Sunday, 1 November 2015

Six Months Ago Today...

...my main publisher closed, taking five of my titles and my confidence with it. I closed my blog, made some tough decisions, and threw myself into getting four of those titles, plus the planned re-release of my debut novel Keir, back up within the month. I did it. It was hard, but I did it.
A Science Fiction Romance Novel
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So what have I done since then? Well, I won July CampNaNoWriMo with two short stories destined for separate anthologies. I took a seven week break from the internet. After three years trying, I became a finalist in the 2015 Rebecca contest. I read and reviewed over 20 titles after not reading much at all. I stepped down from the SFR Brigade as captain. I'd planned to go to my second BristolCon and speak on my first ever panel, but was foiled by a faulty car part. I worked on Keir's Fall (Book Two of Redemption) for release, and schedules two novellas for release (a side story in the Redemption series and a second, longer length Venus Ascendant story to go with Terms & Conditions Apply, the latter being my Rebecca finalist). Another novel is scheduled for release in June. Right now anything else is outside my budget. I've now been published a few days shy of three and a half years, with 11 titles currently available and three definite releases upcoming.
A Science Fiction Romance Novel
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And while I'm selling more books and certainly making more in royalties than I did with a publisher, it's still not paying me even a living wage. So now I'm facing another tough decision. Upcoming changes in my personal situation and that of my family mean I'm going to have to look at getting what my husband once referred to as a 'proper' job. I need a regular and consistent income, something writing doesn't provide me with. I have failed at marketing. That's the cold, hard truth. Writing will have to go back to being a hobby rather than what I hoped would be a career, and the time I'll be able to devote to it...well, won't be much around a job, household and family.

I've no regrets. For three and a half years I've lived the dream of being a published author, seen my books in print and digital, had good and bad reviews, and accumulated a collection of shiny things. I've met some fabulous people. Had some great experiences. That won't necessarily come to an end, but it will be a much smaller part of my life. My books will stay up at retailers, but new ones will come out far slower, and as funds allow. This is my reality for at least the next five years until our mortgage is paid off.


And after that? In three and a half years of publishing I've already seen so much change, and experienced so many highs, lows, and changes of plan that I can't possible predict anything. I honestly don't know. But I hope to continue writing and publishing even if only a very minimal way for as long as muse stays with me. I have three big super secret projects I really want to work on in the future, and I still have the Redemption series to complete. I'm not even going to start mentioning all the stuff in my Plot Bunny Storage Facility. It's just all going to take that bit longer from now on....

In the meantime, there's a giveaway for my superhero romance - When Dark Falls - in print over at Goodreads, open until the end of November. The story was first published a year ago this month, my third title with Breathless Press, and was re-released this May in ebook and September in print. The cover has so far won two awards (3rd place in the JABBIC cover contest in the SF/F/PNR category and a finalist in the EPIC 2016 Ariana eBook cover awards), plus the story has been a top ten finisher in the Steampunk category at the 2014 Preditors & Editors Readers' poll and a finalist in the 2015 RomCon Reader's Crown.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

When Dark Falls by Pippa Jay

When Dark Falls

by Pippa Jay

Giveaway ends November 30, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway
Posted by Pippa Jay at 00:01
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5 comments:

  1. Liana1 November 2015 at 06:09

    *hugs* I hope you'll keep writing. I love your books and I'd hate to lose your Voice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pippa Jay1 November 2015 at 10:10

      Aww, thanks Liana. I hope to jeep writing, just probably not as much and not publishing as quickly.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous1 November 2015 at 18:31

    Writing can be really tough on the soul. It sounds as though you've bounced back quickly, though. When I had two consecutive publisher issues happen (analogous to yours though not identical), I stopped writing for five years!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pippa Jay1 November 2015 at 20:22

      Wow, five years?! I can understand that though. When I lost my first publisher with only two books out, I wondered whether to carry on. By the third I had too many titles out to quit. I just put my head down and stubbornly ploughed on regardless! But it still hits hard.

      Delete
    2. Pippa Jay1 November 2015 at 20:22

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete

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