Did I always know I would write for readers? And my super scientific writing process of “ohh” and “yay” and confidence…

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Today, on the latest episode of “A Self-Published Author’s Diary” podcast, I am answering two questions I’ve received from a reader named Amanda (Thanks, Amanda :-)):

Did I always know I would write for readers?
And where does that confidence come from?

I go back into my junior high writing of poems and my high school writing of romance and my later years of fanfiction writing to answer the first question. And when it comes to the second question and the confidence aspect, I try to analyze a bit where that confidence comes from. 🙂 And how fleeting it is throughout the process.

I talk about my very scientific writing process of “ooohhh” and “yay” and about my love for romance books. Readers pick up those books knowing what the ending will be and yet we still get so enthralled by them. I think that’s really a testimony to the magic and the art of writing romance.

I also mention the podcast “My Imaginary Friends with L. Penelope”‘s latest episode which I recommend for all writers struggling with their manuscript: https://lpenelope.com/podcast/

And I give an update on my upcoming plan for #TheLeftoverBride cover reval…Don’t forget #TheLeftoverBride is available for pre-order for only $0.99. Choose your favorite e-retailer here: https://books2read.com/TheLeftoverBride

As always, thank you for subscribing, rating and reviewing!

Follow me on instagram: @aselfpublishedauthorsdiary 🙂 or on YouTube…

Numbers: The Book That Had 23 Preorders and…became my most read book. – A self-published author's diary: The Ups and Downs of Self-Publishing (and everything in-between)

This is a numbers episode. I'm going back to the archives a little bit (back to the future, kind of) to talk about a book I released in 2015 that had 23 preorders and became one of my most read books.A Summer Like No Other launched at 99 cents. I had a whole plan — cover reveal with Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley, YouTube videos, a blog series called The Making Of, emails to readers who had reviewed my first book. I got 23 preorders. In the first three months I made about $200.That same book has now been downloaded 66,550 times in English: 40,279 audiobooks, 24,414 ebooks, and 1,360 paperbacks. Best month was May 2024, with 7,930 downloads.The French version, Un Été Pas Comme Les Autres, had 20 preorders. It's now perma free, has been downloaded 48,368 times, has 1,843 ratings on Amazon France, and the translation got picked up by a publisher that was part of Hachette — which is how I became a hybrid author.So preorders really don't make or break a book.I also talk about:Dictation finally working for me — two days this week with more than 6,000 words, which hasn't happened in foreverA very funny dictation fail from my walkLast week's newsletter (Elodie Now): 205 subscribers, 48.19% open rate, 0.49% click rate, one unsubscribeFun fact: more than 50 subscribers across Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and I didn't know that until this week. Thank youThe two YouTube videos that helped me with dictation:Real Time Dictation Session: Dictate and Edit a Scene With Me — Alyssa in the Books https://youtu.be/I7rpvAGPgv4?si=4Oju1Ob5MjjukVNcBook Dictation for Beginners — The Courtney Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUVQ2vd_w1MThe Margie Lawson Deep Edits packets: Deep Editing, Rhetorical Devices, and More: https://www.margielawson.com/product/deep-editing-rhetorical-devices-and-more/Make Endings POP! Deep Editing Style: https://www.margielawson.com/product/make-endings-pop-deep-editing-style/PublisherChamp: https://www.publisherchamp.com/If you'd like to tell me you're listening and where from, I would love to hear from you: authorelodienowodazkij AT gmail.com