Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This episode is brought to you by Atmosphere Press, a hybrid publisher helping authors publish books their readers will love. As this is the hybrid author podcast. I'm absolutely thrilled to have a hybrid publisher as a sponsor at Atmosphere Press are a wonderful bunch of people made up of an international team of book professionals bringing books from raw manuscripts all the way through editorial proofreading, interior design, cover design, publication, global distribution, and publicity. In true hybrid style, atmosphere Press authors keep all their book rights and are involved every step of the way. They have free book giveaways and free author publicity opportunities available right now, so head on over to atmospherepress.com links in the show notes. They are especially eager to publish new work from australian authors, so make sure to reach out to them for a manuscript review. And don't forget to mention the hybrid author podcast in your query or cover letter which will get you a special expedited review.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: Hello authors. I'm Joanne Morell, children's and young adult fiction writer and author of short nonfiction for authors. Thanks for joining me for the hybrid author podcast, sharing interviews from industry professionals to help you forge a career as a hybrid author, both independently and traditionally publishing your book. You can get the show notes for each episode and sign up for your free author pass over at the hybrid author website to discover your writing process, get tips on how to publish productively, and get comfortable promoting your books at www.hybridauthor.com au. Let's crack on with the episode.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: Hello authors.
I hope you're all keeping well in whatever part of the world you reside and listen to. The podcast in today's interview is a loaner sold from me on lessons learned in 2023 and what's in store for 2024 and I chat lessons learned money earned words for both my professional and personal presence in 2024 and much more. I touch on whether I hit the goals I set for myself in the 2022 lessons learned and what's to be in 2023. So I'm not going to have the author adventure segment this week as this episode is largely based around all that I've been doing over the year. So it's a roundup of this too. And as you've heard, a new sponsor has been added to the hybrid author podcast and in a new position of the podcast. So more to come on that in the upcoming episode now.
Lessons learned in 2023 and what's in store for 2024 a roundup of lessons learned in 2023 looking back, 2023 has been one of the most incredible author adventures I've taken to date in life and business. It's been another year of sheer ups and downs, and I think that's really how a year in the life of a human being is supposed to look like. Things don't always go to plan, they don't always work out. But there can be opportunities which present to you you never even dreamed of or thought of or even knew existed, that put you on an entirely different track altogether. You can have experiences that will blow your mind, serve your inspiration and warm your heart. Take the good with the bad. Keep doing you, being you, what you can make of your hybrid author efforts so here's mine from 2023, broken down into sections rather than month by month like I've done in 2022. For those, you can tune into the weekly author adventure updates for that on the podcast episode writing projects in 2023 for the first time in seven years my focus wasn't to be on children's and young adult fiction this year, but somehow I still worked on editing my first in series Junior fiction book the Caravan Kid in February and got inspired to write a picture book called Pinch Pood whilst in Broome, Western Australia in June. So alongside these two works, I had an existing picture book from the year before, to which I began sending out all three on submission to traditional publishing houses, mainly in Australia. There might have been one or two in the UK, possibly the US, and I was rejected 15 times across the three books, possibly more if I didn't write it down in my spreadsheet, but I'm pretty good at updating these things now. However, these writing projects were not my main focus. My writing project focus in 2023 was a big one. I wanted to experiment with independently publishing and rapid releasing women's fiction books. My plan was to write four of these books this year and release each one in a three month period. This experiment bombed greatly for me, so big lessons learned here. Whilst I am getting faster as a writer, I have also learned the art of patience. If a work doesn't feel right, isn't ready, I will not rush it to meet deadlines and hit goals. This is huge for me as I feel impatience has really been my downfall in the past. I also looked at the bigger picture. This experiment might have been achievable had I been living a usual life with usual time frames and regular routines. Knowing what was coming, however, we decided to sell our house, pack up and hit the road in our caravan to travel Australia at the start of the year. We were out of our house by March and on the road in April with not much of a plan, but winging it for how long we were staying in places as we went along, and naively, instead of having more time to write and work on my author business, I felt I had less. I was homeschooling two kids, and when we weren't doing that, we were using every spare minute to explore the places we stayed or travelled to our next destination, which is where I got most of my words down the long hours in the car mostly. So circumstance was against me here. But I don't regret it for a second as we had many amazing adventures up the top end of Western Australia in the Karan, Genie, Caratha, Broome, El Questro, 80 Miles Beach, Cananara and Darwin to name a few. You can follow these adventures if you go back and listen to the hybrid author podcast episodes from April right the way through to July 2023. Also in 2023, I aspired to independently publish and put out another nonfiction book in my author lining series. This series currently consists of two short nonfiction books for authors, freelance writing, quick tips for fast success, and author fears, and how to overcome them. They're both from lived experience setting up and running a freelance writing business, freelance writing, quick tips for fast success, and dealing with a momentous amount of insecurities from striving to have a successful author career in the author fears book. So this is a five book series, which I will finish. I just made some choices over prioritizing projects this year for where I was at in my life, and I'm glad with the outcome. So lessons learned on my writing projects pivot where necessary to achieve what you want. I want to say, don't bite off more than you can chew, but then how do you know what's too big a bite without actually setting high goals and making that realization for yourself?
You never know what's around the corner. These are quite cryptid sayings, but they're all true. This big women's fiction goal to achieve. I've never written a women's fiction book before, and yet it's been the longest work I've ever written at 78,000 words, and I want to pump out four of those quickly.
It just wasn't for the time. So for me, it's knowing my processes, how I tackle a work which makes me write faster and meet expectation. Writing the women's fiction this year was a first for me. Using plotter to plot out my story was also a first for me, so my processes changed, so I didn't know really what was coming. But I believe for the better. These processes and this is certainly the way I will work going forward for now. And also sometimes like with that picture book that wasn't planned, but I was inspired to write it and because it was short form, I just went with it and had to get it down. So there's also these unforeseen projects that just knock you off your fate and you just either have to go with it or bank it for a later time. Book sales in 2023, I was selling my two nonfiction books in all formats, ebook, audio and print on Findaway, voices for audio, Amazon and Ingram Spark for ebook and print, which distribute onto other platforms where you can sell books such as Booktopia in Australia and New Zealand, the Nile, James Bennett ASL in the United Kingdom. You've got Blackwells, Books, Express, Foleys.
There's loads, obviously the US, there's retailers, library, schools, all these big department stores like Walmart and Target. I was also selling ebooks and audiobooks direct from my website, the hybrid author website for the first half of the year and print books direct for the second half of the year when we arrived back in Perth, because obviously I could not take those with us. During this time, I sold double print book formats to digital products, and I sold more on other retailer platforms than direct from my website. And this might make sense because of the effort of me putting into the book selling, which was minimal at the start of the year, and discoverability. So I think that sales can be measured on time and effort put in, as well as lots of other things, and I just don't feel like I put enough time and effort into selling my own products this year. So that's something that I would like to work on. In 2024, the hybrid author podcast. I kept up momentum and continued weekly episodes of the hybrid author podcast, and my listenership has grown significantly from last year, I appeared in a blog post beside australian podcasting royalty Valerie Coo, the so you want to be a writer podcast and Danny v words and nerds. And this kind of exposure is great to let people know who you are and what you stand for. And I noticed a spike in listenership after that. So definitely tying yourself with other podcasts is great. I also hit over 100 episodes this year and it felt amazing. I never even fathomed hitting 100, and I made sure I basked in my glory and truly appreciated how far I'd come since starting the podcast back in 2021. Just a testament to the guests that I've had on this year, the truly amazing conversations which aided, inspired, and intrigued me and my audience. That is truly what podcasting is all about for me. Unearthing great stories people's author adventures to help you with yours for more on analytics and lessons learned, head on over to listen to episode 100. Lessons learned hitting 100 episodes of the hybrid author podcast opportunities because of traveling, I didn't attend many author events this year. I also didn't go to any in person conferences, and I actually didn't actively pitch my books either. So I did, however, enter one competition. In February 2023, I entered my nonfiction book author fears and how to overcome them into the writer's digest competition. Self publishing 2023 awards and whilst I got some great feedback, which I shared a few episodes back, I didn't place or win. I also attended self Pubcon through the alliance of Independent Authors. That was an online conference and I connected with different types of authors, some hybrid. The indie author space is exceptional and one I want to embrace more in next year. 2023 goals so in 2023, did I hit my business goals goal number one, not to put in a zero tax return. In 2023, I achieved this. My business grew from zero incomes to three figures, which is slow growth and not a full time income or near enough to hit my overall goal of supporting myself and my family through this business. But it is a growth nonetheless, and one to be celebrated and built on. So I did in fact achieve this goal by being able to put in an income for this business. My goal to sell 10,000 books was not met.
I did not publish any new books in 2023, which feels so hard to swallow considering the big, ambitious goals I had of publishing the most work ever. But that's simply because I pivot between publishing goals and I got independent and then traditional. And like I said, I'm just not going to rush and put out any old crap. It has to be right. It has to be ready. So 2024 will be fruitful because I have work ready. However, I do feel putting a number on book sales isn't the way to measure my business success, but rather it should be focused on the money. So I was also not actively trying to sell my books for the first half of the year, with the caravan experience pretty much swallowing up my whole existence. It's only been in the second half. I have put in more of an intentional effort to let people know of me and my work, and I will probably double down on this next year. Goal for 2023 publishing four books in three formats, equaling twelve products. So, as you've just heard, this goal consisted of one book in three formats emerging every quarter for 2023. So four quarters. And I have to laugh of how ambitious the goal was. It is the longest, as I said, it's the longest work I've ever written and I expected to write four of them. But I won't stop raising the bar for myself. Where's the fun in that? Where's the challenge in that? Let's be unrealistic in our goal setting and absolutely write phenomenal goals and try and achieve them. Why not? Goal sponsorship of the podcast to pay for all outgoings of the podcast achieved I officially have four sponsors of the hybrid author podcast considering at the end of last year was my first sponsor coming on, which was thorn creative, who created the hybrid author website to which is still the best money I have ever spent on my business. So if you've been floundering around for years like me, trying to create a website, honestly, do yourself a favor and invest in a web designer such as thorn creative. They are professional, affordable, and such a great service in creating beautiful, cleverly designed author websites to drive traffic and sales for your book. I've never looked back since having this website and it's just honestly the best investment. The second sponsor was know I've used plotter to create my women's fiction book this year. Plot through it. I'm now going to be using this. This is now incorporated, this tool is into my processes going forward. The YA book that I'm writing at the start of the year will also be plotting through. You know, they help authors outline faster, organize smarter, and turbocharged productivity with the number one visual book planning and story bible software. So if you haven't heard of plot before, you can go over and check out their website. That's plotttr.com. And the third is Nicole Webb, book publicity and I'm going to have Nicole on the show next year chatting about book publicity for authors. You know what that entails, is it worth it? Etc. And Nicole offers such great services to authors and she was my third sponsor. And also our fourth and newest sponsor is Atmosphere Press. They are a hybrid publisher who are actually appearing on the first episode of the new year of the hybrid author podcast. They're a great bunch of people. From that conversation I had, I just love what they do. They've got the author's interests at heart and that's what we want from people in the business. So these sponsorships pay for the outgoing costs of the hosting of the podcast online, the distribution, the design, and much more. It does not cover my time in producing the show though, which can sometimes be half a day goal to write more and submit more definitely achieved. I have never been more rejected than I have in 2023, and I've never written as many words as well before. I have also been traditionally published this year, though it's just not in novel format, which is what my goal is aimed at. Goal adding the hybrid author podcast onto YouTube. I did not achieve this this year, unfortunately, but I will be achieving it shortly in the new year. I have a plan all worked out for this. It just wasn't made a priority and I thought I'll just do it then. And time just zipped away and as it does so quickly, and obviously it's not as if I've just got ten episodes to upload. I've got over 100. So I still want to really get myself onto this platform and it will be happening. So money earned from the hybrid author podcast income consisted of book earnings, with print products predominantly making the most sales, ebooks second and audiobooks third, both direct and on the retailer platforms. Sponsorship of the hybrid author podcast some buy me a coffee, support from my wonderful listeners, and that's been really been the bulk of the money so far. What's in store for 2024? Writing projects in 2024, I will be launching my women's fiction in the first quarter of the year, so stay tuned for launch details in the upcoming months. If you're in perf area, I'm writing a young adult fiction book for traditional publication, that is at the beginning of the year also, and then on moving on to nonfiction books, I'll be making a junior version of my author fears book, which wasn't something I ever intended to do, but was brought to my attention by a librarian, and I thought, hey, actually, yeah, that's a good idea. I've got all the materials there so I can make it for a child audience and the next in the author Lening series, which is the organized author. More to come on that and I will finish off the year with another women's fiction book, which I will be conducting via Kickstarter. So ambitious goals, writing projects once again at an all time high. But at this stage I have minimal travel plans and I should be able to dedicate the time to achieving them. It's why I love being hybrid. Maybe it's better that I do women's fiction, women's fiction, women's fiction back to back and build that up. But I just have interests all over the shot and that's where I want to apply my interests, all over the shot. So that's why hybrid suits me. Money earned I want to grow my business to five figures in 2024, and I will be doing this through putting out more books, growing my podcast community through Patreon, which offers listeners the chance to support the show directly, and for that you'll be getting access to extra audio and video series I'll be uploading in the new year on specific behind the scenes stuff and topics of interest. The podcast, as I said, will go onto YouTube, and I will be also speaking more. I've got a booking part of a literary festival in March, and I will be conducting freelance one off sessions. I'm hoping to do one per month on various workshops and talks that are linked to my experiences and books and podcasts and all the other stuff I do. So listen out for them. So my focus for earning money through the hybrid author is ultimately putting out more books, speaking gigs, opening up more sponsorship spots on the podcast, and building a Patreon community. Words for my business organization was the word for the hybrid author business this year, and I believe I stayed true. Hence the organized author book next year. That has been in the back of my mind for a while, because if you knew me pre kids, I've always felt like I've running around chasing my tail, and that's probably been a bit of a downfall for the business as well. But this year I have become completely organized in my processes in the way that my business is set up, and boy has it ever saved me time, stress, all of it. So there's definitely a book there, and I feel like it's going to be a bit of a humorous retelling rather than the other two nonfictions, which were they're almost like a flippy book. You can just go with the little short snippets of lived experience. So my personal word for 2023 was love, and this word was a little bittersweet as I haven't shared this on the podcast, and quite frankly, I haven't been ready to talk about it. And I mean, I suppose I don't have to, but my situation has changed and I'm slowly beginning to now feel able to talk about it and want to talk about it. But our trip around Australia was cut short, our caravan trip in July because I separated from my husband. And for those of you who listen, can imagine or might have been through a separation yourself, it's a first. For me, it's been a really, truly difficult time these last six months. I was married for ten years, together for 15 with two kids, and it has been terribly hard navigating my own emotions as well as showing up for those of my kids at the same time trying to cope with their world once again flipping upside down for the second time this year after we sold the family home, ripped them out of school and took them touring, and then, unfortunately, to separate. And I just want to make it clear that the caravan trip was incredible from it really was. I recommend that families absolutely do it. It was definitely not the demise of my marriage didn't help the close quarters, but yeah. So I have slowly been getting back on my feet. I gave up my part time technical script writing job at the beginning of the year, and since being back, we also sold our house as well. So you need to be having regular income coming in to be able to obviously buy a house or do things like that. I did get a job, I think I announced in one of the episodes as a segue tour guide, but after only three weeks, my boss actually showed her true colors and she berated me one day and I just told her where to stick the job because I haven't come across someone like that before in probably a long while. And to be quite frank, I'm not putting up with it. No one deserves to be treated in a poorly manner, whoever the hell they think they are, whether they're a boss of the company, not doing it. So, as it stands, this author business is now my full time gig, and I go into 2024 as a separated single parent residing at my parents house because, as I said, we sold ours at the start of the year. Rental houses at the moment are astronomical. To buy a property is even worse. You think coming up to 40, this isn't how you picture what your life would be like, but for varying reasons, this is me right now, and the women's fiction work that I'm putting out in the new year, I feel is emerging exactly the right time where it's supposed to, because I've got a lot to say about this time in my life. It's not based on, obviously myself or anything like that, but just the themes it deals with, relationships, love, loss, friendship, family. I'm able to write openly and honestly in my own language rather than have to sort of hold back in the children's fiction genre age group that I've been doing all these years. And I feel through this work, I'm definitely landing where I began, which was the first manuscript I ever wrote, and it was a ya. I do tend to write in an older voice, and I think this is where I'm supposed to be, so I can't wait to share this work with you and hear what you've got to say. The deadline for to get it finished was at the start of December and I am still getting it through to the editor this weekend so that it's all come together. There's something absolutely magical about a work coming together. In the end, you just need to trust it will that feeling you get. I'm so proud. I'm so proud of this work. I can't wait to celebrate it. I just want to do it again and again and again and again and with me sort of bringing up the day jobs and things like that. These day jobs, they just don't feel right. It just does not feel like what I'm supposed to be doing, what I'm supposed to be doing is what I'm doing in this business right now. So words for 2024 in business are stay true. I want to stop talking about my writing and my author business as if it isn't a viable real thing just because it's not earning me the kind of money I need it to just yet and learn to take a compliment. The editor of my women's fiction book gave me some lovely raving comments about my work and I honestly just blushed from head to toe. I just feel so out of place when someone gives me a kind word or says something good to me. It's like a cringing moment or something. So I need to stop that and yeah, just accept and be gracious in personal words. It's still going to be love. Love myself, my kids and my family dearly and love this life that we've been lucky to be given. I know 2024 is going to look very different than the life that I've had for many years, but I'm excited at the prospects, at the opportunities and the ambitions I have, the lessons I'm going to learn and provide others, the content I'm going to be bringing you and sharing you and putting out in the world. I've got some amazing guests for the podcast. It's absolutely brimming with interviews already for the next coming months and the topics are just outstanding and I'm really excited about all that. As I said, I've got all projects to release and things are good in that respect. But of course, none of this even matters without you, the listeners of this podcast, the buyers of my book, my friends, mentors, creators, sponsors of the podcast, this whole community and industry. Thank you. Thank you for what you give to me and what you bring. It's just I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of it. And I hope that you've gotten from me as much as what I've gotten from you.
So there you have it folks. Lessons learned in 2023 and what's in store for 2024. I hope you all reflect on this year that's been I hope it was everything you wanted it to be. And if it wasn't, I hope that you will incorporate your 2024 goals into making things happen, the things that you want to happen, and go for your life. Next time on the hybrid Author podcast, we have new sponsor to the hybrid author podcast Atmosphere Press Nick Courtwright on taking charge of your destiny as a creator. Ignore the haters or lower your standards. I wish you a very happy new year when it comes. I'll see you in the new year. That's it from me. Bye for now.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: That's the end for now authors. I hope you are further forward in your author adventure after listening, and I hope you'll listen next time. Remember to head on over to the hybrid author website at www.hybridauthor.com dot au to get your free author pass. It's bye for now.
Close.
