All the Lessons (un)learned

#1 Covers:

Before I even wrote (or could write), I drew. There were people of course, but also animals, in particular horses, and my mum had a neat trick for doing lovely flowers in coloured pencils I still use with small children to this day.

Growing up, my dad was a computer fan and so I started using Paint at a young age too (my right thumb is even further turned than my left from mouse use!) and I just kept going afterwards. Naturally I figured I could do my own covers when the time came (I was unemployed so I didn’t have much to invest anyway).

I don’t think I did such a bad job, really. But here are Soldier On and Omega for the Pack and, well, you can tell I’m no pro, right? (Click through for the current covers)

Original covers for "Soldier On" & "Omega for the Pack"

Not that pros cannot fuck up because another lesson about covers is that they are not just beautiful works of art but branding tools and they have to also tell the reader what genre you are promoting and intrigue them. Representing the characters’ physical appearance is a plus, not a need (though I try my best even today to get the diverse ethnicities). The cover of Cracking Ice is an example of a gorgeous cover that does not adequately say “gay hockey romance”, which is entirely on me as I did not listen to Natasha Snow when I commissioned it.

Cracking Ice box set surrounded by tropes. Secret lovers, accidental sex, enemies to lovers, coworkers, can't keep their hands off each other, bi awakening, biological compatibility, insta!lust.

I haven't given up on my visual artistry, really, but nowadays I let a pro make the covers and thus we get:

Covers for "A Bond Unbroken", "A Light in Winter" and "Not to be Borne" by Annie O'Hara.

#2 Too many hats

As an indie author, I have numerous jobs besides actually writing and rewriting and I get constantly bombarded with even more ideas to improve my reach, my sales, my social media, the quality of my writing, my covers, my ads, my...

And goddess, it’s exhausting.

I’m not very good at a lot of those things, and the ones I want to get better at require discipline and constant work.

Even when I delegate a task, such as a translation, I’m ultimately still the one in charge. Translators will provide me with a fully edited manuscript, but formatting is up to me, as it’s uploading it to retailers.

Naturally, selling my rights to a printing house to do it all for me is an option... But a very pricey one I do not recommend. It’s 30% vs 70% royalties so I only did once with the German version of Omega Under the Moon and that is why the sequel has been with them for like 6 months and I still don’t know when it’s coming out.

These books also won’t have links to the rest of my books on the back, which means a lot of those readers won’t find me even if they love it!

But wait, hats! You can’t wear them all, you can’t do TikTok and all the other social media and write and deal with cover artists and edit and of course answer reader emails, coordinate book promos with other authors... And sleep and eat and maybe have a social life.

The sooner you admit you are finite and decide what really matters to you, the sooner you will be able to enjoy being an author.

There will always be more to do, accepting the to do list is not disappearing is part of adulting. And you know what? Nothing actually explodes when I stop working and go chill for a bit, which, if your workaholic brain needs a reason, is actually serving the purpose of letting you both heal and process all the input that will then become your writerly output.

#3 It’s okay to accept help

This is a lesson that I have been trying to put into practice in all areas of my life, truly.

For reasons both natural and learned, I am a very self-reliant person and I feel like if someone does something for me, I owe them somehow. Total lie, but... Well, I wish I had reached out to readers to ask them to beta read sooner, for example, because I have learned so much from reader feedback! And these are people who truly love what’s coming out of me, so they are truly happy to do it because it feels to them like contributing to something beautiful.

So even if you are a super new author, make a list for Beta Readers and reviewers. It’s an invitation and when someone takes you up on it, take that unexpected gift knowing it will bring you both joy.

Lessons I want to learn:

#1 how to find a PA and keep them (it just never seems to work out for long)

#2 craft. I have taken some writing courses, one by C.S. Pacat which I loved, and read a million books on the subject. But yeah, I love doing it and I love the effect it has on my writing.

#3 learn how to write short stories/novellas. Both because sometimes it’s what I want to write and because it would mean tightening up both my prose and my plotting.

#4 learn how to write complex political plots, because damn, KJ Charles! And the Administration series lady! And and... So many of my favourite stories. Sometimes I feel I’m too autistic and therefore honest and straightforward for such things, but well, this is a wish list so.

#5 More writerly friends and community. This is a very important one and something I need more of  in RL too (Argentina helps a lot with this, because people are almost ridiculously friendly... And nosy). I’m a babbly human and that means I love chatting to people about random stuff and learning what their lives are like, getting and giving advice... And letting others shape who I am and become. On this line, I’d also love to co-write with someone.

What about you? What's on your To Learn List? What would you have liked someone to tip you off about 10 years ago?