As mentioned in a previous post, I have been busy overhauling my novelettes. I decided to remove them all from Amazon, and start again.
What madness is this? On 29th November 2015 I sent my first novelette, Out of my Debt, into cyberspace via Kindle Direct Publishing. I went on to self-publish four more novelettes, along with a collection of stories. I had a few sales, but I wasn't earning enough to live on. To be quite honest, I wasn't even earning enough to eat beans on toast every night. Lol.
I became disheartened, and stopped trying to promote the novelettes, I just left them there basically. Instead I began to focus on writing a non-fiction book about bringing up a puppy.
Then I relocated, and during that crazy summer when I was travelling round the UK, I saw a competition to pitch an idea for a story. It sparked my interest, and I pitched an idea which the publisher was interested in.
Once I'd settled down for the foreseeable, I began writing my new story. The publisher chose not to pursue it, but I had faith in it and I always intended to self-publish it. A lot of my time was taken up with getting my non-fiction book ready though, and once I'd self-published it, promoting the hell out of it.
What I learnt from that experience will, I hope, stand me in good stead for promoting my novelettes. The other great thing was that it gave me a huge confidence boost, and so I dug out my story. It's been edited now, and I have a few things to tweak, but I still hope to get it out before Christmas.
As well as writing a fresh story, I've revamped Out of my Debt. It has been edited in parts, and it also has a new title, cover and blurb. I think (hope) that it's more appealing to potential readers. Time will tell. I enjoyed the process, and I think the story is all the stronger for the changes I've made.
I'm delighted to announce that three years on from being published in its former guise, that Ruby's Secret is live right now on Amazon, and it's free until Wednesday, 5th December, so why not get downloading now? I'd love to know what you think of it.
Helen 😊
