Sara Flower Kjeldsen

10 Years Of Being An Indie Author!

Well, what do you know? I have been an indie author for over ten years now! Ten is a solid number and it’s a significant amount of time to devote yourself to a creative field. With 16 published books under my belt, it’s a good feeling. While I started writing seriously in 2009, I didn’t take the self-publishing plunge until 2012. I thought it would be a good idea to acknowledge and celebrate this milestone on my blog. Ten years ago, I believed my books would have readers and I was crazy enough to keep creating for the love of it. It’s been quite a journey and I’m so grateful I had the chance to devote so much time to creating stories.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my writing! It means alot when you like my book-related posts, check out my books, and/or read my stories.

Did It Go By Fast? Funny enough, no. I thought I’d been at this longer for some reason! It was only when consciously writing out my first and last published books that I realized I’m at a solid 10 years in the industry (when I thought it was like 12 or 13). Writing tends to slow time down because you’re living two lives at once, essentially.

Did I Enjoy It? I sure did! It was magical to not only write and publish the stories I wrote, but to do most of it in my dream city. It was what I did on my days off, after work, sometimes even on my work breaks. I particularly loved writing stories at cafes. There’s something about the process that inspires productivity. It felt like I was dating myself in a sense – I’d get all dressed up, put on a full face of makeup, and write away in a trendy café. It was lovely.

The Most Important Lesson I Learned: You really need to determine if writing is an art for you or if it’s a business. If it’s a hobby you love, keep doing what you’re doing and your audience will (slowly) come. If you want your writing to become a significant stream of income, you’ll need to operate more in the business sphere, do a lot of marketing, and constantly research how to target more readers (or land an agent).

Any Regrets? Not at all. At the start of my writing journey I imagined landing an agent and living a yuppy lifestyle from my books alone, but once I started self-publishing I realized how much I enjoyed writing what I really want to write. I love the idea of having a small following of readers who really enjoy my books. It was both a creative and personal journey that has helped shape the person I am today.

The Book I’m Most Proud Of: The Pup & The Pianist. That one was something I’d wanted to write for years and I love how it turned out!

Thank you so much for stopping by today. 🙂 I don’t have an agent or a publisher to throw a 10 year anniversary party, so I figured this blog would be perfect since I have so many supportive followers. ❤

Do you have an author-versary coming up soon? If so, do tell!

38 comments

  1. Ten years and 16 books. That is quite impressive. Congratulations!

    I have not bought your books yet, but I will. I have a TBR list. I am looking forward to reading them.

  6. That’s amazing, Sara! I’m glad we’ve connected. Your stories are so good and inspiring me on my writer career path 🙂

  7. I enjoy writing, well most of the time. I would love an agent, but if I don’t then so be it. If I waited for the big break, I would forever procrastinate. I am still learning, especially during the phase where the first draft is written.

  8. Congratulations ❤️sara ! You are an amazing and inspiring Author and I’m glad I have connections with you. Congratulations again 🤗 May your journey ahead in life be joyous and prosperous❤️

  9. Congratulations, Sara! I loved your thoughts on your writing journey. Best wishes for another great ten years!

    This is my tenth year as well. Self-publishing has been fun and at times horrifying. 🙂 I think my best writing years are ahead of me yet – and I’m 67 years old!

  11. Well done on the 10 years! That’s quite an achievement and I should read the pup and the Pianist if that’s the one that is a fav 🙂

  12. Congratulations on such an impressive milestone 🙂 Glad you’re still enjoying the indie author’s journey & good luck with your future drafts!
    This paragraph definitely resonated with me: ‘I love the idea of having a small following of readers who really enjoy my books. It was both a creative and personal journey that has helped shape the person I am today.’ – totally agree. I’ve found that nurturing a smaller but more dedicated crew of readers definitely pays off in the long run 🙂

  14. What a beautiful milestone, Sara. You are such a talented writer and it is so admirable that you continue to write what you love.

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