Nine months till deadline

a mid-week update on writing life + things I've learnt about the start of the process

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I promised my paid subscribers that I’d take you along on the book writing journey which, for the most part, is very unglamorous, often mind-bending and never not peppered with various cups of coffee, tea and lemon water. That said, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. From now until Feb 9th, I’ll be writing most days. Deadline coincides with the first week of the 2024 school year which follows seven weeks of summer holidays. With four kids in tow the timing isn’t great. But, I have a plan and I feel like a rough plan - that will likely change countless times - is what I need to make sense of where I’m going.

I read last week that 98% of published books sell less than 5000 copies. Then I read this thorough breakdown of that claim. It’s never been harder for writers to earn money from their work and as the cost of living rises alongside book prices, it’s significantly harder to sell books. As someone who buys and borrows books every month, I have to remember that many people don’t read and wouldn’t even consider spending their money on a book. It’s important to think outside the bubble I find myself in; for the work I’m doing and the writer I am.

Today I want to share with you a bit about what I’ve learnt since being a published author and how it effects my writing moving forward. I’m pretty transparent when it comes to what I know because the publishing industry is opaque; you have to ask a lot of questions otherwise you’ll never know anything.