2025, a year in review

It’s that time of the year again to look back and see how far I’ve come. It’s not really what I want to do right now, as I have quite the sinus infection- not the ideal way to bring in the New Year. Really, I want to wrap in a warm blanket and stare at the wall. But it’s helpful to put things in perspective over the long term, as it is easy to get stuck in the now and grow discouraged. I’m coming into my sixth year since I published Island of Stone during the pandemic (April 2020) and started this crazy adventure. I think I can finally say that I’m beginning to see the fruits of my labors.

First off, I want to thank you all for a marvelous year. If you bought one of my books, left a review, or just cheered me on from the sidelines, I really appreciate it. I am grateful that you think what I have to say is meritorious enough to support me in any form. It is humbling, and I am thankful.

Overall, I will call this year a success. Certainly better than where I was at the end of 2024. In my last annual review, I compared my rise to a hot-air balloon rather than a rocket. Although I’m still not pressed to the seat on my way to the moon, I’ve left the balloon far behind, and I can be happy with that.

Let’s first examine writing output. This year, I completed two novels- Duke Rhime of the Spire, which I self-published in June after querying for several months, and Jezelle: Thief of Forks, for which I’m just finishing a substantial rewrite. I am also 55,063 words into The Monk of Thanatos (which is temporarily on hold while I finish Jezelle’s rewrite) and 28,904 words into Sylvanus, the immediate sequel to Koen: Quills from the Raven’s Nest (which is also on hold).

Speaking of Koen, that was one of this year’s most significant accomplishments, finally getting it published through Grendel Press on October 1. Last year at this time, I thought it would be out in the Spring, but it was delayed for several reasons (none of which were within my control). It was the culmination of years of work. Is it the superstar I thought it would be? No, but it’s already received 7 reviews, and I will find out soon how well it did in October. I am supposed to receive my first royalty statement today, but with it being New Year’s Eve, I am not particularly hopeful it will arrive- maybe next week.

But Koen wasn’t the only book I released this year. There was Destiny of the Daystar, released in January (book 4 of the Absolution of the Morning Star series), The Novice of Thanatos, released in February, Duke Rhime of the Spire, mentioned above, released in June, and an Absolution of the Morning Star series boxset (first three books) also listed in June. The box set was an early success, a surprise, which boosted my total numbers. It then ran into an Amazon indexing issue. I struggled for months to get it fixed, but gave up in frustration, to the applause of Amazon’s chatbots. It seems to have autocorrected, but I unfortunately lost the momentum it was getting early on. I don’t think Amazon likes box sets.

Six books published—I would say that makes 2025 a particularly good year for output.

As for sales, I’m happy to report that 2025 was my best-selling year since I started. I am up 33.85% from last year, and this is without Koen’s numbers. I also received 11 written reviews, which is also likely a record. Can I retire from the daily grind and do what I love for a living? Absolutely not. But any growth is good.

This post will be my 89th post of the year, totalling 88.3K ranting words. Last year, I posted 55, so this is a 60% increase in blog output. I posted twice a week for most of the year, until I ran out of energy in November and decided to step back to focus on writing fiction. It wasn’t all in vain. My website views are up 134% (!) from last year, making this my best year to date for website reach. My likes are also up by 23%. I only added 26 subscribers, but I’m not going to complain. Anyone who signs up to listen to me bitch is a superstar!

As for social media, one of my goals was to reach 10,000 X followers, which I accomplished. I am currently at 12,109! Instagram is also up from 614 followers at the end of 2024 to 754. I experimented with a monthly newsletter for several months, but I didn’t get much traction there, and I didn’t like the lack of interaction. I would spend hours on them and then send them into the void. Based on the metrics I received, engagement was minimal, so I decided to stop. I will still use it for major announcements, but a cost/benefit analysis of a monthly letter pushed me to forgo it. I prefer blogging, where I can see reads, likes, and comments.

I am happy where I am in building a community around my work. I’ve even had some people offer to give me early feedback. I can’t put into words how much I appreciate this, and as a writer, that’s saying something! I’ve found the experience humbling, but also incredibly fruitful in becoming a better writer. If anyone else is interested in getting an early peek at my work, you can reach me here.

Well, that’s my year in review. I hope to keep this momentum going in 2026. That includes trying to get Jezelle: Thief of Forks traditionally published, completing The Monk of Thanatos, and maybe even The Confessor of Thanatos, finishing that trilogy. Then, I will embark on Dusk of the Demon, book five of the AMS series. If I am really ambitious, maybe I’ll get back to Sylvanus. That is a lot, I know. If I can finish just two more books, my yearly average, I’ll consider 2026 just as prosperous as 2025.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope it brings you joy, prosperity, and excellent health.

Cheers!