What's up?

What's up? A lot of things. Too many things. This is why I haven't been publishing articles on this blog for some time (though I hope you will admire my regularity in posting those weekly cartoons!).

 

As Winter Came and Went has been published. However, that doesn't mean that it can now just live it's own life: I have to work on the marketing side of the writing business and find a way of letting the wide world know that my novel is out there. And find a way of inciting the wide world to actually buy this novel (more subtly than posting BUY MY BOOK! BUY MY BOOK! on every social media I can think of).

 

I've reached (and hope to finish this month) chapter 9/13 of the sequel of As Winter Came and Went. I know that I'm making slow progress, compared to people who managed to churn out a book a year, if not most (how do they do it? If someone knows, pleeeaaase tell me!). But it's progress nonetheless. I'm eager to finish the first draft, because then I'll have something to work upon, to refine, to shape. To turn into something which I hope will be beautiful.

 

You might remember the other work in progress I already mentionned on this blog, Cinnamon (working title). I do not want this project, novel or novella, we'll see, to join the ranks of the unfinished stories that lurk in the depths of my computer or under piles and piles of paper. So maybe, once I've finished chap. 9 of the sequel, I'll work on Cinnamon, just Cinnamon, for a whole month.

 

I've also got an exciting project regarding my little cartoons. There are almost 50 of them now. 50! And it will be almost a year since I first started drawing them. So maybe, quite soon, they could be making their way into a little book... More on this in another post! 

"How I feel when I enter my book into a competition..."

Now that my novel is published, a whole new journey has begun. Now it has to make its way into the world, and to help it, I intend to enter it into compétitions. I'll let you know later on how all that is going! 

What happens now?

And that's it. As Winter Came and Went is published. Which means I can now relax...or not! It's good to be a published author. It's even better to be a published author who actually sells some books.

 

So I know need to develop (or rather acquire) some marketing skills and try to spread the word about my book and hopefully sell a few copies (to people who are not family or friends). What will I do then? I'll go on being present on social media (Facebook and Instagram, because I still haven't figured out how to use Twitter...). I'll also go on publishing fascinating articles and this wonderful blog. And I'll enter my novel in some competitions.

 

There's one I have in mind and I'll try to find others. I'll post more about that later on (or if I don't, you'll understand that it's been a failure and that I'm to ashamed to speak of it...). I'm not so much hoping for a win as to be shortlisted: that would already be great.

 

I will also go on working on the sequel to As Winter Came and Went. I'm two thirds into the first draft and hopefully, same time next year I'll already be editing it, which could mean that the publication could take place in 2020. I'm also still working on Cinnamon. Maybe it will be finished (and published) before the sequel, for it is more of a novella than a novel.

 

I'm also working on a new project related to As Winter Came and Went. But I'll make a proper announcement soon.

 

So publishing my novel was just the beginning... And a whole new adventure has started!

The people who made it happen...

And As Winter Came and Went will be published tomorrow!!!

Though I decided to self-publish, it does not mean that I did everything alone. Far from it: I would never have been able to go this far without the help of many wonderful people. And I would like to thank them all: you are the ones who made it happen.

First of all, I want to thank my family, and especially my parents, who supported and encouraged me every step of the way, who shared my hopes and did their best to allay my doubts. Special thanks to my father who proof-read the novel (so if there are any typos left, it's not my fault)!

Then I would like to thank all the friends who agreed to read the first versions of the manuscript, and who not only gave invaluable feedback and advice but were patient enough to point out the (too many) mistakes and inconsistencies.

My thanks also go to the friends who did not read the novel, but followed my journey to publication and encouraged me all the way.

My decision to self-publish led me to connect through social media with a number of fellow-writers, some of whom also gave me great advice. My thanks go to them too: I did not expect the online writing community to be welcoming and helpful, but it is, and I'm grateful for that.

So thank you again to all of you. This book is yours as well: it would not have existed without you!