So I wrote a book, now what…

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2 minute read

I did it. I actually finished a book. Shadowcraft HERA Rising, written back in 2021 before AI was writing everything for everybody. Every word is mine. Every plot twist, every late night where I should have gone to bed two hours earlier. The only thing AI touched was generating the cover graphic, which turned out pretty cool, actually.

So the book is on Amazon. Kindle and paperback. And it’s just sitting there.

I’ve thrown stuff at the wall.

Facebook Ads, Instagram, even X or Twitter, or whatever we’re calling it this week. Campaigns, posts, hashtags into the void. I’ve sold a handful of copies, mostly Kindle ebooks. Enough to know that real people found it. Not enough to pretend I’m living the dream. Turns out “starving author” is just “starving artist” with a word processor and a slightly different set of excuses.

Nobody tells you that writing the book is actually the fun part. Marketing is a whole separate thing, and I am clearly not great at it yet.

I’m genuinely stuck on what to try next.

Do I go harder on social media with smarter targeting? Start reaching out to book bloggers and BookTok people? Submit to indie review sites? Build an email list from scratch? Actually figure out Goodreads? Hit up local bookstores?

And here’s the thing that’s really messing with me

I’ve actually started the sequel. Scrivener is open, there are scenes written, and the plot is mapped out. But it’s really hard to stay motivated when you’re staring at sales numbers that aren’t moving. I love the story; I want to write it, but some days I open Scrivener and just kind of stare at it. Is it even worth finishing if I can’t get people to find the first one? That’s not me being dramatic; that’s a real question I’m sitting with every time I sit down to write.

If you’ve been through this and figured something out, I’d genuinely love to know. And if you haven’t read it yet, it’s right here on Amazon. No pressure. Okay, maybe a little pressure.

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