Writing and Why and Working Through Things

On November 10th, I released the English and French editions of A New Year’s Eve Like No Other on the same day. And my brain has been busy...This week’s diary comes in two parts: questions I’m asking myself, followed by a peek inside my release-day brain (which may have been slightly scattered).On my mind:Newsletters and bonus scenes: After more than twelve years of sending newsletters, is my setup still working for me, and also for readers who want bonuses from several books?Preorders: Only 34% of my French Amazon preorders went through. Amazon support attributed the missing ones to payment failures. And now I wonder: should I continue doing long preorders? How do they fit with my writing process? Kickstarter: I’m preparing for the Cancer Is Not My Brand (And Yet) kickstarter, and wondering what you might like me to share along the way. Don't hesitate to send me an email.The business and craft of writing: Improving my craft, reviewing expenses, and exploring what I can do with the books I already have.There’s also the work of releasing in two languages, an unexpected (but very welcome) surge in downloads for one of my free books, and another release approaching very quickly.If you’re also juggling projects and trying to remember what you walked downstairs to do… I’m with you.Take a breather. And welcome to this week’s Raccoon Author Diary.Links mentioned in this episode:The Raccoon Author Diary Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/theraccoonauthorBecca Syme - I'm Not Making $10K in Profits... What Am I Doing Wrong? (Becca's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/beccasyme)InkersCon: https://inkerscon.com/Cancer Is Not My Brand (And yet...) Kickstarter: 1https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1903722368/cancer-is-not-my-brand-and-yet?ref=aoo2q1

Well, I did a very raccoon thing this morning. 🦝Instead of recording the episode I'd planned, I created an entirely new Patreon for The Raccoon Author Diary. Because apparently, I needed another project. So, we're pivoting!This week, I'm sharing the ups and downs of my self-publishing week: an invitation to record a Spotify Wrapped video, September royalties that are down overall but UP on several retailers, a Kickstarter pre-launch page with four followers (including me and my husband), and the absolute joy of discovering that someone borrowed my Sweets For Love audiobook from a library!Plus, some writing updates, social media adventures, and a reminder to actually breathe while working. Apparently, I sometimes forget.What about you? What's one up or one down from your writing week?Happy writing and happy, happy reading!🦝 LINKS MENTIONEDNew Raccoon Author Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/cw/theraccoonauthorCancer Is Not My Brand Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1903722368/cancer-is-not-my-brand-and-yet?ref=aoo2q1Vanessa Vale's Box Method class: Thrifty Tips For Authors | Facebook# Sweets For Love audiobook: https://books2read.com/sweetsforlove/Contact me: hello AT TheRaccoonAuthor.com or [email protected]: https://www.elodienowodazkij.com

I’ve posted 14 Instagram trial reels over about three weeks, and… the results have been mixed. Let’s put it that way.In this episode, I’m sharing my actual numbers: views, likes, saves, who’s seeing my videos, and whether any of it seems to be translating into book sales. I talk about posting in English and French from Belgium, cross-posting to TikTok and Facebook and Pinterest.There’s also a little detour into how sharing excerpts helped me revise my books, a reminder from Leslye Penelope about showing up and forgiving ourselves when real life happens, and me remembering that I cannot do all the things for all the pen names. Apparently.Plus, my Kickstarter pre-launch page for Cancer Is Not My Brand (And yet…) is live! I’m also restarting the Raccoon Author newsletter and sharing an upcoming workshop from Becca Syme.Still experimenting. Still learning. I’ll keep you updated.LINKS MENTIONEDCancer Is Not My Brand (And yet…) on Kickstarter — click “Notify me on launch”: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1903722368/cancer-is-not-my-brand-and-yetSign up for the Raccoon Author newsletter: https://raccoonauthornewsletter.subscribepage.io/Join the Raccoon Author tier on Elodie’s Writing Nook Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/elodieswritingnook/membership Becca Syme’s workshop, “I’m Not Making 10K in Profits. What Am I Doing Wrong?”: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/2ugvwsiva3sm Leslye Penelope’s “Consistency, Authenticity & Going Viral”: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/consistency-authenticity-and-goingThe Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass by Leslye Penelope: https://lpenelope.com/book/the-inevitable-undoing-of-zahara-douglass/Skye MacKinnon’s AuthorScale interview about Kindle screenshots and trial reels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3EIiGsEcIg&t=12s&pp=ygULYXV0aG9yc2NhbGU%3D Rachel Jonas’s AuthorScale interview about her 90-day posting challenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSOozi4FNjg&t=2715s&pp=ygULYXV0aG9yc2NhbGU%3DMy Substack:https://elodienowodazkij.substack.com/My website: https://www.elodienowodazkij.com Thank you so much for listening. Subscribe, leave a rating, or share this episode with an author friend—it helps a whole lot.Happy writing, and happy, happy reading!

Short episode as all the plans are in my head and they need to get on paper. But also... I am finally organizing my office and the print raccoon author I got commissioned has the words "But what if it works?" Which made me smile so I thought I'd share it with you all.As always my Patreon (there's a Raccoon Author tier) https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook and my website: https://elodienowodazkij.com/the-raccoon-author/

I started listening to Abbie Emmons’ Make Your Story Matter, and one question she mentioned authors should ask themselves is "Why does your story matter?" And that immediately got stuck in my head in a loop. In this Dear Raccoon Author Diary episode, I’m talking about writing and why and working through things, lots of things—what I want readers to feel, what I sometimes work through myself within the pages, and how all of that fits alongside the very practical business side of being an indie author.How I want to both look at my numbers without losing my "why". I talk about Genevieve and Theodore and revising "A New Year's Eve Like No Other", about grief and Margie Lawson's deep EDITS technique, duets versus standalones both in terms of craft and revenue, read-through and audiobook and translations costs and oh, Amazon deciding to mess-up with permafree books, including mine.Basically, it's a very Raccoon Author mix of craft, feelings (lots of them) and numbers.And underneath it all, I keep coming back to that question: Why does this matter to me, and hopefully, to the readers?Abbie Emmons — Make Your Story Matterhttps://benbellabooks.com/shop/make-your-story-matter/🦝 Join me on Patreon — Raccoon Author tier:https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnookPreorder Cancer Is Not My Brand https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/Margie Lawson:https://www.margielawson.com/And I’d love to hear from you: Why does your story matter? Elodie AT Elodienow.comHappy writing. And happy, happy reading. ❤️

This podcast episode was recorded outside of Venice and this is just me, the Raccoon Author, giving you an update on... not writing and not working.Because I did take a break for a few days before starting up again on updating my social contributions in Belgium and refilling the creative well.www.elodienowodazkij.com

A few days in this Raccoon Author’s self-publishing life. 🦝On September 8, I’m once again trying to figure out what the heck is happening with my Facebook Ads account (the saga continues…), while also revising, answering tax questions, working on BookSprout and replying to readers.Then on September 12, my brain goes from AuthorScale to listening to Lucy Score on the SPA Girls Podcast, to Gallup Strengths, writing through emotions, feeling seen by another author’s process… and, obviously, coming up with even more ideas for future podcast episodes.Because apparently I needed more ideas. Links mentioned in this episode:Skye MacKinnon talking about her AuthorScale / trial reel results on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3EIiGsEcIgSPA Girls Podcast — EP546: Interview with Lucy Score: Breaking Out / Advice For New Authors🦝 More behind-the-scenes Raccoon Author content on Patreon / Elodie’s Writing Nookhttps://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook⁠The Raccoon Authorhttps://elodienowodazkij.com/the-raccoon-author/You can also email me at [email protected] writing, and happy, happy reading. 🦝

87 books sold. Less than $100 in royalties. And… I’m actually not panicking about it? 🦝In today’s Raccoon Author's Self-Publishing Diary, I’m getting into the numbers behind My Christmas Wish List, my Christmas rom-com that came out at the end of July — including its veryyyyy long road to publication, the pre-order I canceled, why I eventually put it back up at $0.99, and what that meant for my royalties.Because selling MORE books does not necessarily mean making more money. I’m also looking at the bigger picture: how the other books in my Love in Swans Cove series have performed during the holiday season, why I’m keeping My Christmas Wish List at $4.99 now, why I’m not t running ads right now, and why I don't think a book's first month tells us its entire story.Especially when it’s a Christmas book. In September.I also talk about something I took away from an SPA Girls interview with Elana Johnson about working on a primary AND secondary writing project at the same time — which may or may not have given my raccoon brain permission to think more seriously about the next Love in Swans Cove book. And yes: I’m coming back after the holiday season with updated numbers so we can see what actually happened.Coming soon, too: the 80/20 rule. Does 20% of my catalog really generate 80% of my publishing income? I have started crunching the numbers…🦝 JOIN ME ON PATREON / ELODIE’S WRITING NOOKhttps://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook🎄 MY CHRISTMAS WISH LISThttps://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish📊 PUBLISHER CHAMPhttps://www.publisherchamp.com/🎧 SPA GIRLS — Inside a Prolific Author’s Daily Routine ft. Elana Johnson& From Zero to $100K per Month – A Prolific Author’s Business Strategy ft. Elana Johnson 🦝 THE RACCOON AUTHORhttps://elodienowodazkij.com/the-raccoon-author/Happy writing, and happy, happy reading. ❤️

I’m trying something new! Alongside the deeper-dive episodes, I’ll also be sharing shorter Dear Raccoon Author Diary episodes—honest little snapshots from the messier, more emotional side of the self-publishing life.Today’s entry was recorded on one of those publishing days that felt a bit harder. I talk about disappointing royalty numbers, Substack, the comparison game, and how quickly one difficult day can make it feel as though everyone else is doing better than you.More Dear Raccoon Author Diary entries will be available to members of the Raccoon Tier over on Elodie’s Writing Nook on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook/membership

What exactly is a Raccoon Author, and what does that have to do with author branding?In this episode of The Raccoon Author’s Self-Publishing Diary, I’m reintroducing myself, talking about how I think about branding as an indie author, and why the raccoon has somehow become part of mine.I’m also sharing where the raccoon idea came from, how it connects to the way I write and work, and why branding doesn’t have to mean squeezing yourself into one tiny, perfectly polished box.Plus: my Gallup Strengths, Achiever energy, multiple pen names, too many projects, manuscript bloopers, dictation, an Instagram Reel that got 145 views and no love, and ten dictated chapters in one weekend.Basically: author branding, creative chaos, self-publishing, and a lot of raccoon energy.Links & things I mentionedSupport The Raccoon Author on Patreon — including the Raccoon Author tier and the Emotional Support Crew.Preorder Cancer Is Not My Brand — the nonfiction book I’m currently revising and, appropriately enough, the book that got me thinking even more about branding, identity, and what we choose to be known for.I’ve learned a LOT from Becca Syme and the Better-Faster Academy. You can find Becca Syme’s Patreon here.I also backed Claire Taylor’s Writing Iconic Relationships Kickstarter — because apparently the Learner/Input part of my raccoon brain still wants more things to learn and I really liked her writing iconic characters book. Plus I write romance and that iconic relationships bit speaks to me...The Raccoon Author⁠ — the home for my slightly chaotic, very curious self-publishing diary.