My 7 biggest self publishing mistakes: what I learned 

I may never recover from the idea of Moomin S&M.

I'm so impressed to see how well you've taken these "failures", I would have been destroyed 😭

Oh my God, literally cackling at your Moomin Papa and Mama scene 😂

Thank you for talking this through. Hopefully, these RU-vid videos will be a consistent revenue stream because they are so very good and appreciated.

As a reader, I too dislike the change to the "also bought" section. I found some of my favorite books that way! It's especially difficult now, because I have very particular taste in what I like in a book. High fantasy, not "cozy" but also not grimdark, without a criminal MC is so difficult for me to find!

My 5 books have failed…😂 It’s not humorous, but since I have a career and steady paycheck, I am able to play around with my side hustle (my passion!) and try different strategies. I’ve taken all my books down, am redoing the covers, and have a launch plan, which includes re releasing the books with new line edits one every three months. I’m so excited for the first release!! 😊

Congrats on the sponsor! I've never published a book before so it can be paralyzing and overwhelming. The biggest takeaway, for me anyway, is that just because one book flops doesn't mean that it's' the end of the world. You live, you learn, you try something else.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us, even the “failures”!! I really appreciate getting to see the side of being an author that people don’t always talk about, it gives me tons to think about in terms of being “realistic”!! :D

The rapid flux of the marketing landscape is probably the number one thing I was ill-prepared for when I started self-publishing. I went in thinking: I'll learn the methods to market successfully, then use those methods forever (Ha!). Discussing the adaptability that book marketing calls for was a really nice way to end this video. And you're totally right, the shifts in the landscape can sometimes work out for the better.

What i love is you don't take it personally when a book of yours doesn't sell as well as you hoped. I really needed to hear this as i am apt to take my success or failure way too personally.

I enjoyed Doll Girl and dead guy. 😊 I bought it after seeing your RU-vid videoa.

Lol...anyone who puts Frasier clips in their videos max out the cool meter as far as I'm concerned. I love your personality and your videos!

This type of video is pretty rare to find when talking about writing, thanks for sharing! I'm sorry that this stuff happened, though. It's devestating when you make a choice that doesn't pan out, especially when you put everything you can into it, but everyone is just trying to make the best decisions based on the information they had in the moment.

Thanks for being so open with your experiences. And a sponsor! Yay!

I feel that discoverability is the hardest part of making creative products. If I needed parts or equipment for something I can search for them make judgements on price, brand, statistics and so on. That clearly doesn't work for a book, unless you are buying books based on the characteristics of the construction of the book, which I think might actually have a plot for a story hidden in that idea. If a large platform pushed one product to everyone even if it was a bad product it would likely sell more than a superior product that was only presented by directly searching for it. A bit like being famous for being a famous person.

Love your channel, Lydia. In a weird way, it's kind of ASMR-ish. But with actual content. Great stuff.

Your chair looks so comfy! Thank you for sharing your flops. I can relate to them, I always wish I had more time to invest in my indie career and as many I struggle with marketing. Looking forward to your next video!

I really like you putting out videos of your failures and learned wisdom like this! It really helps a writer like me who is going to begin their indie publishing journey within the year. I'm a professional illustrator, comic book artist, and digital painter and as someone who can appreciate your covers, I do feel fortunate being able to make my own. Really taking notes on what you said about your covers, as I do have the idea of adding versions of my epic sci fi and fantasy series with my artwork in it.

Thank you for the video. So much of what you said was relatable and made me feel better about my own mistakes. Congrats on the sponsorship and that is a GREAT new chair!! I also wrote a shifter book called Stray!! It did... okay I think? Not a flop not a great seller, but I love it!

You have lots of good ideas! I am now on a mission to read all your stuff. 😊

I was not prepared for the moomin bit when I clicked on this video lmao It seemed like something out of a particularly unhinged episode of Drawfee 🤣 It's a shame the vengeful half didn't do well, it seems like such a fun concept! More books with silly comics drawn by the author, I say!!

Just here to appreciate Char Aznable on your shelf

Congrats on the sponsor 😮👏🏾 ❤ and I'm soooo making note of the mistakes. You're always so upfront and honest!

I am loving Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy, been reading it for about 2 weeks whenever I have some down time. It has so many layer that would appear to lots of readers.🙂

Yeah, I'm glad that I'm learning about marketing and genre expectations early on in my career. I've read a lot of books that totally miss the mark where you can tell they don't actually read that genre. Or heaven forbid, the authors who say they don't read at because they'd rather be writing.

I love reading unfinished series. It's not as daunting and I have time to catch up before the next one comes out!

13:24 This is hilarious because the Moomin universe is actually already pretty dark (for children’s books and cartoons, anyway). So, for me, there was a bit of that genre shock already without surprise smut. However, that genre shock kept me hooked and anyone who comes in contact with me has to be ready for me infodumping Moomintroll lore on them if ever I have them trapped in an enclosed space.

Your failures are still success because you learned from them. Thanks for the advice!

One of my biggest writing regrets is not finishing my fantasy romance novel before romantasy took off. Even if I could buckle down and finish it in a couple of months now, I’d be chasing a trend that is becoming more and more over saturated by the day. 😭

My first reads were the entire Moomintroll series in the sixties. My own children (largely homeschooled until High School) also love them. Now my grandchildren are reading them. My oldest son is also self published- So many people have no idea about this wonderful group of books. I am enjoying your videos.

The vengeful half is such a beautiful cover though!! So wonderful!! Totally get it though, doesn’t fit the tone. Would fit Coraline a lot better lol

I've been watching and really enjoying your videos since finding you about a month ago. Your videos are very cozy, but also jam-packed eith super insightful and interesting information and perspectives. I wanted to buy your Vengeful Half book to give a try (as I feel that if I want to take someone's advice, I should probably see if I like their work - the fruit of their own wisdom, you could say), was sad to see I couldn't buy a copy, then absolutely shocked to see "Magic Under Glass". I mudt have only looked at the works you published under your oen name because I distinctly remember reading that somewhere in my late teens, early adulthood and absolutely LOVED it! Something about the worldbuilding and characterization really stuck with me. It was very charming, heartfelt, and full of personality!

It has been fun to watch your channel grow! A sponsor…awesome!!

your videos have been so helpful to me as someone currently planning the publishing of their first book (well... first COMPLETED book lol we all know how that goes.) thank you so much for your openness.

i think the greatest art comes from when people write truly from their heart and give no thought to what other people might think of it it is not always immediately successful but can become a classic.. jk rowling got rejected over 80 times for her Harry Potter idea (i met her at a creative writing group in Edinburgh when she was starting out and my idea (i told the group about when we were asked to say what our ideas were) for my writing was going to be for a normal young guy who was learning how to do magic.. i didn't know back then to keep my ideas secret until i had come completed them)

Congrats on the sponsorship and new chair - glad it's kitty-approved! I'm struggling with covers! Ugh. And trends. Finding things within my small niche that both satisfy our mission and may have some viability.

I'd love to read your Moomins romance!!!

Another wonderful video! Thanks for your honesty and candor, as well as your amazing insight into your "failures." I noticed your new chair in your last video and I'm so envious. Congrats on your sponsor. Imo, you are exactly what a lot of writers are looking for: casual, real, informative, and fun. Love seeing the cats too. Best of luck with your channel, although I don't think you need it at this point. 😸

I hadn’t noticed that the Also Bought recommendations had changed on Amazon until you mentioned it! What a bummer… 😞 I’m looking now and on Amazon Canada I do still see SOME Also Boughts below the sponsored recommendations, but they’re definitely more buried… Loved hearing all of these! Thank you so much for sharing! So interesting from both a writing and illustration perspective!

I self-published 3 poetry books and haven't sold one copy. Think I missed the poetry train. I'll try a novel next.

ah drat! I spent the morning repotting plants before it warmed up too much and missed the premier XD

As a designer/illustrator, I completely agree with you on how important the cover design is. The artful nuances of design and topography are the first impression. I would love to do that for a living but that is a whole topivmc unto itself.

This is so real.

Not the MOOMINS 😂

Thanks for your insights.

i know what you mean, i write songs that have real heart that have made tough guys cry ("I'm Not The Only One".. "Blaze") but when i post them online i get about three views a week then someone that looks great in a thumbnail gets hundreds of thousands of views in a few days

Amazing video topic and I love the look of the chair ❤

All the things you mention about what you want in your book (around the ten-minute mark) are also things I want to have in my books :)! I think it is so sad, that so many romances have weak world-building because all the author's attention goes into the character development. Also, is the doll idea inspired by Plachta of the Atelier series? And boy oh boy, I also started to write a sleeping beauty retelling and thought I would market it as dark romance until I realized what people expect with dark romance :D. It is really inspiring to see how you manoeuvred through the mistakes and adapted and learned!

This is such valuable information. I would definitely read a writing craft book from you.

I have watched a few of your videos now, I just realised why you seem so familiar…! I used to watch regular show and Aileen was my favourite character, you are Aileen personified ❤

Love your attitude. x

The cover isn't any good? That Vampire's Doll cover is one of the most stunning covers I've seen! It may be more that the cover doesn't convey what the book is about, which I can see. But just as a cover. Wow. All your covers, even if the ones that aren't working are spectacular. Were they all done by the same cover artist?

could you republish that book but with one of the goofy cute illustrations as the cover?

very interesting!

I actually really like the vamp cover. Did not like the other one at all.

I was wondering if you market some of your 'fairy tale heat series' as monster romance, instead of just fairy tale, as that would appeal to perhaps both audiences.

When you describe your failures, I don't see them as failures. I see it as opportunities to fail upwards:) I dipped my toe into AMS ads in 2021 and that was when the shift between sponsored books and Also boughts began. Are you still planning to do AMS ads despite the costs and lack of organic sustainability? Also, I was aware that early Booktok was blowing up books but I figured it was only blowing up spicy romances and 1 random rom com, so I procrastinated to the point that I still haven't made any videos 🤦🏻‍♀Like you, I don't enjoy short form video and I probably would have made like, 3 videos, and failed to be consistent with it so even if 1 video blows up, what's the point if you don't stick to it? I've made my share of cover art fails. My first commissioned covers were beautiful (I'm a sucker when it comes to aesthetics) but failed to convey the dark tone and unexpected bloodiness of the story. My one successful book cover is also, ironically, my first attempt at cover design. This cover hit the right tropes and the right audience. I would say that I'm intentional with all my cover designs, but the successes and failures are all a roll of the dice. This one cover *stumbled* into success. My problem is that rom com animated covers all tend to connote "clean" and may attract a clean audience unless you add content warnings in the description (which I really don't like to do). For the most part, readers will accept a bit of spice, but my covers tend to draw a few "extremely clean" readers who are offended by any spice and I don't know how to change that given the cover trends of the moment🤷🏻‍♀

So.... will there be Kindle editions of the Vengeful half and the Vampire's Doll? Because I would very much like to read them. Parsons was a very interesting character to me, especially because she was very nuanced and completly different to Flower, even though both were antagonists and both were motivated by the treatment due to their body.

first x]