Ohmystarsohmystarsohmystaaaars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t believe it!!! Something incredibly AMAZING AND TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE JUST HAPPENED!!! Eeek!!! So… yesterday, I woke up. Did the usual things. Chatted with my awesome writing buddy (hi, Abbie! ;D). And then wrote some words.
And then I had the very random urge to just look up my book online… Random, I knoooow!!! But I do that sometimes (not very often since gaaargh, it can mess with my head!). And I found something…
Unbelievable.
Incredible.
Something that made me scream and jump and shake my mom by the shoulders.
And that something is apparently, my book is now being sold elsewhere!!!!!!!!!! Eeek!!! I first found it available on bookshop.org, and oh my goodness, I HAVE NO WORDS for my excitement!!! And then later that evening, I found out that Enchantria is now available on so many other online bookstores – Waterstones, Foyles, Hatchards, Better World Books, Thrift Books, Books a Million, Abe Books, etc!!!!
And I just… can’t believe it.
Yes, it’s super exciting!!!!!
But it’s also… incredible and so unbelievable!!! Because it’s just kind of like… I’m not just an Amazon author anymore. I did it! And then I cried.
Yes, I cried. Practically sobbed in front of my computer and feeling as light as air and literally thinking. “What on Earth did I do to deserve this??”
And it’s just… so incredible. To see my book in other bookstores and to know I’m actually reaching more people and eeeek, it’s just so exciting!!! If I had told my ten-year-old self what she’d be up to, two years after she started writing, I don’t know what she would’ve done.
Shaken me by the shoulders?
Screamed?
Demanded explanations?
All totally valid. 🙂
But yeah!!! I just… can’t believe it! I can’t believe how far I’ve come. I can’t believe I’ve written a whole book! I can’t believe it’s actually selling. I can’t believe I actually have friends! (haha, yes, I had no friends at age ten……… sad? Perhaps). And I can’t believe I’ve done this!!!
So thank you.
Sure I might’ve worked hard. And yes, that probably did help.
But I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you guys. Because while the author puts a lot of work into his/her/their book…
Ultimately, it’s also the readers who bring it to life.
The people who pick up that book. The people who get lost in the stories. The people who read this book, take a look at it, and decide to believe in it. The people who have stuck with the characters through this journey. The people who took one look at me – a weird, twelve-year-old girl with a mild obsession with crystals and magic – and decided to believe in me and support me.
Thank you so much.
When I started this blog, when I started writing, I NEVER would’ve believed I’d come this far. And when I did publish my book, I was pretty sure it would only be on Amazon and no one would ever read it.
I was really wrong. And this is one of the times when I’m very glad I was wrong.
And now look where I am. A published author at age 12, with carpal tunnel syndrome (WHICH IS NOT FUN), with a blog, and with people actually reading my books.
And now my books are available in other places!!!!!!!!!!! I’m not just an Amazon author anymore!!! So if you guys wanna check out Enchantria over there (please do! And spread the word to everyone you know!), you can find the links in the NEWS section of my blog!
So yeah. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and thanks for reading!!! And I hope you guys will continue to stick with me while I continue this journey (and maybe try and win the Newbery?). And now, I shall see you guys in the next post!!!!!!
Isabelle
CONGRATLATIONS, ISABELLE!
What an achievement! One of the things that most inspires me is watching how young authors seize control of their writing careers right from the start by indie publishing. It’s a smart move. Technology has enabled authors to reach their readers directly, and you are well-positioned to take advantage of it. And please DO try for the Newbery!
Eeeeh, thank you so much!!! Hehe, I would love to try for the Newbery, but I think it’s the judges you pick books. I don’t think there are submissions… And I’d need to be traditionally published. And live in the US.
But eeeeeeek, this is so exciting!!!!