Here in North America, it’s now well and truly Fall. Depending on how far north of the equator you live, your weather may or may not have turned yet––it has a bit, here, just enough that you can smell it in the rain––but the reality is incontestable.
This being Fall, and this being a self-publishing blog, you might justifiably wonder if we’re going to talk about why you should publish your next book this season. And yes, there are plenty of good reasons to do so; book sales are at their annual highest between September and December. I recently read that indie booksellers move 50% of their books over this period, in part because of holiday sales boosts and in part because of the book awards season timetable, which makes this a fruitful time of year to release a book and generate buzz. I could also point to those holiday sales as a reason unto themselves––self-publishing authors can really benefit from having a “hook” like a significant holiday or an anniversary to hang their book release on.
But that’s not all that I want to talk about today. In the weeks to come, yes, I’ll be writing frequently to highlight the various things one might do to boost sales around each upcoming holiday. But today? Today I want to talk about the Fall abundance, and focus on the writing of a book for a moment, not just the sales.
Fall is quite literally the season of abundance. Or not, depending on how your garden did this year. It’s the time of year when we feel most reflective, looking back at the long arc of a year of hard work. If you’re like me, that means you end up with a grab-bag of mixed feelings: pride (I did that!), anxiety (what will happen next?), grief (that didn’t go well), and hope (maybe I can do better in the years to come). In a way, then, Fall is the most abundant of seasons in respect to what it makes us feel, not just what it brings forth from the earth or unearths in our lives.
Author and speaker Wayne Dyer had a lot to say about abundance, but one of my favorite things he ever said was this:
As I begin shifting gears in blog posts to come and address ways to tackle the holidays, I’d like to start with this notion of “tuning in” to abundance. There’s certainly plenty of hard work and elbow grease required to make a success of self-publishing, but an abundant experience in self-publishing comes from the same place as abundance in all other things: your heart, your life, and your relationship to the world. All the lists of tips and tricks in the world can’t substitute for the simple truth that the best way to succeed is to understand what it is you want and need out of the experience, and to celebrate your unique relationship to the publishing process––and yes, by way of publishing, the world.
Watch this space in the weeks to come for those lists and tips and tricks, but tonight? Spend a minute with your abundant feelings. Think a little bit about what you want. The harvest is due any minute, and this is the moment to catch your breath.
You are not alone. ♣︎
Do you have ideas to share? Please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments section, and I’ll make sure to feature your thoughts and respond to them in my next post!
Self Publishing Advisor 
Hi Elizabeth.
First, let me say thank you for this and all your other wonderful posts.
Next, Happy Fall. Here, it’s teasing us with cool mornings but the afternoons are still nasty hot. Although, I must admit the breezes are cooler and the air is for sure different.
Now, to my idea/tip.
On the first day of September, after having recently read a post on free flow writing and how it could improve one’s writing skill, and another on self-discipline and how important that is to the writing process, I decided that for one entire month I would get up and before reading email, Facebook, or anything else I would journal. I made the decision to do this for an entire month simply because I wanted to see if I could actually stick to it.
I’ve tried and failed with this experiment many times before, but I believe it was because I tried to journal for an entire year, thus felt somehow overwhelmed.
What this has done for me and my mindset as a writer has been amazing to say the least. I am learning to be more mindful about when, what, and how I write. I’m seeing that not only do I now look forward to my daily journaling sessions but once they’re done for the day I find the urge to write is stronger than ever before and is motivating me to work harder on my current writing projects than ever before.
Anyhow, didn’t mean to ramble on.
Thanks again and have an amazing day.
I love this idea, Patty! I’ve been hearing from friends in the South that it’s punishingly hot during the days down there. I hope things cool off soon for you! I love that you rambled on about free flow writing, which is something I’ve seen do wonders for writers I’ve worked with, but haven’t done much of myself beyond the occasional day or two at a time. But your encouragement inspires me–especially with National Novel Writing Month approaching. I think I’ll try it then and see how it goes!
Thank *you*, Patty. I hope your writing keeps on flowing!
Hi, I am well into the second month of it. I continued onward with it during the month of October. I think it is something I will do for a long time. Now I am trying to extend that writing discipline to my manuscript.
I commented earlier on this but wanted to come back and say that since I began on September 1ST I’ve written 99 pages.
Much of what I’ve written will find its way into a trilogy I’m writing and some has already found its way onto my blog.
Happy writing.