Six years? SIX! Where did the time go? The calendar is a damn liar, 2019 was two years ago; three, max. Grumble grumble. Whatever, at least I know last year was 2024, and I’d hoped to, let’s see...:
"Market, market, market some more. Finish book two. Pay down the mortgage. Survive the ponderous tightening of the Public Service screw. Stand in opposition to the unabashed evil sprouting up across the globe. See some friends. Play some D&D. Publish book two."
Okay, how'd I do? Check; Mulligan; check; I’m still technically alive; a bit; check; check; sort of. Not too bad considering I was only active for the first few months of 2024 for...reasons (Subscribers know the details. Hint, hint.).
The first half of 2024 was great. I started off strong with my first ever publication, in Radon Journal: a paid, semi-professional, anarchic and transhumanist magazine. That’s right, I’ve gone semi-pro, baby! The big leagues are that much closer. Radon is a great publication, very collaborative and open to my particular blend of horrifying humour. They helped make my flash piece, “Street Level,” really shine. If dystopic futures and a dire sense of humour are your jam, check it out!
I was also incredibly fortunate to be reviewed by the Dungeon Dive YouTube channel. Royce, the host, is a good guy and great at showcasing solo gaming products; I highly recommend his channel. Best of all, he has 33.3k subscribers and loved The Citadel of Bureaucracy! Royce gets all the credit for my bump in sales last year.
I was also interviewed by Kay’s Hidden Shelf, a local BookTuber, and Radon Journal. Kay is great, and her channel is full of indie reviews and author interviews. Both interviews are my best to date—do give them a watch/read.
In the wake of all this, I was finally able to complete my space opera novelette, Red Sun Over Silver City. It’s great fun; think: Guardians of the Galaxy meets Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s got everything: antics, gunplay, sexbots, banter, starship battles, medical debt. It'll have you laughing and wanting to overthrow capitalism at the same time. Be sure to get a free ebook version of Red Sun by signing up for my quarterly newsletter.
In terms of sales, I sold another 147 books! That’s ten less than last year, but I didn’t do any in-person events or publish Summer Sowing. Considering my limited writing activity, those sales numbers are stellar. I can’t believe I’ve sold at least one book per month two years running, much of it on word of mouth. Simply amazing. Thank you for keeping me going.
What I love is how international my sales are. The UK, Germany, Japan, France, Italy—seeing a sales in another country makes me smile. Every time.
Jeeze, what else? After gaming up a storm early in the year, I started binging Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. Man, are they good books. Gripping, psychological, and so well written. She’s the kind of writer I aspire to become. My favourite of the bunch is Faithful Place. That family...all too familiar in their dynamics. Tana really knows her material. I’m nearly finished The Trespasser, which is probably her best plotted to date, but don’t quote me on that until I’ve finished. A couple of her books don’t stick the landing as well as they could, at least for me, but they’re all great reads. Just grand, so.
Lastly, as for my future, I want to get Summer Sowing complete this year. That’s really the main goal (mind and body willing). I’ll keep putting myself out there on social media (check me out on Facebook and Bluesky), of course, and pester the odd Booktuber or blogger for a review, but I’m going to try to get myself back into fighting shape and focus on the one book. That's job enough for any writer.
Until then, I remain yours in good humour and civility,
J.D. (Jeremy) Mitchell
Ottawa, Ontario
January 4, 2025
P.S. If you've read one of my books, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads or wherever you bought it. Reviews really keep indie authors going.
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