One Year Later: Post-Mortem (With All Humility) of My First Year in Self-Publishing

Any major operation—whether police or entrepreneurial—requires a rigorous "post-mortem" once the dust settles.

A year ago, almost to the day, this crazy adventure began. If someone had told me everything it takes to "go rogue" in the publishing world, I probably would have felt a slight wave of vertigo. A year later, looking back at the list of everything accomplished, I'm almost out of breath myself!

It's time for an assessment, an analysis of the evidence, and a "re-alignment of sights" before launching the second "investigation."

Here, with complete transparency and no filter, is behind the scenes of this first year of creation.

1. Literary Creation: Writing on the Fly

• What I did: Writing a thriller without a structure, building "the plane while flying it."

  
  

• What worked: Raw spontaneity and hard-hitting realism (especially for the Dubai setting), but at the cost of a colossal, time-consuming rewrite to maintain consistency.

  
  

• What we're "correcting" for the future: For the next one, I'll adopt a more solid outline before diving into the writing. I'll plan before I fly!

  
  

2. Technical Production: From Shadow to Page

• What I did: Creating the cover, bookmarks (with limited versions), website, online store, and all the ePub coding solo at the last minute!

  
  

• What workwed: The book-object is magnificent, and if you want something done right, you do it yourself (referring to my ePub trial). This ordeal proved to be more than educational.

  
  

• What we're "correcting" for the future: No more waiting on anyone else! Knowing the scope of the task and how coding works now, I'll tackle it myself, but with a head start. This step will be officially integrated and scheduled into my Gantt chart.

  
  

3. Logistics and Distribution: The Name of the Game

• What I did: Shopping for carriers, packaging, and shipping orders (managing bookmark numbers), plus digital distribution (Kobo, Amazon, D2D).

  
  

• What worked: My limited-edition bookmarks are a hit with readers, and my books are traveling all the way to Europe.

  
  

• What we're "correcting" for the future: I'm going to streamline my shipping and inventory process to make it less energy-intensive.

  
  

4. Heart and Numbers: The True Face of Entrepreneurship

• What I did: Creating the Facebook page, ads, managing the blog/social media, and the cherished partnership with La Vigile.

  
  

• What worked: The bond forged with you and with La Vigile gives true meaning to this endeavor.

  
  

• What we're "correcting" for the future: Sales are starting, but profits are still lagging behind. For the next round, I'll have a better estimate of actual costs and a more targeted marketing strategy to turn a profit.

  
  

The True Accomplices of the Adventure

You may carry a project alone, but you never truly do it by yourself. It's impossible not to mention my two essential accomplices:

• My husband François: Who valiantly endured my passionate tête-à-têtes with my laptop, and who sometimes had to force the issue so I would finally take time to eat dinner.

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• My lovely rott, Deejay: Who watched over my long hours of work by always sleeping wisely close by.

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Not to mention all the precious encouragement from my family, friends, and colleagues.

Assessment of This First Year and Re-alignment

When I look at all of that... whew! But above all, what an accomplishment. Knowing that my novel has traveled, found its way into readers' hands, and even—recently—been featured at the Mascouche library, puts everything into perspective.

This first year was an immense "crash course" in literary entrepreneurship. I wouldn't do everything the exact same way, but I'd do it all over again. The investigation is closed, the report is written.

The re-alignment is done. Next objective: the second investigation.

Thank you for being part of this journey. This is only the beginning!