Quick summary: I had different plans for this episode, and then I ended up in a Belgian ER at 6:45am with hives and a lip that decided to swell. So… new plan. This one’s three days in the life of this self-published author: writing and revising, taxes, and the ER. (I’m fine. Bobbie Voltaire was very concerned for approximately four seconds, then remembered it was second-breakfast o’clock.)
Writing: Revising # My Christmas Wish List and making sure Plato is in all the scenes he needs to be in. If you’re new here, Plato was our beagle (2015–2025), and writing him in (pillow-humping, stubbornness, the nickname Poopie) helped me get back into the story in July last year. He’s earning his place in every scene now. 🙂
BOOKS
# My Christmas Wish-List — new pre-order date, July 31st, 2026 (the book, and I, will be better for the extra time). Pre-order.
New episode of A Self-Publishing Author’s Diary Podcast is up. This one about my reality (or realities) of missing out in my self-publishing business…
Also, you can listen to this podcast on your favorite podcast platform, but I’m also just adding the audio here for ease. The text below isn’t a transcript but a short summary. If you’d like me to provide transcripts in the future, let me know and I’ll try my best.
So this episode/post is brought to you by a shower, a hoarse voice from dictating, and a long list of grand and great plans I had to adjust due to fatigue.
And all of that got me thinking about ROMO. The Reality of Missing Out. Not FOMO. Not JOMO. The third thing.
I thought I’d made up the term. Yes, really. I was really proud of myself. And then I Googled it. I had not.
But I did take this picture with my emotional support pickle in December 2025…
(Side note. The episode I actually thought I was going to record this week was about all the things I’ve been Googling lately, because I am not a lawyer and I’ve had to research so many legal things. That one is still coming. ROMO won the shower.)
A little context for how this one came to be. I had every intention of waking up early today and getting a lot of words in on My Christmas Wish-List (which releases July 1, so the deadline is real), and then going for a jog. This jog is important to me: emotionally and physically.
I’ve been dictating, which is going great word-count wise. I had two 6,000-word days last week, which hasn’t happened in forever. But my voice got hoarse, and I don’t know if it’s the dictation or if I caught a virus, and I didn’t sleep well, and yeah. No jog today. I did get 2,400 words in this morning, so it’s not a wash. But it’s also not what I’d planned.
And in the shower I started thinking about all the things I’m not doing right now. Not because I’m afraid of missing out on them. Not because I’ve made peace with opting out of them. But because I genuinely can’t do them right now. And I feel like that’s its own thing, right? And I thought I’d named it.
Really. I did. I was so proud of myself.
Turns out I had not. Cleveland Clinic and Psychology Today both already had. I’m adding the links at the bottom…
A few of the things I get into in this episode:
Declining profits from one year to another. Last year was a four-figure profit year for me. Two years ago was a good five-figure year, not high five figures, but a good five figures. And then last year, well. Kindle Vella shut down, which had been a big chunk of where the revenue was coming from. We had an international move. A lot of other things on top of that. I’ll do a Numbers episode about it at some point. But the short version is, I’m rebuilding. Again. I’ve rebuilt before, after cancer, after Vella, after a lot of things, and that informs how I’m thinking about everything right now.
The Kickstarter I’d love to do for Cancer Is Not My Brand, and why I’m not doing one right now. I really would love to. I think there’s an audience for it. I think I could come up with rewards I’d actually be excited about. I’d love to share the A to Z experience of running it. But I don’t have the time, or the bandwidth, or the energy to do it right. And I’ve made that mistake before. I ran a Kickstarter for The Leftover Bride audiobook that didn’t get fulfilled, and a big reason was that I tried to do it fast and hoped for the best. So I know what running one that doesn’t get fulfilled looks like, and I’m not going to do that to this book. (That’s not the only reason though. I get into the rest in the episode.)
Not doing InkersCon this year, or the Write Better, Faster Academy digital conference on fandoms. I really recommend both. I still have last year’s InkersCon videos that I haven’t all watched. For those, it’s less ROMO and more, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because I’m more attuned about what I need right now or just because I can’t expand more energy in those directions right now. Still searching… but isn’t it amazing how sometimes revelations come to you as you’re writing or recording? Because yes, that came to me while I was recording. For those doing Gallup strengths (and I didn’t mention that one in the episode, doh, I am a #8 communication… talking out loud definitely helps me).
Ines Johnson’s Romance Write Club Kickstarter. I just backed it. She does these amazing things where the Kickstarter comes with a course. I took the course from a previous Kickstarter, so I didn’t take this one. But she’s one of the authors I look up to, and I’m trying to learn that it’s possible to look up to people and also not chase what they’re doing, because they’re in their story and I’m in mine. Still learning that one.
The Becca Syme idea that really resonated with me, about the different business phases of your authorship. Making decisions based on where you actually are in your phase, not where the unicorn authors are. Her videos and Patreon are linked below.
And the whole thing kind of comes back to Cancer Is Not My Brand, in a way. I’m working on it. The cover is in progress with Qamber Designs. I’m thinking about the blurb. I’m thinking about narrating it. And I’m thinking a lot about what it means to write a book about a difficult thing without letting that difficult thing become my whole brand. The ROMO concept is part of what the book is about, really. There’s a lot of missing out in cancer treatment, and not the FOMO kind. Sitting with that, and writing about it, is taking up a lot of my brain right now. So the Kickstarter waits. Many things are waiting…
So the reality of missing out, for me, is twofold. Sometimes it’s I cannot physically or emotionally do this right now. And sometimes it’s I cannot financially or time-wise do this right now because it’s not the best for my author business. And those are different. And then there’s a third thing, which I actually figured out while recording like I said (as one does, right?), which is realizing you’re not actually missing out at all, because it may not be what you need at that moment.
There’s also a thing my therapist used to say. It’s okay to not be okay. And it sucks to not be okay. And sometimes knowing that helped me find more moments where I could find the okay. Which I know doesn’t sound super inspiring, but it really helped me. I talk about it in the book, about feeling like you’re alone in a pond. If you’re going through a hard time right now, I hope you feel a little less alone.
Links and resources mentioned:
InkersCon: www.inkerscon.com (I think Golden Angel has a $50 discount code)
If you want to tell me what you’re missing out on, or if you’re currently more in a FOMO, JOMO, or ROMO phase, or all of the above, don’t hesitate to leave a comment…
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
New episode of A Self-Publishing Author’s Diary Podcast is up. This one is a numbers episode. I’m focusing on numbers a little bit, and the stories behind them. This will most likely be a recurring segment.
Also, you can listen to this podcast on your favorite podcast platform, but I’m also just adding the audio here for ease. The text below isn’t a transcript but a short summary. If you’d like me to provide transcripts in the future, let me know and I’ll try my best.
I’m going back to the archives for this one. The book I’m talking about is A Summer Like No Other. I released it in 2015. It had 23 preorders. And it became one of my most read books.
I released it as a 99-cent novella, and I had a real plan. Cover reveal with Xpresso Book Tours, NetGalley, YouTube videos, a blog series called The Making Of, emails to every reader who had reviewed 123 (my very first book) asking if they’d want to review the new one. I really worked on the craft too — I’d just done Margie Lawson’s Deep Edits packet and I was trying hard to make every chapter ending pull the reader forward.
I got 23 preorders. In the first three months, I made about $200 on A Summer Like No Other in English, and about $300 on Always Second Best. I still make about that amount on Always Second Best every month, 11 years later.
According to PublisherChamp, A Summer Like No Other in English has now been downloaded 66,550 times. 40,279 audiobooks, 24,414 ebooks, 1,360 paperbacks. Best month was May 2024 with 7,930 downloads.
The French versions tell their own story. Un Été Pas Comme Les Autres had 20 preorders. Une Seconde Chance (Always Second Best in French) had 131. Love in B Minor in French had 229. The French version of A Summer Like No Other is now perma free and has been downloaded 48,368 times, and the translation got picked up by a publisher that was part of Hachette — which is how I became a hybrid author. Lifetime royalties on the French version, including the publisher contract, are a little less than €7,000. (I have seen gotten my rights back as per my contract).
Me in September 2018 signing the contract for my option book (after the publication of the French version of A Summer Like No Other and Always Second Best, my French publisher published the French version of my very first book: One, Two, Three)
In July 2017 – in a bookstore in Compiegne with my parents and the Chemical Engineer, we found my book on the shelves… 🙂 My Dad bought a copy to put in our village’s library.
My books in Auchan (a French grocery store!) (including close to Jenny Han… well her book :-))
In March 2026, the French version of Always Second Best was my number one most sold book of the month. About ten years after that book came out, and it is consistently one of my most sold books every single month.
So preorders really don’t make or break a book. They didn’t then, and they don’t now. If I get 22 or 25 preorders on a book today, I’m okay with it, because I know what can happen.
I’m also working on a third book with Nick and Em. I have a draft I need to expand over the summer. I haven’t written in their voices in more than a decade, so I’m excited and very nervous.
A few other numbers from this week, because that’s the segment:
Two days with more than 6,000 words, thanks to dictation. Dictation has never worked for me before. This time it’s actually fun. I tried it on a walk and it thought I said “could be there a couple of course, and I don’t want to tie her back, so I’m just letting her too washing her face and her chemist,” which is definitely not in my Christmas romcom.
The two YouTube videos that helped me get dictation working: Real Time Dictation Session: Dictate and Edit a Scene With Me by Alyssa in the Books, and Book Dictation for Beginners by The Courtney Project.
Last week’s newsletter (Elodie Now): 205 subscribers, 48.19% open rate, 0.49% click rate, one unsubscribe.
Fun fact — more than 50 subscribers across Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I didn’t know that until this week. Thank you to all of you.
The two YouTube videos that helped me with dictation:
Real Time Dictation Session: Dictate and Edit a Scene With Me — Alyssa in the Books
Book Dictation for Beginners — The Courtney Project
If you’d like to tell me you’re listening, reading and where from, let me know in the comments. 🙂 And tell, what numbers would you maybe like me to look at closer?
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
First audio and video episode…. yes, Bobbie Voltaire might make an appearance. I’m talking about splitting my books into two pen names, what that means for updating newsletter automations, and creating reader bonus scenes. Plus, a sneak peek at Sophie and Liam’s surprise twist, thoughts on making Sweets for Love free, and details on InkersCon 2025 (use code Golden25 for a discount – this is a friend’s affiliate code which *I* am planning on using and thought I’d share with you all).
Have a coffee with me, this short self-publishing podcast episode is taking you my thought process on whether to put my Gavert City series in English in Kindle Unlimited or not…
Also mentioned in this episode:
Golden Angel’s Presentation: Money Matters for Authors with Golden Angel
This is the podcast episode where I tell you allllll about my Facebook Ads account being restricted, and mostly about how I was told everything would be fixed… but it wasn’t. And my ads account is now basically gone. Well, it’s here, but I can’t use it.
A few things in this episode:
I may get slightly frustrated and laugh because sometimes, well, why not laugh?;
I explain the back and forth and more than 80 hours lost in this;
I think about multiple streams of income – including an “I Fail” series;
I talk about expectations;
I focus back on writing…
This is not the episode where you’ll learn how to get your account back. (Spoiler: I haven’t – and I’m no longer trying…).
Have you ever got your FB ads account restricted? Disabled? Back?
Totally looking for a dopamine hit here, but if you’ve listened to the podcast, don’t hesitate to let me know by leaving a comment and make sure you follow my podcast.
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
Hi, it’s me, the author of this blog, it’s me… My last post? Let’s just say it’s been a while. So, I thought I’d share with you a bit of a recap of what I’ve been working on, sharing, updating.
Also Plato The Dog says hi…
NEW AUDIOBOOKS ON YOUTUBE….Also I now have 219 subscribers (are you one of them? Super subtle hint to ask you if you already subscribe…)
LA PEUR DANS LE SANG est dispo en livre audio sur Spotify, Apple, B&N, Kobo,Google Play et plus encore et est aussi maintenant sur YouTube
UN ETE PAS COMME LES AUTRES lu par Maya Belgnaoui est dispo gratuitement en livre audio sur Spotify, Apple, B&N, Kobo, Google Play, Amazon, Audible et plus encore et est aussi maintenant sur YouTube
RECORDING AN AUDIOBOOK IN FRENCH (follow along on YouTube)
And yep I’m recording LA PEUR DANS LES YEUX in French…
REVISING NICE GUYS DON’T KISS LIKE THAT AT CHRISTMAS…And updating my progress on Patreon (yep, I have a FREEPatreon)
You can read several chapters already… including this one on my FREE Patreon
Certain chapters take me longer than others, especially in the revision process… and this one feels like it needs to balance the emotions with the humor. It is a romcom. It is Adam and Eve. It is SO MUCH. (….)
Chapter 15. XXX-ADAM
She’s still wrapped around me, breath shaky against my neck, and I don’t say anything yet. Just let her feel it. Let myself feel it. Our damp skin, the messy sheets around us, the air that smells like her, like me, like us.
Eve had cancer… and is living a romcom. Fuck it, why not?
When I was revising, there was a moment that didn’t feel right. Why did Eve ghost Adam? After everything they’d shared—after the way he made her feel—why wouldn’t she show up in Pittsburgh? Why did she feel like this couldn’t work?
I needed to really understand this to give them their second chance.
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
Very excited about this pacing class by Ines Johnson…
I’ve backed this Kickstaster by Ines about pacing and more and I’m very much looking forward to it. While you can no longer back the project, Ines has a website with more information…I’ve taken her Writing Dirty class and I definitely think about it when I craft, um, certain scenes.
Celebrating Katy’s latest release which is a B&N Monthly Pick
I *am* planning to go to B&N next week to see this beauty in person… But I’m so so excited for Katy and her Lia and Beck and Isaiah to find their ways into your heart. EVERYTHING I PROMISED YOU…
In addition, I’ve been reading (the last one was House Of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen, which I could not put down), and watching XO, Kitty during my lunch break (because it makes me smile, not every episode, but still…) and making sure to stay informed (without spending hours scrolling, though, let’s be honest, I still scroll… but still).
There’s so much happening right now, impacting so many people. I’m about to call one of my representatives about how the NIH funding cuts could affect research on Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Past studies have shown that a significant portion of research funding for certain clinical trials comes from the NIH, and since Hodgkin’s is rare and not exactly the most profitable, these cuts could be devastating—especially for patients in smaller hospitals, not just the big ones. If you’d like to get informed about direct and indirect cuts, here are some articles:
And maybe you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up. Well, many reasons, but not to be dramatic, but I’m alive thanks to research. This is one of the topics I’ll bring up with my representatives when I talk to them.
Because writing is a creative process, and let me tell you, it’s much easier to write when I feel like I’ve done something. And, yes I’m going to keep wanting to bring joy and happiness and so much more through my books.
Thank you for reading <3
Found this post interesting? Don't hesitate to share it.
In this episode, I open up and look back about navigating life with cancer back in 2017—receiving tough PET news, seeking second opinions, and finding support in unexpected places. I talk about how therapy really helped, how romance novels reminded me to escape into stories, and how creativity (not necessarily mine) brought moments of light during some of the hardest times. This episode explores the small yet powerful ways hope can appear, even when it feels out of reach.
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
Amazon announced on October 28th that it’s closing Kindle Vella. To quote their press release: “We’ve made the difficult decision to gradually wind down Kindle Vella in February 2025 as the program hasn’t caught on as we’d hoped…”
Right when they announced it, I was in the middle of doing this huge analysis on what had been working for me—digging into my Facebook ad data, my reads, my bonus… especially since they’d been slashing that bonus pool for the past few months.
This episode is about: a recap of my reads, monthly bonus and royalties writing romance serials on Kindle Vella, my theories and what’s next for my serials (pivoting, again).
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
Intro: First of all, how dare anxiety and writing not prepare me for this? I thought we had a deal—you’d give me fears, I’d be anxious about them. I’d learn, become a Google MD. Heck, I’d even develop OCD—starting young because why not? And boom, when something happens, I’d know how to handle it. Like. A. Pro.
And maybe sometimes, yes.
But when I got diagnosed, that plan went out the window. My brain didn’t like that plan. Or it skipped that lesson entirely for me. Because things didn’t go the way I thought.
I also share what happened in the past two weeks in my writing/self-publishing world, including my newsletters, Facebook Groups I joined and more.
In this episode: I talk about not having control, my first days after diagnosis, how writing can be cathartic…
And if spicy paranormal or fantasy romance is your thing, check out Elizabeth Briggs’ books to support a fellow author going through treatments for stage IV colon cancer: https://elizabethbriggs.com.
This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson. I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to elodie@elodienow.com. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-youJami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.comMy Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWishCancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThatA New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOtherFrench editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les AutresIf the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.www.elodienowodazkij.comwww.elodienow.com
