Posted on by hrchow12 · 3 Comments

2025 Author Year in Review

Get ready, because we’re about to get real in this one.



Welcome to my end-of-the-year writing review! This is where I try to take a bird’s eye view of the year and my writing year in general to sum up the big wins, the losses, areas I’m doing well in, and others I could improve. This is where I see if I hit my 2025 goals and make new goals and predictions for 2026.

Last year, I said 2025 could very well be the year that would make or break me. But naturally, there is very little that’s so black and white. My writing career took some big steps forward this year, and I had some fun surprises, but there were also some warning signs that have me trepidatious about 2026.

So, going into this post, I obviously have some big mixed feelings, and honestly, writing this post is going to be a little bit of a self-discovery adventure for me because at this moment, I really don’t know what the big rock takeaways from this year are.

The hope is, by the time I finish writing this, I’ll have a better idea—so let’s jump in and see!

first, the numbers

  • Words written: 70,000 (House of the Chosen, finished drafting) + 28,000 (A Witch’s Game of Moonlight & Mischief, finished drafting with E.P. Stavs) + 88,000 (Paranormal Mystery Title TBA) + 400 (Chase vs The Doom Spiral picture book) + 64,000 (So He Burned Down the World For You) = 250,400 words (-12% from last year)
  • Words revised: 90,000 (House of the Chosen) + 75,000 (A Witch’s Game of Moonlight & Mischief) + 86,000 (Paranormal Mystery Title TBA) + 400 (Chase vs The Doom Spiral picture book) = 251,000 (-14% from last year)
  • Words published: 83,000 (Into the Abyss) + 41,000 (A Churn in the Dark) = 124,000 (-2% from last year)
  • Words on sub: 67,000 (Exit Seats) + 75,000 (Codename: CNDRLA) = 142,000 words (-11% from last year)
  • 2025 Total Words Worked: 767,400 (-11% from last year)

Sales Numbers: ~535 self-published books sold (-9% from last year, includes audiobooks but not my titles with Whimsical Publishing.). Another 10,487 downloaded for free. (+10% last year’s count)

And the Goodreads numbers.

  • Odriel’s Heirs: 290 ratings (+12%) / 4.23 stars
  • Burning Shadows: 48 ratings (+20%) / 4.62 stars
  • Idriel’s Children: 91 ratings (+11%) / 4.40 stars
  • Night of Ash: 31 ratings (+11%) / 4.65 stars
  • Time’s Orphan: 98 ratings (+8%) / 4.60 stars
  • The Gatekeeper of Pericael: 115 ratings (+12%) / 4.10 stars
  • Into the Churn: 467 ratings (+38%) / 4.23 stars
  • Into the Fire: 112 ratings (+56%) / 4.50 stars
  • A Churn in the Dark: 53 ratings (+253%) / 4.58 stars
  • Into the Abyss: 47 (+1075%) / 4.72 stars
  • A Churn in the (Virtual) Society: 16 / 4.81 stars

    My Goodreads total: 1372 ratings (+32%) / 4.34 stars

If you want to compare the totals to last year more directly, my 2024 summary is here.

As far as words go, I’m not surprised I had less words this year. At the end of last year, I was questioning why I was pushing myself to move so fast, and that mentality continued through this year. With multiple books on sub, 6 books scheduled to release in the next 3 years, and the pervasive feeling that I was out of balance, I intentionally took a step back from writing intensity this year.

While I snagged two BookBub deals this year, they weren’t quite as successful as sales I’ve run in years past. That could be due to the fact that I’m getting farther away from release, so I’m seeing diminishing returns from the BookBub audience, or potentially just that with each passing year, my books are competing with more book releases as well as books currently on the market. (I’ll touch more on this later.)

Looking forward to 2026, I wouldn’t be surprised if my words-worked number goes down again, and I fully expect my self-published numbers to go down as I pivot to promoting my newer books (such as the completed Into the Churn series and my 2026 releases.)

the highlights

  • Through the work of our amazing agent, Kristen Terrette from Martin Literary, E.P. Stavs and I had two offers on our Quirky YA Paranormal, Midnight Falls, and we scored a 2-book deal with Charlesbridge Publishing for release in Fall 2027 & 2028. I cannot understate what a HUGE deal this was for us. I knew if I was going to continue moving forward, I needed to sign a deal with publisher through my agent this year, so this was truly a dream come true. It’s hard to wait, but Erin and I are SO excited for to see Midnight Falls launch in 2027.

    What Book 2 will be is still up in the air. Erin and I are hoping it’ll be the second stand-alone book in our “Magical Tourism” series, but the publisher could ask for a direct sequel to Midnight Falls, so hopefully we’ll find out in 2026!
  • Whimsical Publishing acquired my NA Paranormal Mystery (title TBA) and book 1 of the planned trilogy is set to release on May 26th! This was also a huge deal for me. I didn’t have any releases planned after Into the Churn completed in September 2025, so I knew I had to successfully pitch to Whimsical if I wanted to have a 2026 release. Great news: they LOVED it 🥹, and I’m so excited to see what readers think of this new adventure!
  • With the release of Into the Abyss (book 3) and A Churn in the Virtual Society (book 3.5), the Into the Churn series was completed! This was a hugely satisfying moment, I’m so glad we were able to complete the series for the readers, and it’s so much more fun to be able to promote a completed series!
  • Codename: CNDRLA and Exit Seats went on submission, and The Ninth Circle went out to another round of editors! Being on submission is emotionally tough, but I think I finally got the hang of weathering it this year. (more on this later.) I’m beyond grateful to my amazing agent and her unending encouragement and commitment to getting these books out in the world.
  • I wrote and illustrated a picture book to help my 7-year-old with his anxiety meltdowns, and it WORKED. (Trust me, no one is more shocked here, then me.) Then, my friend with an anxious 5-year-old asked for a proof copy, and it helped them as well. Writing a book purely from the heart with no regard for market other than this one goal to help my son and kids like him was such a rewarding experience. I’m so proud of it, and I’m SO looking forward to self-publishing it February. There will be no fanfare and very little promotion; just a quiet satisfaction that it exists for kids and parents who need it.
  • I had three interesting opportunities pop up that I can’t actually talk about yet. While (being the pessimist that I am) I don’t expect them to transform my writing career in a significant way, I was so honored to be considered for these chances, and with some tremendous luck, maybe I’ll have an announcement or two to make next year.
  • I joined the WriteHive team for my second year as a writing mentor, and I’ve loved being able to pay forward my writing knowledge to the writing community.
  • In a huge surprise to me this year, I went to *8* in-person author signing events in my community at 4 different local book shops and my local library. And now my books are stocked in all 4 shops. 🥹 My local library surprised me by putting my photo on a BILLBOARD in our town, and The Hidden Lantern in Rosemary Beach recommended my books on the LOCAL NEWS! Not only that, but I established great relationships with The Book Rack in Fort Walton Beach and the Salt & Story in Niceville, and they have reached out TO ME multiple times asking if I would come do book events. I totally didn’t have any of this on my 2025 Bingo Card, but they made me feel so valued, and I’m so grateful our local book shops for their support.

What I learned

  • I have three lessons learned from last year I still feel in my bones this year and I feel like I’m still absorbing them, so I’ll list them again:
    • My promotional budget and energy is limited. Therefore, I need to pivot harder away from promoting my backlist to focus on upcoming releases. (Picture me yelling this at myself because it is easy to say but harder to execute, because, dang it, I love my backlist and I’m proud of it.) However, I only have so much time and money and I *have* to look forward and make smart business decisions. *insert Friends gif here of Ross Gellar yelling PIVOT!!!*
    • I have found balance and peace with my online presence as an author. While I will never be a viral sensation, I have found a style of content on each of 5 different platforms (Threads, TikTok, Instagram, WordPress, and Mailchimp) that I can be consistent with and that makes me smile. (Not as much as writing… but I’ll take what I can get.) Though my social media numbers aren’t going to knock a publisher’s socks off by any means, I’m consistent, I work hard, and I’m authentic, and honestly, I’m proud of that.
    • Sequel releases are still hard on me mentally. It’s been 2 solid years of sequel releases, so I’m SO ready for new series starts in 2026 and 2027. I really have no desire to ever write a series longer than a trilogy, and while I’ll allow for novellas as a neat little marketing tool to tide passionate readers over until the next release, novella releases are perhaps my least favorite type of release. Too many readers accidentally or intentionally skip over them, missing key components to the series flow, and it pains my author heart.
  • Somewhere above I mentioned that I figured out how to handle being on submission, and fair warning, there’s a lot of you who aren’t going to like this strategy, but it’s honestly the only thing I’ve found that works. For me, being on submission is tough because it feels like every day you fail a little more… even though you legit have no control (once the book is on sub) whether an editor will fall in love with your book or not. For me, it is a slow, repeated destruction of hope under the weight of an empty, silent inbox.

    I know that sounds dramatic and like, incredibly pessimistic, but I’m just being honest.

    So, in order to handle that, I had to shift my thinking. Essentially now, when a book goes on sub, inwardly, I already consider it dead. I even went so far as to rename the folder for those manuscripts “Purgatory.” (Also, because it makes me smile. I survive through dark humor.)

    That allows me to shift all of my mental energy to areas I can control: notably, my current works in progress and my next releases.

    Furthermore, there was a time in my life where I was writing not *for* market, but with market in mind… and honestly, I’m past that now. For the record, it didn’t seem to do me a lot of good on any front. My YA books were still “too PG-13” for current trends. The market was “too glutted” for my “on-trend” books, and the market was “too niche” for my more original concepts. In general, any conversation that included “market” was not super helpful.

    Once I reset my brain to consider the real possibility that none of my manuscripts might get picked up, regardless of whether they were “on trend,” or not, it made absolutely no sense to write for anyone but me and the people I love most.

    Writing the picture book, Chase vs. The Doom Spiral, especially drove this home for me. Objectively, I’m a lackluster illustrator, and that book will go (relatively) nowhere. But I love it. My son loves it. I *know* there are anxious kids out there that this book will make a difference for, and even if I’m only making a difference for 1 or 2 families, that’s still making a difference, and there is immense satisfaction in that.

    Continuing in this vein, I just finished drafting a book I imagine will be unmarketable, and you know, I’m fine with that too. Because it was cathartic and I loved writing it, and at the end of the day, that’s why I’m here. To process the world around me and grow as a person through writing.

    It’s that mindset that reminds me that numbers are just numbers — an infinite mirage of success that does not and will never define me.

    That’s not to say I might not try for a marketable book again if the mood strikes, but I’ve shifted my thinking so that’s no longer the goal. The goal is to make the book I can be proudest of. The book that is THE MOST me. And with that in mind, being on submission just becomes the footnote on my journey, rather than the journey itself.

The bumps

  • Well, I think the most obvious one here is that I have to concede Inky & Heater IRL (my YA contemporary romance that reads like You’ve Got Mail + esports) is dead on sub, and has been shelved for the time being. It’s a bummer for sure, but one I’ve surprisingly come to terms with this year. I still hold the conviction that it will go out into the world one day, one way or another, so I can take this as an exercise in being patient with a smile still on my face.
  • This next one though, is going to take some words. I can’t decide if this was a series of small bumps that were all interconnected on the same theme, or just one big bump, so here we go:

I was accused by a trusted Beta reader (who is also an editor) of using A.I. to write one of my manuscripts, and then they confided in me that they use A.I. in all of their writing now. When I explained that from an ethical and personal standpoint, I would never use generative A.I. in my writing, they accused me of lying. It was awful and infuriating and just so sad. I know I’m not the first author to be falsely accused and I posted reels about the situation and my feelings about it on Instagram and TikTok. Needless to say, I will never be recommending or using that editor again, and I highly recommend if you use a beta reader or editor you make sure they have an explicit anti-gen-A.I. statement on their site, because many of them are not being transparent about usage.

But it truly just made so sad for the future of humanity, art, and connection. I also posted about it here. While, in general, I do have hope that we as humans, in the long run, won’t let A.I. degrade our creativity, our art, and our connection to one another — current trends are disturbing, and they are hurting creatives of all stripes: actors, authors, artists, narrators. It has made us question everything we see, hear, and read as authentic.

As such, I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for creatives, and I know I’m not the only one. Even now, A.I. is flooding our authentic spaces with hollow replicas designed to deceive and scam; ultimately stifling the visibility & support of human thought and imagination.

If you think I’m being a ridiculous alarmist, I truly hope you are right, but I feel the shadow hanging over the human writing community all the same, and it’s another reason why I’ve redoubled my efforts to be as authentic and honest in my writing as possible. Both to underline the humanity of my work, but also because, in the near-term, I feel like there is a real possibility that A.I. generated content (and content at large) will effectively blot out what little visibility my works have.

To give you an idea of how the bookish landscape has changed in the past two decades (and this was largely before the added gen A.I. issue), here’s a post by NYT best-selling author, Jacqueline Cary, that also underscored the naturally increasing difficulty of creative visibility:

So yeah. Kind of Dark. I know. Not to mention, that AI-gen content is also flooding social media, which many authors (including myself) rely on to market their books and increase their visibility.

But I think in this moment, I, personally, feel the need to embrace the Stockdale Paradox, which I first became aware of in Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead but is well paraphrased here in Groysberg’s Article from Harvard Business School “What the Stockdale Paradox Tells Us About Crisis Leadership”:

‘Collins asked him about the personal characteristics of prisoners who did not make it out of the camps. “The optimists,” he replied. “Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart … This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”‘

So I guess what I’m saying, and what I’m still coming to terms with, is that the current reality is that this may very well be as “successful” as I get. In the current environment, the odds are very much against the growth of my visibility, sales, and numbers.

That doesn’t mean I won’t try to succeed.
It doesn’t mean I’ll stop learning how to adapt to this new environment.
Doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop showing up every day and giving it my all.

However, it does recage my idea of success. Because I have always viewed an increase in visibility as my litmus test for success. The desire to get my books to as many readers as I can who will love them like I do. To grow my audience.

But that friends, is a number. It is the mirage. And one that may be incompatible with the current reality.

So what do we do? What can we do under the weight of all this heaviness that neither you nor I realized we were going to get into when we started this post?!

Well, let’s talk a path forward. Let’s talk goals.

Because I am nothing if not stubborn as the stars in the sky.

Goals

If you’ve stuck with me this far, I must say, I am impressed. There was a lot more to unpack here than I thought, but *I* for one am feeling so much better. Like, so this what all the deep dark thoughts I was trying so hard to lock away were about? It’s all starting to make sense now. (Why yes, apparently my author recap this year is me processing a year’s worth of repressed brooding in real time. How exciting! This is really what writing is all about. *Self-five*)

Okay, with all of this in mind, let’s talk 2026. As always, I try to keep my goals measurable and attainable solely by own will-power. (Goal small. Dream big.) But as a theme for 2026, I want to focus less on the numbers and more from finding joy in writing and the author life. I want to take joy in reader impact and connection; in writing unapologetically authentic books that I am incredibly proud of not matter what the numbers say. I want to slow down EVEN more, put less pressure on myself to produce and focus on sustainable writing life balance.

Heck, even writing that fills me with warm fuzzies.

But because Goals are supposed to be measurable, let’s talk some specifics too. Last year I’m proud to say I hit solidly hit 2.5/3 of my goals which you can find in my 2024 post. So in 2026, I’m aiming to…

  • Self-publish my picture book Chase vs. The Doom Spiral in February
  • Finish my revision of House of the Chosen and send it to my Agent in Jan/Feb timeframe
  • Send our co-WIP, A Witch’s Game of Mischief & Moonlight, to our agent in the Jan/Feb timeframe (this is the 0.5 goal that didn’t get completed last year, but we’re super close on this one)
  • Get my Paranormal Mystery (Title TBA on January 6th) coming from Whimsical Publishing out in the world on May 26th!
  • Finish book 2 of said Paranormal Mystery Series and send it to Whimsical Publishing in April
  • Revise my Quirky Cozy Dark Fantasy Romance (So He Burned Down the World For You) and send to my agent

Okay, well, there were more goals than I thought, but when you boil it down, it’s: publish 2 (easy), revise 3 (medium-time commitment), and draft 1 (time-consuming.) Honestly, I expect to accomplish all of these by June 1st. As for what the rest of the year will bring, who knows? Maybe it’ll be a lot or a little or somewhere in between, but I’m excited to have fun with it.

The sum up

That was SO MUCH MORE than I expected to cover in this post. Like, geez. While the numbers were less than last year, I’m reframing to see that as a datapoint rather than the goal. There were way more highlights than I thought, the bumps (while not necessarily many) were WAY heavier than I thought, and honestly I have more goals for next year than I thought.

I described the 2023 review as ‘effervescent’, the 2024 review was the one where I was way too honest, and apparently the 2025 one is where I went kind of dark. And it’s definitely making me laugh. I’m already looking forward to the 2026 review only because I have NO IDEA what it’s going to say next.

Prediction: 2026 year was the year I gave up the harsh expectations for myself, the year I don’t really have a lot of notes to write home about, and the year I’ve been the happiest author-wise that I’ve been in a long time.

Not a measurable goal, but joy is always the dream, and I hope you all find lots of it in 2026.

Till then, friends. Cheers, happy New Year, and thanks for reading.

Posted on by hrchow12

For writers: The ups & downs of being on submission

Look it’s me in the query… I mean submission trenches! 😂

So, the first rule of being on sub is that we don’t talk about sub. But, instead of talking about the specifics of my sub journey, I’m really just going to talk about the general vibes of being on submission. Because it’s definitely come with some surprises for me. Please keep in mind this is my own personal take based on my experience, which may or may not align with anyone else’s.

The good

  • Your agent believes in you and your story! This is huge!
  • The doors to the big publishers are open and your agent is championing your story! This is also huge!
  • You no longer have to spend valuable writing time sending out queries
  • So… you get more writing time! Huzzah!

The less good!

  • The stakes are higher. Think of it as climbing higher up a mountain and having farther to fall. (Because now your agent is also depending on your books to sell. And, if they don’t… well you might end up back in the query trenches.)
  • There’s more hope, and so also more disappointment. If you’re going to ride this roller coaster, mental toughness is a must.
  • Submission response times are longer than query response times (in my experience.) So be prepared to settle in and get comfortable

My Advice

Pessimist?

This is going to sound a lot like the querying advice article I wrote a couple years ago, and mostly these reminders are for me.

  • Try to keep your expectations low. Because even though I have an agent, my book still might not sell. And why you might call me a pessimist, it’s how I keep myself from getting crushed with those near misses. In the querying phase, I treated query letters like lottery tickets, and I need to treat submissions in the same way.
  • Have a rough idea of what you would do if you lost your agent. Would you self-publish your manuscripts or query a fresh book with your backlist in tow? I honestly have no idea what I would do, and I think that’s part of my current mindset problem.
  • Work on something else while you wait! This is common advice, but for good reason. Time goes a lot faster when you’re excited for a new manuscript. And this part, at least, I’ve got down. In the span of fourteen months, I actually sent my agent six manuscripts… which leads me to the next piece.
  • Find other ways to grow and learn as a writer. For me, in 2024, this looked like diving into craft books and signing up to be a mentor in the WriteHive Mentorship Program. But in 2025, I’ll be looking for different opportunities to explore. Conferences? In-person events? Marketing classes? I’m definitely open to ideas and recommendations
  • Trust the process (and your agent) and stick with it.

so what’s the bottom line

Being on sub can be difficult, just like querying can be difficult. But just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. Try to enjoy the journey, even through the ups and downs, and the stories will find their way out into the world one way or another.

Cheers to the tenacity of being on sub and whatever comes next. Good luck out there!
Posted on by hrchow12

2024 Author Year in Review (that might be a touch too honest)



It’s time again for the end-of-the-year writing review. This is where I try to zoom out and look at the year from a thousand feet up, see the forest instead of the trees etc etc. Mainly, I’m trying to assess if I hit my goals, areas I could improve, and get a feel for what to aim for in 2025.

To be perfectly honest, in many ways, 2024 was not the writing year I hoped it would be. There were a quite a few disappointments and realizations behind the scenes that I’m still grappling with. But this year also held some fun surprises I wasn’t expecting too, so overall, it was definitely a mixed bag.

So what does that mean for 2025? Well, let’s dig into 2024 and see if we can take a guess.

first, the numbers

  • Words written: 67,000 (Exit Seats) + 31,000 (A Churn in the Dark novella) + 83,000 (Into the Abyss) + 35,000 (my half of Borrowed Magic & Other Catastrophes, coauthored with E.P. Stavs) + 40,000 (Surprise Novella, Title TBA) + 20,000 (House of the Chosen, still drafting) + 9,500 (still drafting Odds & Ends with E.P. Stavs = 285,500 words (+89% from last year)
  • Words revised: 67,000 (Exit Seats) + 31,000 (A Churn in the Dark) + 83,000 (Into the Abyss) + 70,000 (Borrowed Magic & Other Catastrophes) + 40,000 (Surprise Novella) = 291,000 (-10% from last year)
  • Words published: 94,000 (Into the Fire) + 32,000 (A Churn in the Dark) = 126,000 (-30% from last year)
  • Words on sub: 83,000 (Ninth Circle) + 76,000 (Midnight Falls) = 159,000 words (+55% from last year)
  • 2024 Total Words Worked: 861,500 (+8% from last year)

Sales Numbers: ~589 self-published books sold (-28% from last year, includes audiobooks but not my titles with Whimsical Publishing). Another 9,523 downloaded for free. (-58% last year’s count)

And the Goodreads numbers.

  • Odriel’s Heirs: 259 ratings (+19%) / 4.24 stars
  • Burning Shadows: 40 ratings (+25%) / 4.65 stars
  • Idriel’s Children: 82 ratings (+17%) / 4.44 stars
  • Night of Ash: 28 ratings (+17%) / 4.64 stars
  • Time’s Orphan: 91 ratings (+23%) / 4.62 stars
  • The Gatekeeper of Pericael: 103 ratings (+5%) / 4.10 stars
  • Into the Churn: 338 ratings (+139%) / 4.25 stars
  • Into the Fire: 72 ratings / 4.60 stars
  • A Churn in the Dark: 15 ratings / 4.80 stars
  • Into the Abyss: 4 ratings / 5 stars

    My Goodreads total: 1036 ratings (+57%) / 4.34 stars

If you want to compare the totals to last year more directly, my 2023 summary is here.

As far as words go, I think my efficiency is higher than ever, and it certainly shows. I drafted a ton this year… to the point I was actually asking myself why I was pushing myself to move so fast.

Sales-wise, I worked my arse off promoting my Into the Churn series which had two releases this year, and so my self-published backlist naturally took a backseat in the promotion realm. The consistent downloads all year have been cool, but I think in 2025, I’ll try to snag another BookBub deal to really capitalize on the king of all promos.

the highlights

  • Into the Churn books #2.5, #3, and [redacted] were all greenlit! When I was writing Into the Fire (Into the Churn #2) I thought I’d have to settle for a duology, so this was huge news. Sales and interest really jumped with the cover rebrand, and I’m so thrilled we got to give this series the ending it deserves.
  • The Into the Churn series got an *amazing* audiobook adaption
  • The Ninth Circle & Midnight Falls went on sub! Being on submission is a journey, but I’m so lucky to have my amazing agent, Kristen Terrette from Martin Literary, to champion my books, and I’m excited to see where the journey takes these stories.
  • Several of my books won awards! Odriel’s Heirs won the 2024 YA IndieReader Discovery Awards, and each book in the trilogy one an Indie BRAG medallion. Idriel’s Children was A Wishing Shelf Book Award Silver Medal Winner, and The Gatekeeper of Pericael was a Literary Titan Gold Winner and a finalist in the 2024 International Readers’ Favorite Awards. Meanwhile Time’s Orphan was a bronze medalist in the 2024 International Readers’ Favorite Awards, a semifinalist in the 2024 book blogger novel of the year awards, and a semifinalist in the 2024 kindle book awards.
  • This year I joined the WriteHive team as a mentor in their mentorship program, and I’m so excited to pay forward everything I’ve picked up from the writing community.

What I learned

  • At this stage of the game in promoting my backlist, if it’s not a BookBub Promo, it’s probably not worth it. I’ve tried so many other newsletters and promotions, but they really just don’t measure up. However, I think I’m reaching the point in my backlist lifespan where I just kind of let them coast along and focus on promoting my current releases.
  • This year I entered quite a few book awards as I try to figure out which ones are worth entering. These remain my favorites:
  • So, last year, I listed social media, my newsletter, and this blog as all areas I maybe needed to grow in. I gotta tell ya though. Right now, I’m kind of at peace with the fact that I’ve consistently posted this year. I’m still on the look out for any epiphanies that may happen upon me, but I can exist in marathon (not sprint) mode, and I think that’s okay. Also, my newsletter subscribers increased by 60% and my website views increased 31% so that was pretty solid.
  • While I love working on sequels/series, and I 100% see the value in them, I’ll be real, releasing them isn’t as exciting. They’re harder to individually market, because you’re not courting new readers with a brand new book ripe with possibility, rather, you’re courting the readers who loved book one. (A much smaller population.) Which is all to say, I’ll be so stoked when the entire Into the Churn series is out there in September and I can market it as a completed unit. (Squee!!)

The bumps

  • Being on submission is mentally tougher than I thought it would be. There, I said it. I’m writing a separate post on why I think this is the case, but kin, I was not prepared. I think next year I need to slow down and take more time for my mental health to be able to shoulder this better.
  • So… I had a “stepping backward” moment with one of my manuscripts which was super disappointing. In the end, I had to make a decision in line with my values that unfortunately, also meant losing out an opportunity I was really looking forward to. I don’t regret the decision, but I think I’m still mourning the loss. I really can’t give the details, but just… blah.

Goals

All right, 2025, what are we going to do with you? As always, I try to keep my goals measurable and attainable. (Goal small. Dream big.) Last year I’m proud to say I hit all of my goals (Though I did not write the specific two next books itching at my brain… because sequel and co-WIPs jumped in front of them) So for 2025 I’m aiming to…

  • Get Into the Abyss out into the world in March and [redacted] out into the world in September to put a bow on the Into the Churn series.
  • Finish my two current drafts (House of the Chosen & the Odds & Ends co-WIP) and send to my agent.
  • Write the next book for Whimsical and send it their way!

With those details now, let’s zoom out. 2024 was an… unexpected year for me. I walked into 2024 thinking I would write the two books I had outlined, and instead I wrote *four* completely different ones. (Three sequels & a co-WIP) And while I’m happy with that, I think there’s still a part of me that’s desperate to write those other two books I’ve been daydreaming about.

Being on submission was harder than expected, and in a way, I’m half-expecting 2025 to be a make or break year for me. Also, the manuscript “step back” situation behind the scenes also hit me harder than expected. But no one said the journey would be a straight line or without bumps along the way.

With that in mind, I may try to purposely slow down, and make sure I’m taking more breaks for my mental health.

The sum up

So after last year’s effervescent wrap-up, I’m worried I’ve been too real with this one. But if I just want to give an accurate look at the ups and downs at the writing journey, this is all part of it.

It’s kind of funny because both my kids had a tough soccer season this year in the bottom of their age groups, and we discussed that sometimes we have learning years and sometimes we have performing years. Similarly, writing-wise, last year felt like a performing year for me, while this year felt more like a working year. It takes the working years to make the performing years happen, but that does not mean they are all equally exciting.

That said, I’m also very prepared for 2025 to be a working year too. Still, I’m here for it with tenacity to spare, and I’m excited to see what stories spill onto the page this year. Thanks for reading and cheers to another year of adventures!

Posted on by hrchow12

Should I write a stand-alone book or a series? Pros and Cons.

Okay, obviously this is a very personal decision, but this is a question I’ve wrestled with several times since I started publishing in 2020, and my opinion has changed over the years! So I figured I would write what I wished I had known when I started putting books out into the world.

So you’ve written a book! Congrats! Now how do you decide if you should write a sequel or leave it as a stand-alone? When I wrote my first book, Odriel’s Heirs, I had the series more or less planned out in my mind. I remember telling my husband if even *one stranger* liked it, I would write the sequel. This… is a low bar. But at the time, as a brand-new self-published author, I had exactly zero confidence anyone would read it.

Fast-forward to when I wrote Idriel’s Children, my second novel, and I thought I had made a mistake. While I had been at peace with publishing Odriel’s Heirs after attempting to query the book, it felt like a let-down to not be able to query agents with it.

Adding to that, I quickly realized that the audience for a *true* sequel (dependent on the events of book one) is extremely small, because you’re essentially only marketing it to the readers that enjoyed the first book. Therefore, if you look up nearly any series on Amazon, book 2 will have MUCH fewer reviews than book 1, and book 3 will have even less!

Now, luckily for me, each novel in the Odriel’s Heirs series has a different main character, takes place after a generation gap, and can stand alone, so I didn’t have to grapple with that particular problem. But just the very idea of it floored me.

Secondly, if the second book bombs, it would be very difficult to get readers to pick up book three. So there’s a lot of risk in writing all the books up front before you publish and see the reaction.

It was with all these thoughts swirling around my head that I decided that after I completed the Odriel’s Heirs series, I would never again self-publish a sequel.

It was that thinking that led me to leave The Gatekeeper of Pericael as a stand-alone and not pursue a sequel which would not have stood alone. (Along with the fact that I found a creepy MG fantasy incredibly difficult to market.)

Okay, well let’s fast-forward again to now when I’m marketing a completed YA Fantasy series (which feels incredibly satisfying, by the way.) And… I realize two things very quickly. Whereas previously I was thinking that I *can’t* market books #1.5, #2, #2.5, and #3… now I’m thinking I don’t have to. Because when I market book 1, there are many readers that will go ahead and pick up the whole series! Then, there are other readers, who will immediately buy the next book after finishing the previous one.

Which is to say, basically in marketing only book one, in reality, I’m marketing *5* books. This means, suddenly, my BookBub promos are actually turning a profit. And did I mention that people love series? The more time they spend in a world, the more invested they become in it, and the more likely they are to shout it out the rest of their reading friends. Plus, every time another book is released, it only reinvigorates interest and sales in book one, which of course means, more readers! Also, there’s a whole other section of readers who won’t pick up a series until it’s officially complete, which opens up even more possibilities after all the books are released.

If a stand-alone is a *really good stand-alone* that just means you’re leaving people wanting more.

Which is all to say, I get the series train now. Disney, I understand.

That said, I still prefer for each entry to end on a satisfying note. (I’m anti-cliffhangers.) So that, in case it bombs, or due to marketing reasons, it doesn’t make sense to finish the series, the fans of the books aren’t left dangling and unfulfilled.

And despite my general lack of knowledge, I don’t regret how my publishing journey has progressed. I’m SO glad I completed the Odriel’s Heirs trilogy. From a marketing standpoint, it was the right thing to do, and I wanted to prove to myself I could to it.

However, it was also the right move not to pursue the Gatekeeper series. As a self-published author, I wasn’t able to reach an upper MG audience effectively through social media (my primary mode of marketing.) The book stands alone well, and it allowed me to focus my brand on Young Adult books.

Similarly, Into the Churn started out as a stand-alone, and when sales struggled at first, the publisher and I weren’t sure if we move forward with a series. However, the second book reinvigorated both interest and sales in a way that allowed us to greenlight the full trilogy! Now that I’ve seen the 5 for 1 BOGO (buy one get one free) marketing deal with my Odriel’s Heirs series, I’m excited to be able to market the completed Into the Churn series in a similar manner.

That said, that was a lot of stream-of-consciousness. So for those who just want the straight pros and cons, here’s the TL;DR version:

Pros of a Series
– In marketing one book, you’re actually marketing the entire series
– It gives the readers more time to get invested in the world and characters
– Each release reinvigorates sales of book one
– Some readers greatly prefer series and some readers only buy complete series
– Because you’re marketing the same series over the course of years, it’s more like to gain momentum and attention

Cons of a Series
– The sequels, themselves, won’t attract new readers, so the sequel will always have less reviews than book one
– If you self-published book one, you can’t query a sequel
– You cannot enter sequels into awards contests unless they can stand alone
– If book one is hard to sell or market for any reason, selling book two will only be harder
– It takes more time/investment to write a series

Anyways, that’s just my two cents from where I stand right now—a small press author on submission, always planning trilogies but making sure each book has a satisfying ending. I’m also going to throw in the reminder that if you *do* love a series, make sure you shout it out and recommend it to your friends, because series *do* get canceled or postponed in the middle sometimes due to lack of sales, reviews, or perceived interest. So if you love a book, be sure to support it with your ratings and reviews!

Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, just let me know!

Posted on by hrchow12

2023 Author Year in Review



Every year around this time, I try to take a step back and see how my writing year went. Did I accomplish my goals from last year? Was I productive? Did I grow? How can I do better next year?

Just at a glance, I can say without question that 2023 has been the biggest year for my small-potatoes writing career to date. Honestly, I’m still blown away, but I’m so excited to break it down and see if I can take a guess at what 2024 might hold.

So let’s get into it!

first, the numbers

  • Words written: 97,500 (Into the Fire+bonus chapters) + 17,000 (Exit Seats Zero Draft) + 36,250 (My half of the co-authored Midnight Falls) = 150,750 words (-30% from last year)
  • Words revised: 97,500 (Into the Fire) + 72,500 (Midnight Falls) + 71,500 (Inky & Heater IRL) + 83,000 (The Ninth Circle) = 324,500 words (+20% from last year)
  • Words published: 77,500 (Time’s Orphan) + 101,000 (Into the Churn+bonus chapters) = 178,500 (8x last year)
  • Words queried: 71,500 (Inky & Heater IRL) = 71,500 words (-60% from last year, but I signed with an AGENT!😱)
  • So moving forward, instead of words queried, I’ll tally words on sub (😱!): 71,500 (Inky & Heater IRL)
  • 2023 Total Words Worked: 796,750 words (+5% from last year)

Sales Numbers: ~816 self-published books sold (+16% from last year, includes audiobooks but not my title with Whimsical Publishing). Another ~22,457 downloaded for free. (112x last year’s count)

And the Goodreads numbers.

  • Odriel’s Heirs: 217 ratings (+30%) / 4.17 stars
  • Burning Shadows: 32 ratings (+88%) / 4.72 stars
  • Idriel’s Children: 70 ratings (+40%) / 4.43 stars
  • Night of Ash: 24 ratings (2.7x) / 4.75 stars
  • Time’s Orphan: 74 ratings (9.3x) / 4.57 stars
  • The Gatekeeper of Pericael: 98 ratings (+17%) / 4.12 stars
  • Into the Churn: 141 ratings (35.25x) / 4.38 stars
  • My Goodreads total: 659 ratings (+93%) / 4.36 stars

If you want to compare the totals to last year more directly, my 2022 summary is here. For many, these are still very small numbers, but this was a HUGE growth for me as far as exposure. And words-wise, it looks like I just about matched 2022, which is a consistency I’m super happy with, especially considering all the other exciting developments that happened this year!

the highlights

  • I SIGNED WITH AN AGENT!!! This was seriously a dream come true for me. After querying my YA Romance, Inky & Heater IRL, I got *3* agent offers and signed with the brilliant Kristen Terrette from Martin Literary. I am STILL processing.
  • And then Inky & Heater IRL went on sub! This was a huge step in my writing journey, and I’m so excited to see where this YA Romance goes next!
  • Several of my books won awards! Odriel’s Heirs was a silver medalist in 2022 International Readers’ Favorite Awards, A Wishing Shelf Book Award Bronze Medal Winner, and a Literary Titan Gold Winner. Idriel’s Children was a semi-finalist in both the 2023 Book Blogger Novel of the Year Award and the 2023 Kindle Book Awards. And The Gatekeeper of Pericael got an Indie BRAG Medallion.
  • I made the game-changing realization that I could price-match my books on Amazon for the sake of Bookbub promotions of free books (thank you to the amazing Carol Beth Anderson for showing me how this is done.) I cannot under-emphasize what a huge difference this made for me. For reference, I had 20,301 units ordered from Amazon alone this year, bringing me to a lifetime total of 30,874 since I published my first book in March 2020. So basically, I *tripled* the combined exposure I accumulated from 2020-2022 in a single year. After my free BookBub promotion, I kept the first book of my Odriel’s Heirs series free, which then triggered enough sales of the later books to generate more profit this year than in any other year since I’ve started publishing. And I will *definitely* be continuing to use BookBub free promotions in 2024.
  • I had my first ever in-person author events, readers actually came, and someone made me an Into the Churn bracelet. 😭 Into the Churn actually got onto the shelf of The Hidden Lantern and a Barnes and Noble. 🤩 Bucket-list item. CHECK.
  • And while I’m gushing about amazing Into the Churn things that happened. A special edition was featured in the Unplugged bookbox and had dyed edges and just a completely stunning design. I saw fanart from multiple readers, an amazing reader-made moodboard, there was an incredibly cinematic book trailer, @glamorouslyguilty cosplayed as Ezren, multiple readers messaged me how much my books meant to them, and in general, I just about died from happiness.
  • Into the Churn sold well enough that Whimsical Publishing greenlighted the sequel, Into the Fire, which is scheduled to launch in May 2024! I’ve been told ad nauseum that YA sci-fi doesn’t sell, but I can’t help but dream in trilogies, so this was SUCH an amazing surprise.
  • I co-authored a book with the incredible E.P. Stavs! Erin and I have been writing friends for awhile, and I’m a huge fan of her work, so it was so fun to create a story together! I really enjoyed our collaborative process and overall, we just had a blast with it. I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for our quirky paranormal, Midnight Falls!
  • My microfiction, When They’re Ready, got an honorable mention in the NYC Midnight 250-word challenge! So completely honored and blown away!

What I learned

  • Zero drafts (a dialogue-only draft written before the first draft that reads much like a screenplay) are my jam. I think I started this in 2022, but I totally honed this part of my process in 2023. In general, this is the year I really felt like I had my writing process down pat and really maximized efficiency with juggling WIPs.
  • BookBub Promos for free books are where it is AT, pricing the first book in a series at free is a fantastic marketing strategy for me, and I will be utilizing both of these epiphanies in 2024.
  • Entering book awards is very fulfilling for me and can result in some excellent feedback and I will continue to enter in the future. On the flip-side, I also invested in some recommended trade reviews, but I didn’t really find that to be worthwhile or satisfying in any way.
  • A street team is an effective and fun way to build hype for a book release. In 2023, I did this for the first time with Into the Churn, and we totally had a blast. I can’t wait to jump into it again with my Into the Fire team.
  • I was so much more consistent with my engagement on Instagram and Twitter this year. Although I didn’t get a big follower increase, overall, I was much more confident in just being myself, and on Instagram, I finally felt like I was striking a decent balance between getting the word out about my books and just being my bookish, weirdo self while not over-extending myself.
  • In-person events, while so fun and fulfilling, didn’t generate many sales for me. I think I still have a lot to learn about when and where to hold these to maximize efficacy.
  • YA sci-fi… is a hard sell. Boo. I hate that I have that I even have to put this on here, but I’m trying to be honest. When I first published YA sci-fi, I knew if it took off that I had enough sci-fi stories I was itching to write that I could happily specialize and build a brand as a YA sci-fi author. Unfortunately, despite the amazing feedback on the book itself, getting it out into the world and finding its reader niche has been difficult. Hopefully, I’ll update this with better news in 2024, but as of right now, (unless something miraculous happens with Into the Fire) I fully expect to be moving away from YA sci-fi for the forseeable future. However, while I do love sci-fi, since I’m a huge genre-hopper as a reader and a writer, this is just another bittersweet step in the journey. This past year, I’ve loved shaping up both my first YA romance and my first YA horror, and I’m excited to jump back into dark fantasy this spring. I’m still trying to find my brand, but this year I learned that I really do need to pay attention to the market as well if I want to my writing career to progress. Kind of a hard lesson to swallow but also an important one, and a learning opportunity I’m so grateful for.

What I still need to work on

  • BookTok. I should still probably try harder to get into this sphere, but I still feel like I haven’t the faintest idea how to attack that goliath. I am HERE for your suggestions.
  • Newsletter. Despite all the stuff that happened this year, I don’t know if I sent out a single newsletter update. Although I try only to send them out when I have book news, I definitely need to send them out more often then the ‘never’ frequency I’m approaching right now. I have a hard time with the fact that the number one thing I can do to decrease my subscribers is send out a newsletter. 😂
  • Odriel’s Heirs covers. This year I attempted (twice) to get a character art cover of Time’s Orphan to match the other two hardcovers of Odriel’s Heirs, but it didn’t work out. So I ended up taking all the hardcover versions down since I didn’t want to create incomplete sets. 😭 One day, I’d still like to get these as well as an amazing omnibus cover, and maybe even makeover Gatekeeper’s cover? But it’s probably more of a dream than a goal. If you have any amazing cover artists you’d like to shout out, I’d love to see their links!
  • This blog. I really don’t try to market this blog, write a lot of posts, or increase traffic and… maybe I should? I don’t know. Still waffling on this one.

Goals

So what next? As always, I try to keep my goals measurable and attainable. (Goal small. Dream big.) Last year I’m proud to say I hit 5/6 of my goals (but since Storybound Fest was cancelled, I didn’t get to check that one off.) And for this year I’m aiming to:

  • Get Into the Fire out into the world in May!
  • Finish my revision of Midnight Falls with E.P. Stavs and send it to my agent, Kristen, to see what she thinks!
  • Write the two next books itching at my brain!

Okay, I’m wrapping it up, I swear! Looking at the big picture, 2023 was a huge revision year for me, so I think that means 2024 will be a drafting year. Overall though, this has, by far, been my best writing year to date, and I’m so grateful for everyone who’ve believed in my books and made this possible: Whimsical Publishing, Kristen Terrette, E.P. Stavs, and everyone else who’ve taken the time to leave a book review or a kind word. Thank you so much. Your support truly means the world to me, and I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. Cheers to continuing this crazy journey in 2024. I can’t wait to see what happens next. As always, thanks so much for reading!

Thanks for the memories, 2023! Bring on 2024!
Posted on by hrchow12

My Writing Process from Idea to Final Draft

I received a request on Instagram to post about my writing process, so here we go! If you’re struggling to get started on a book or find your own rhythm, I hope you might find this useful, but please remember that everyone’s process is unique, and I encourage you to use whatever process feels right to you!

I also put how long I spend on each step so you can compare the level of effort between phases, but please keep in mind, that everyone’s pace is different. Also, that time estimate doesn’t include “thought time.” Believe me when I say I’m constantly thinking about these books, but as a full-time engineer and with two small kids, I try to be as efficent as possible. So when someone once told me that writing is “90% thought and 10% getting words down on paper,” it totally changed how I juggled works-in-progress (WIPs.)

I’m not the fastest writer and I’m not the slowest, but I’m a lot faster writer now than I was 12 books ago, some in part due to the streamlining of my process.

A plot seed


So, of course, it all starts with an idea. For me, they usually come at the most random times. When I’m about to fall asleep (looking at your Inky & Heater), in the middle of another book (Hi, Ninth Circle, thanks for being here), with a microfiction that just begs to be a novel. (Future Whimsical Title TBA, I’m talking about you here), or just an idea that’s been marinating for a long time. (Into the Churn series, this is you.)

No matter how it drops into my lap, I’m almost always in the middle of another writing project, and if I lose momentum, I suddenly turn into an upside-down turtle who has no idea how to get started again. So, I jot it into a doc and toss it into my folder called “Plot Seeds” along with any other specific notes.

The important note here is to WRITE THEM DOWN. Had a dream that could be a great book? Get out of bed and type them in the notes on your phone. They may not grow into anything, but if you forget them, they’ll never even have a chance. I have lots of plot seeds (at least 12+ sitting in the folder now), and many won’t grow beyond that, but at least they’re present and accessible. Some might even feed into elements of other books.

Ultimately though, if the plot seed is destined to become one of my book babies, then it’ll probably linger in my brain space—popping up during long drives and runs—and eventually, I’ll have too many details for a bullet. So, then we move to the next step.

Time: 2 minutes. You already have it in your head so just write it down!

Save the cat outline


At this point, I’m still probably juggling three other WIPs, so I don’t have time for this sucker, but I’ve GOT to get it on paper. So, I take out my Save the Cat beat sheet, write the one-page outline of whatever plot is keeping me from sleeping at night, and throw it in the plot seed folder.

*Cue sigh of relief.* Phew, that feels good.

Right now, I have five of these in my folder. I have doubts that I’ll write two of them for different reasons (I don’t feel super drawn to one and the other is a sci-fi, which I ADORE, but sci-fi is too hard of a sell right for me to justify it. And no, I’m still not over it.) But I’m desperate to write the other three, and two are on my schedule to be drafted in 2024.

The Save the Cat Outline lets them sit tight until it’s their turn to be drafted, and if any other details come to me at random times (character names, backstory, heck, I even have commissioned art in this folder, and character references for future art) I have somewhere to put them to keep safe until I’m ready.

Time: 1-2 hours. You’ve been thinking about it for a while, so it’s mostly fully fledged, just write it down so you don’t forget it.

percolate with playlists


So, now that I have a plot and probably have some idea of the characters, but its waiting its turn, now we help it percolate! Playlists are my favorite way to do this. They help to inspire me, switch gears between stories easily, and let me daydream the story in the little pauses of my life.

Right now, I have three full playlists built that correspond to those outlines. Of my five outlines, four that have been percolating since early 2022, and one relatively newer one since early 2023. There is no time requirement to percolate, however, because of how I schedule, this is just how it works out for me.

Time: As long or as little as you need.

Zero draft


This is the point where I’ve decided I’m going to write it. If I zero-draft it, I’m going to feel compelled to keep it. I try to prioritize the outlines I’m both epically drawn to and also ones that make sense from a strategic/marketing perspective.

For me, a zero draft is literally me telling myself the story in almost exclusively dialogue. Basically, it reads like a screenplay. But sometimes, because I have no self-control, it can get a little out of hand, and every time I do this step, the drafts seem to get longer. (Mostly because I’m just DYING to really write the story at this point.)

I currently have one zero draft in my folder and it’s at 17k words for what will eventually be probably a 70k book. This is also usually where my moodboard, mock cover, and character inspirations also come in—because I am EXCITED.

Time: 1-2 weeks

First draft


This one’s pretty self-explanatory. Now we get to write the book! With the zero draft in hand, this usually moves pretty quickly for me. I can put in as many as 50K words in a month depending on how much other stuff I’m juggling in my non-writer life, but I usually budget 3 months to be on the safe side.

What’s important (for me) here is to focus on completion and momentum, not perfection. No one will see this draft but me. Even if it’s terrible, remember that everything is fixable, but you can’t revise a blank page. If you need to disappear a character/element/change a setting, just move on as if you’d already written it like that. Don’t go back. Don’t edit. Get the story down, and we’ll fix it post!

For the record, I’m a consistent underwriter, so I don’t freak out about too much about wordcount at this point. (My first draft is usually like 10-15k work less than the final draft) I go through tons of revisions rounds, and with each one I’m adding a new layer to the story. Everyone is different, and it’s nice to be in the ballpark with word count, but remember *everything* is fixable.

Time: 2-3 months.

revisions


Rev A

So in general, for me, individual revision rounds are quick. In each revision, I basically make one quick pass of major changes and one slow pass to catch all the details. With this first revision, my primary goal here is to make it readable and consistent for another pair of eyes.

Then I send it to Alpha readers. (This is my parents and my husband. They will read anything I put in front of them but also be honest about what they do and don’t like.)

While I’m waiting for their feedback, this is also where I write the synopsis (this is my favorite formula) and the blurb. They help focus me on the themes and overarching plot so I can really hone the beats and character development.

Time: 1 week for the revision and then waiting for 2ish weeks for feedback. Whenever I’m ‘waiting,’ I’m always working on another WIP.

Rev B

After I get Alpha feedback, I take two more passes to make the necessary plot changes, refine the characters now that I know them well, and start layering and smoothing.

Then I send it to two critique partners (CPs) and 3-4 beta readers. I used to do this in separate steps but have combined for efficiency’s sake. My CPs are fellow writers looking for EVERYTHING big or small, from line level to large plot changes. Although working with them isn’t time intensive, the process usually stretches over several months. I rely on their unique perspective, objectivity, and different strengths to help me see things I wouldn’t be able to by myself.

In tandem, I send the book to 2-3 professional beta readers and 1 casual beta reader friend for their big-picture impressions.

Time: 1 week for the revision… and then 4-5 months working with CPs.

Rev C

This is where I gather all the beta reader feedback and do a large revision (usually while I’m still trading chapters back and forth with CPs in the background.)

Time: 1 week

Rev F

The critique partners are done! Hurray! Time to do one last read-through for line-level smoothing before I send it to my agent or Whimsical Publishing. In this step, I start using MS Word’s read-aloud function to listen for typos and flow issues, and will continue to do so for the remainder of my revisions. (And if you’re looking for Rev D, I don’t have one. I used to call this round F for final, and it’s stuck that way now for me.)

Time: 1 week

Rev G

Now, we get to start over! XD Okay, I’m kidding. (Sort of.) Now, I’ll go back and forth with my agent, Kristen, or Whimsical until it’s ready. How many revisions is this? Honestly, as many as it takes, but three’s usually the magic number. The first one is for big plot things, the second is for minor plot things, and the third is for line-level things.

Each revision takes me about a week, but then I have to wait for them to read it, so this phase will stretch out.

Time: 2-3 months

Rev Z

For Whimsical this is where the copyeditor comes in, and we go back and forth again! But these are once again, smaller line-level changes and proofing levels.

Hypothetically, when my agented books find a home, this is where I would work with the publisher to start all over again! (Joking… kind of.) But since I haven’t gotten that far yet, I’m not sure of the timeline

Time: (For the Whimsical copyediting portion) About 2-3 months.

Then ta-da, it’s done!


So, all the timelines ended up being kind of confusing with the waiting and the actual doing portions. But in reality, I’m never waiting. Because as soon as I put down one manuscript to wait, I’m picking up another. Hence why I always juggle more than 1 WIP, which also confuses the timeline! And it’s also why I’m constantly updating my schedule.

Behold. The schedule!

In any case, please keep in mind these timelines are just a rough guess anyway and will vary with each book.

For Inky & Heater: IRL (which is currently on sub with my agent) I started the first draft on Nov 1, 2022, and it went on sub (roughly) on Sep 2023. Which is about 10 months from the Draft 1 to the end of Rev G (and included querying time.)

For Into the Fire (which is scheduled to launch May 2024) I started the first draft in (roughly) May 2023, and I just completed Rev G. Which is about 8 months from Draft 1 to G (no querying time for this one.)

And for more reference, between 2020-2023, I wrote ten books. If you count my two novellas and one co-authored book as a single 80k-ish-word novel, it’s more like eight books. So, I’m averaging two books a year. Like I said at the beginning, I’m not the slowest or the fastest, and I’m sure my process will continue to evolve, but for now, this is what works for me! By hopping between works-in-progress while I ‘wait’ for feedback, I can look at each revision with fresh eyes while also maximizing my efficiency. And by the end of this process, I feel confident like my book is the best I can make it, and I’m proud to call it mine.

So, yeah. Hopefully, this was helpful, and I hope you also can find the writing process that works best for you and your book baby! As always, if you have more questions, just let me know!

Thanks for reading!
Posted on by hrchow12

What I Wish I Knew Before I Published My First Book

So right after I self-published my first book, I published my lessons learned here, but now that my eighth book (Into the Fire) is coming from Whimsical Publishing in April, I thought I’d reflect again on what advice I’d go back and give to myself if I could on a couple topics.

Self-Publishing Vs. Querying

Ah, yes the question I still get asked the most. I queried agents with Odriel’s Heirs for over a year, and while I was disappointed I wasn’t able to sign with an agent then, I’m still glad I self-published. Through self-publishing, I found the writing community, learned so much about the craft, and found writing friends who helped me grow. Also, I’m not sure I would’ve continued writing without the invaluable feedback and encouragement from readers. Lastly, I was able to get closure for this story and move on to the next one to keep growing as a writer.

A part of me does wish I had investigated small presses more, who perhaps could’ve guided me in terms of marketing, but at the time, I don’t think I even knew enough how to tell a good press from a poor one.

Overall, this choice worked out for the best. These days, I’m working with an amazing Small Press (Whimsical Publishing) and now have an agent (the incredible Kristen Terrette) but I don’t think I would’ve ever gotten this far without my experiences in self-publishing first. Of course, every publishing journey is different, so I hope you follow the one that feels right for your goals!

Editor, Proofreading, & Formatter

Editing and proofreading are expenses I agonized over as a new writer (my imposter-syndrome was through the roof), but if could go back, I would tell myself to invest in my book like any publisher would. (Within your budget, of course.)

The developmental editor I hired was invaluable, and due to their amazing feedback, I made extensive revisions. After that, I wished I’d invested in a copy-editor and a proofreader. While I love how Odriel’s Heirs turned out, I was weeding out typos for some time after release, and for my first book, I would’ve preferred to put my best foot forward from the outset.

I’d still skip hiring the formatter though. In formatting it myself, I like having the flexibility of going back and fixing typos in a matter of minutes. If I was deadset on complicated formatting though, I think I’d invest in formatting software instead of hiring out.

Cover Art

Oof. This is the one where I needed most guidance on. A good cover can make or break a book, and once again as I was unwilling to invest as I should have. Also, at the time, I didn’t think I would publish more than one book, but if I knew I was going to write the series, I should’ve bought all five covers together so I could have a matching set. (And get a discount!) I should’ve done WAY more research into current cover trends in my genre as well investigated a variety of cover artists. (I still find cover artist research difficult, but I recommend checking out cover contests, and looking into the artists of the winners.)

But maybe I’ll still get a chance to put this lesson learned to the test when I make an Odriel’s Heirs omnibus one day. (I just have to find the perfect cover artist first!)

Going Wide vs. Amazon Exclusive

There are some who’ve been wildly successful in KDP, but I’m not one of them. I did find the Amazon-exclusive benefit of doing regular free ebook promotions critical to increasing my exposure. However if I’d gotten a competitive cover from the start and gone wide, it would’ve allowed me to start doing BookBub promo deals sooner, which has almost doubled my downloads in the last year. (After I discovered that you can ask Amazon to price-match to free.) If you don’t think you’d be able to get the BookBub promo deals though (either due to a lack of a competetive cover or reviews), I’d definitely stay Amazon-exclusive.

Audiobooks

Past self, I know you want to do this, but don’t. While ACX (Amazon’s audiobook publishing process) makes it affordable do to royalty sharing, their inflexible and expensive prices make them incredibly hard to market. Unless your book is already a best-seller, you’re going to narrate it yourself, or you’re going to shell out big bucks for a narrator with their own following, I don’t think it’s worth it. Which is SO sad considering I’m almost exclusively an audiobook listener these days. 😭

Marketing

Ah yes, the bane of my existence. I wish I had known that this process starts AS SOON AS YOU START WRITING. If you can build an engaging, bookish following on any of the popular social media sites, then you already have a huge advantage. (Still working on this one, myself.) A website is also a must, even if it’s just a professional “about you” with your links. (For example, I don’t put a whole lot of time into promoting mine, but it’s had 3000+ visitors and 5000+ views this year, so it’s still worth it.)

I tried a few recommended trade reviews and a variety of ads on different sites, but didn’t find any of them to be worth the buck.

And although it took me some time, I definitely found commissioning bookish art (ideally in the months leading up to release to build hype – Whimsical has a great database of artists here), entering awards (see ALLI’s list here), sending out ARCs in advance through BookSirens and a NetGalley Co-op, and using book promotion services (see Reedsy’s list here) to be the most effective and fulfilling methods of marketing.

Also, putting together a street team has been a super fun way to get ready for release and build hype by recruiting your other bookish friends and followers to help post about your book leading up to release. I’m still learning the best ways to utilize a street team, but definitely recommend, especially if you have a great social media following.

Conclusion

Wellp, those are the big rocks that come to mind. Hopefully this is helpful for anyone making choices about their own book baby, but if you have any questions I missed, please feel free to ask away and good luck with your publishing journey!

Posted on by hrchow12

What to put in your author media kit, press release, & how to email local news outlets.

The first time I encountered the term “Media Kit” was when I was trying to figure out how to ask libraries and indie book stores if they’d like to carry my book. The internet recommended that I bring a media kit, but that sounded kind of intimidating, so I ignored it for a long time. But now that I’m working with Whimsical Publishing and I have more self-confidence than three years ago, I really wanted to try to pick up my self-promo game. (Especially because I really want Into the Churn to do well enough for me to write a sequel. 😭)

I knew Whimsical was going to arrange for me to do a book signing, and with looming fears of no one showing up, I wanted to see if I could get it listed in our local newspapers as an upcoming event. (By the by, It’s Saturday, April 15th from 12-2pm at Niceville Public Library, so if you’re around, definitely come say hi!) But…if I wanted to contact local newspapers, I knew I needed a media kit.

But I also still had no idea what went into a media kit. So I creeped on other authors’ media kits and did some intense googling. Not only did I find out what goes in a media kit, but I also found out that I should probably make a press release as well, and then I also apparently I needed like a whole media kit google drive folder to put my graphics and files in! Overall, actually creating it didn’t take too long, and I used Canva to put together the media kit portion.

Now, I’m still by no means an expert on these things, but I wanted to put my stuff out there in case some else needs inspiration or ideas for what they should put in there own. All my media kit materials and press kit stuff is located here.

But… then I also had to figure out how to email said local news and let them know that I existed. After querying the internet once again, I came up with an email that looks like this:

Subject Line: [Simplified Version of your Press Release Headline]

Dear [Local News Name]

I really appreciate [Local News Name] as a source of informative and relevant stories in our local area. I hope you’ll be able to use the below press release as a short news item or as an inspiration for an article on a related subject. Feel free to email me or call me at ### if you have any questions, and thank you so much for your time.

Respectfully,

Hayley Reese Chow
Twitter, Instagram & Tiktok: @hayleyreesechow
Full media kit here
[Press Release Below]

So, your next question is probably: did it work!? Well, I literally sent it out 1 business day ago, but I have had one taker so far, so huzzah! I also sent out my press release through PRLog and PRUrgent and called it a day. There are a ton of other free press release sites, but a lot of them require you to have a non-free email address (read: rejected my gmail), so that crossed the line of too much hassle for me.

Anyways, like I said, not exactly an expert over here, but since I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what goes in a press release, media kit, and email to the press, I figured I’d share what I cobbled together. Hopefully it’s helpful and good luck in your book launch!

Speaking of book launches, Time’s Orphan is officially out in the world and Into the Churn comes out April 4th!

Posted on by hrchow12

Book Playlists!

Music Meets Books!

So, I’m not a musically inclined person by nature, but I decided to try to make some playlists for my books, and I absolutely loved it! Listening to the playlists added this whole other dimension and put me right into the book so I could experience the scene play out. So cool! Naturally, since it was so awesome, I had to share. Below, are the playlists for the entire Odriel’s Heirs series, and I’ll be sure to add them to their page on this site. I’ll also release the playlists for Codename: CNDRLA and my 2023 sci-fi closer to publication!

I hope you enjoy them and as always, I’d love to hear your suggestions and recommendations if you have any!

Odriel’s Heirs

Burning Shadows

Idriel’s Children

Night of Ash

Time’s Orphan

Night of Ash out 27 Sep & Time’s Orphan release in February!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by hrchow12

A Writing Update

Things are happening!

We pause the usual book reviews, for a writing update! It seems like there’s a lot going on lately, so here’s the quick scoop on my upcoming releases and works-in-progress (WIPs)!

The Biggest News:

🥳🥳🥳 I SIGNED MY FIRST BOOK DEAL! 🥳🥳🥳

I’m so thrilled to announce first young adult science fiction is coming to Whimsical Publishing in Summer (ish) 2023! If you’re interested in updates, definitely keep an eye on my Instagram and Twitter for more developments!

Writing Contest News:

In the NYC Microfiction Challenge, I made it to the final round! 🥳 Winners will be announced in September, and I’ll be sure to post my final entry and feedback here!

I submitted Odriel’s Heirs in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off! This contest is still in the early stages, but I’m excited to see the review of Odriel’s Heirs from Booknest.

I submitted The Gatekeeper of Pericael in the Book Blogger Novel of the Year Contest, and it made it into the semifinals! 🥳 Finalists are announced in September, but the competition is crazy steep this year, so my fingers are crossed tight!

What’s going on with Codename: CNDRLA?

I know this WIP is a favorite of many of my Betas and CPs, and it probably seems like it’s been in the query trenches forever! And yes, reader, it does feel that way sometimes! But, seriously it’s a good thing! I still have a handful of full requests I’m waiting to hear back on from agents and publishers. The process just takes a really long time! I’m hoping I’ll have an update by the end of the year, but we’ll just have to wait and see. 😊

When’s the last book of the Odriel’s Heirs series coming out?

Time’s Orphan (Odriel’s Heirs #3) is with my Critique Partners for revision this month, and I’m hoping to release ARCs this Fall for a February release. If that seems too far away, you can check out Night of Ash (Odriel’s Heirs #2.5) in the meantime! Night of Ash is the follow-on sequel novella to Idriel’s Children, and ARCs are available now before the 27 Sep release. If you’d like one, just give a shout.

Also, I’m in the process of creating paperback versions of Burning Shadows and Night of Ash, so if you’re interested in having the whole series on your shelf, you can! I’m hoping the paperback versions should be ready in time for Night of Ash’s release.

That’s all I’ve got for now, but if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below! As always, thanks for reading!