A New Beginning in 2023

 Hello all,

I haven't really done one of these before, but I thought this would be a good place to keep track of my author journey as I pursue my goal of full-time writing. It can't hurt, right?

A little about myself: My name is Blake R. Wolfe and I began writing professionally in late 2019. After a traumatizing divorce that left me feeling creatively destroyed, I started writing on a whim, just as a way to pass the time really while I was living with a friend who lent me her spare room while I got back on my feet. Well, somehow, those musings and short stories turned into something, a novella.

I was as shocked as anyone to find I'd actually finished something. And instead of getting caught up in the perfection of the author world, I slapped a cheap Fiverr cover on it and put it up for sale, officially publishing my first book in May 2020. And you know what? A few people actually bought the damn thing. Crazy.

So, with a new idea in mind, I started writing again with the goal of completing a full-length novel, at least 50,000 words. To my utter shock, I had it finished in 35 days. I spent the next couple of months editing and put that one up for sale too. Copies sold, reviews came in, and I kept writing, finally turning to the fantasy genre.

Well, it's been 2.5 years since then and I've published 14 books with another coming out next month. I've completed two fantasy series, a novella, a standalone, a co-authored book, and have published three books in an in-progress fantasy series. Two of them are audiobooks now as well :) Needless to say, I've been busy.

2022 marks the most successful year I've ever had. I not only managed to break through my $5k sales goal, but made it all the way to $6500 in sales, which absolutely blows my mind. I never thought I'd make it to $5k, much less beat it by another grand. Not only that, but I managed to publish 6 books this year and have 2 audiobooks produced, something I didn't think I'd start producing until late 2023. Thanks to a few TikTok videos that got 10k views, I was able to have some of the best sales months I've ever had. All that on top of writing 525,000 words total for the year.

That being the case, I feel invigorated going into 2023! My goals for the year are as follows:

1. Write and publish 6 books for 20 books total
2. Break $10,000 in sales for the first time (monthly average of $834)
3. Publish my first romance trilogy
4. Begin publishing my newest fantasy world (trilogy)
5. Write 500,000 words total (1300/day)

I know I can do it and with the introduction of audiobooks and my direct sales shop, I think I can make these goals without any issues. I've already accomplished a couple of them before, but this coming year marks my push toward 5 figures in book sales and the new addition of romance into my repertoire. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited.

So if there are some of you out there that wan to come along with me on this journey, I'd love to have you. 

Have a Happy New Year and I hope to see you for the next 365 days as I post about my progress.

Love,

Blake