I’m not gonna lie: 2024 can suck it. This year was the most draining, challenging, and personally unfulfilling writing year in a while. I wrote some books (THE OCEAN HUGS HARD and BLOOD FAMILY), I started drafting another book (A sooper seekret project with another author, my first co-writing project), I saw the publication of a weird fantasy story about immigrants (SATYRDAY NIGHT FIVER) in the Cozyish anthology, and I went hog wild in September and wrote four new stories. As far as publishing anything new, that wasn’t in the cards. Rejection happened like it always does. magazines, anthologies, websites. All said no to my stories, altough I did get a few notes from editors who told me one particular story I submitted “came close” and made it to the final round of edits where it was ultimately rejected. I’ll polish that one and send it out in 2025.
Along the way, I had some success, although “success” isn’t the right word. I’ll call it run-ins with the Luck-Monster. It wasn’t that I gained tons of sales (I didn’t) or netted legions of readers (I didn’t). I learned a few painful lessons about publishing and writing, not to mention a few painful lessons about people.
The Luck-Monster prevented me from experiencing a total breakdown and said “keep going” when the odds were stacked against me. I had a few good reviews from readers who enjoyed THE OCEAN HUGS HARD. I’ve also had some three-star reviews and other tepid reactions. I’ve experienced my first major failure with BLOOD FAMILY in terms of sales and reviews. Frustration and self-loathing aside, I blame myself for the poor reception. Promoting books is a challening business. I’m an intensely private person, so playing the role of an extrovert and posting about my private life on social media makes me uncomfortable. But that’s exactly what authors should do if they expect readers to know who they are.
My New Year’s resolution for 2025 is to use social media more as a public relations tool instead of shilling my books.
But 2024 wasn’t all bad. I was awarded a Fellowship in Prose from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Two of my novels and one short story were published. THE OCEAN HUGS HARD won two second place honors in The BookFest Awards. My 2023 novel MR. PENNY-FARTHING was a finalist in the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the American Fiction Book Awards. I signed a contract for a story for an anthology in 2025, and I attended a writing seminar and speculative fiction writing convention. I also cleaned my office and installed a reading nook so I can chill out with my home library.
I don’t know what the future has in store. It’s a mercurial and hazy bitch. I’m no soothsayer and can’t peek into a crystal ball, so my predictions for 2025 would be guessing. The only thing I can do for the next 365 days is write, read, and learn from others. I do know: There will be plenty of fun books next year from authors I like. Marketing my work is an uphill climb, especially for an obscure indie writer, but I’ll keep going. I’m co-authoring a book with another writer, and I’ll be completing work on the fourth and final book in The Martyr’s Vow series. I’ll also be attending StokerCon in Connecticut in June which will be a first for me.
I hope your 2025 is happy, propserous and healthy. Thanks for reading, you freaky creatures. Catch you next year.
Eric Avedissian 