There's nothing wrong with having big dreams...right? Right???

If there is, I'm in trouble, because I have some massive pipe dreams for my publishing process. Since you're part of the inner circle, I'll let you in on what I'm hoping to achieve with my publishing!

Firstly, read through this post to get a glimpse into what I’m planning for my publishing order, + what editions of my book I’m planning to publish.

I essentially want to operate as my own small press. I’m going for trad pub quality and execution. I’m not just a random indie author. I’m a business. I plan to act like it.

For those of you who actually know me in real life, you know just how extra I am. Either do that shit big or don't do it. That's how we roll around here.

So, here's some of my goals:

#1 - I wanna get custom illustrated covers and custom illustrated art for my characters. If you know anything about book covers, then you'll know that illustrated covers are the most expensive. Text-based covers and picture based aren't as pricey. If you're an author yourself, you already know just how expensive character art can be.

Me? My shit gotta be pretty or I’m not publishing it. There’s a big chance my books won’t ever get selected to be a part of the book boxes or custom editions that trad pub and bigger indie authors get chosen for. I want my originals to be special editions on their own.

#2 - My release dates. There's a bit of a push for indie authors to release books fast - one behind the other, or be forgotten and your readers will abandon you for another author who publishes faster. There's all this talk about Amazon algorithms preferring fast publishers and pushing their works more etc.

I plan to publish slowly. One. Book. A Year. No more. For how much time, creative energy, sacrifice, and MONEY it's going to take to write, edit, get art, covers, marketing budgets etc., ready for this book, I can't afford to publish any faster. Either way, I'm not in a rush. Good art takes time, and I am nothing if not a good artist.

I'm hopeful I can market well enough so my reader base doesn't disintegrate while they wait for the next book.

#3 - I wanna hit the Amazon charts and rank high before I release. For indie authors, this seems to be the equivalent of hitting the New York Times Bestseller list. I'm hopeful that again, with really solid marketing, I'll be able to achieve this.

#4 - I wanna hit a certain number of pre-orders before release day. I'm not sure what number in particular I want to hit. I'm still musing to myself about what's actually realistic, but still high enough to be rewarding and thrilling as a goal. I just know I want to get people excited enough so they pre-order!

Being a writer is a hard journey. Deciding to publish what you've written makes the journey even harder. Having goals is part of the fun, and I'm embracing it.

Until next time, bestie!