1 year review and bananas

It's been 18 months since I embarked on this crazy adventure and it's time to look back at how far I've come!
First of all, I had to list everything I had managed to do/put in place in 2023 and this allowed me to realize that I had accomplished quite a few things! The first lesson of this year is to congratulate ourselves on all our successes, whether small or large. Because in reality, I had forgotten and put it end to end, I understand better why I ended the year on the knees even if my motivation is as strong as the first day.

Here is my year in a few figures:

• Publications: 6 novels + 1 Grimoire + 1 Christmas story in the advent calendar organized by Jenifer Dainart (you can discover all the stories HERE) – i.e. 9 novels with dates + 2 complementary works.
• Trade shows/signings: 3 trade shows in Paris, Mon's (Belgium) and Boulogne Billancourt (92) + 8 signing sessions in Cultura in the Paris region.
• Literary competitions: 5 entries for which I had to write an unpublished novel each time. Often not planned in my editorial calendar and moreover snatched according to the whims of my little brain…
• Translation: 6 novels translated into English and published at the end of the year
• Writing: 10 novels written, 6 of which are prepared for 2024 (4 being rewritten as I write this article) because I wanted to gain 1 year of editorial calendar in order to be able to better manage my time over the coming year and above all, give myself some rest time.

Not to mention everything that is done behind the scenes such as communication on social networks, writing articles for my site and my newsletter. On average, this represents hard work of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 12 months. I haven't taken any vacations or weekends apart from a few days here and there to give myself time with my children because I'm also a mother. I also spent time training myself on new tools to be more efficient in the writing or layout of my novels.

So what results will you ask me for? Here are some raw numbers:

• Sales (including equivalence with loans): +3000 uc (all formats combined)
• Number of pages read: +1 million!
• SP collaborations: 181 reviewers have given me a chance with at least 1 novel since I started and a large majority have given me the pleasure of following me in my different universes. I also have around fifteen partners who support me all year round.
• Community: nearly 700 followers on Instagram, nearly a hundred subscribers to my newsletter and nearly 300 people who follow my author page on Amazon. Starting from 0 18 months ago because I made the beginner's mistake of only starting to communicate with the release of my first novel. And as a bonus, great meetings with golden authors who brought me a lot and taught me such as Liz H Richardson, Julie Legrisson, Sienna Pratt, Charlotte Munucih or CC Mahon or even Darcy Mulligan: 🥰.
• Feedback: the majority of my novels have exceeded the symbolic threshold of 100 reviews on Amazon and have very good overall ratings (around 4.5/5 on average). When we know the importance of these stars and comments for the algorithm and future readers, it's a great step! And I also had some sales on my online store :).

Is this enough to balance the financial accounts? Not at all, I am totally in deficit (and by a lot) given the investments that each book requires: graphic designer, proofreader, promotion and advertising. Not to mention the translations. However, my very first novel has just paid for itself and every sale from today will be a real profit on this volume. It's a small start and a big victory at the same time. I am very happy with these results because each reader gained is a small step closer to my dream of one day making a living from my writing.
And I am proud to see the result of my hard work, the fruit of continuous and tireless efforts because I really believe in it. As proof, I can cite the wonderful encounters made at trade fairs or the signings with won over readers who return or trust me for the first time. I also exchange a lot on networks and by email and the feedback is more than encouraging: it is mostly benevolent and pushes me to move forward.
Because beyond the numbers, this year has been more than rich. In meetings, in mutual aid, in discovery and learning. I was able to put together a great team of beta readers and freelancers on different points. This is priceless and allows me to approach this new year with more serenity and even more desire.

My challenge for 2024 will be to do better and more! And you what do you think ? What are your accomplishments for 2023 and your plans for 2024?