The Gemstone Chronicles – Born 3 Years Ago!!

The Gemstone Chronicles – 3 years old!!

It’s sometimes hard to believe, but almost 3 years ago, I published the first book of The Gemstone Chronicles! That’s right, The Carnelian was published on August 12, 2012. What a day it was! I remember the excitement, happiness, and sense of accomplishment that accompanied hitting the publish button on Amazon. Just as clearly, I remember how nervous I was. I mean, here I was, a person who never really had a goal of becoming a writer and now I was about to put my first novel out there for public consumption. What if it flopped? How will I handle bad reviews? These and many other questions floated through my mind as I uploaded the manuscript. As I celebrate that event from 3 years ago, I wanted to give you readers an update on how things have gone!

How have the books done?

Let me start by saying that I doubt I will ever be able to retire from the proceeds of book sales. Remember, too, that I didn’t write the books to become a bestselling author (although if it happens, I’m fine with it). I wrote the books as stories for my two amazing grandchildren, so any financial gains from them are simply a bonus. However, if I look at how much I spent to have a cover designed, and how much I paid my awesome editor, and then compare it to the book sales (for all four of the books in the series), I’ve just about broken even. Not bad!

In addition to The Carnelian, I also published Book Two: The Amethyst, Book Three: The Emerald, and Book Four: The Ruby. I’ve made a few changes to the covers, and made some edits to the manuscripts based on feedback from my readers. Such is the advantage of being a self-published author – I have complete control over my content.

What did I learn?

I have learned to do better marketing, made some amazing friends (both authors and readers), and have grown my social media presence. I’ve always enjoyed reading and now post reviews for most of the books I read. I didn’t do that until I became an author and realized the importance of doing reviews. I joined the Atlanta Writers Club and have learned a ton just from listening to the guest speakers. I’ve been fortunate to attend literary festivals, book signings, and was recently recognized by a reader (which was very cool and totally unexpected). I also started this blog at about the same time and I hope it continues to entertain readers. I even tried my hand at a book trailer!

That’s has what has been going on with me and my books for the last 3 years. I’m working on a new book (though it is going slowly). It will be completely different from The Gemstone Chronicles. Stay tuned for updates as it progresses.

Connect with me:

What was your favorite part of The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian? Which character did you like best? You can comment here, or find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, or simply email me at bill@williamlstuart.com.

Oh, and to celebrate the events from 3 years ago and to give deep and heartfelt thanks to those of you who have read the book (and thanks in advance to those who will), The Carnelian is on sale for $0.99 from August 1 – August 15, 2015! Get your copy and consider leaving a review. I love to know what you are thinking!!