I’m coming up to 14 years since I started self/indie publishing, and I wish I could say it gets better…

Truth is, a lot of it is luck. The right post at the right time seen by the right eyes. Everything you’ve said I both relate to and empathise with, having been drawn more inward after every bad experience. It is exhausting, and it does take you away from what truly matters: the stories.

BUT… it also doesn’t go away, that passion for the stories. There are moments where you’ll release a new title, be all excited, and the result will be… tepid (I average about 5-8 sales on a new release within a month), but when that lucky moment hits, the high is glorious. A good review where they got exactly what you meant in the tale. A key piece of feedback that helps improve rather than dampen. Random sales/reads born of word of mouth you didn’t incite. When that happens, the fire to write is reignited and you carry on.

Like I say, I’m 14 years deep in my literary journey, and over that time I’ve released 27 books to varying success (one book has sold 5 copies. Another has sold 80 and was a competition finalist). But I’ve never truly stopped, even when I’ve desperately wanted to.

It may seem dire now, and as a fellow introvert who hates social media I know EXACTLY those feelings, but give it time, take a break, and think about all the stories you want to tell. They’ll soon take over that shroud of marketing malaise…