence, I started the year with just under 7,000 Twitter followers (I refuse to call it X) and currently have 8,551 (a 22.16% increase). If you know anything about Twitter, it has been a rocky year, and the platform is dying with a whiff of Musk. Still, I joined Twitter in May 2020 with zero, so I am happy with the growth. I hope to reach 10k in 2024. Instagram has been stagnant (it is rife with bots), and so have my Facebook followers, though the reach has increased.

Lastly, let’s take a look at this blog. I made 33 posts (at 35,000 words) in 2023. In total, I’ve made 210 posts and have received 17,143 views from 7,194 visitors. I have 527 followers. I have no idea if those numbers are any good, but they are amazing for me. My page views remained about the same as in 2022, but the number of visitors increased by 31%. My most popular post this year was Witches and Ravens (posted in February). I am unsure why that post did so well- it was just an early update for Koen, but I’m not complaining. Maybe it was the picture. I hope to continue my camping trip series for my next post, so stay tuned!

Well, that was my year. I’m not rich and famous yet, but I am seeing positive growth across the board. If my life thus far is any comparison, I am not destined for a meteoric rise. Mine will be a slow slog of hard work with plenty of pitfalls. But that’s ok. I’m used to it and up for the challenge. When I finally reach that summit, with all my bruises and scratches, it will feel real and much more satisfying.

Cheers!