Welcome back to member milestones. Today, the Alliance of Independent Authors is continuing the series of posts celebrating your success. As always, we're very proud of all of our members at every level. A huge congratulations to the members featured today.
Author Zuzanne Belec
Author Member
Zuzanne Belec is a writer, poet and translator who grew up in Africa. She has two wonderful daughters, and now lives in the heart of Europe with her patient and supportive husband. Find out more about Suzanne on Facebook.
Milestone
I have received my first-ever award for my writing: I've been recognized as a Book Excellence Award Finalist for my debut collection, LAYERS, in the Short Stories category.
Why are you proud?
I am proud because it shows that focus, passion and persistence can be achieved even in the most difficult of times.
What have you learned?
It is heart-warming to learn that all the dedication and hard work can eventually pay off, no matter how long it takes.
Author Russell Phillips
Author Member
Russell Phillips is an award-winning author of military history and RPG books. Russell has been interviewed on various podcasts and radio shows. Find out more on Mastodon
Milestone
I've been asked to appear on a new historical podcast documentary series.
Why are you proud?
I've been on podcasts before, but this is the first time the podcast has approached me, rather than me pitching them.
What have you learned?
Make sure anyone wanting to contact you can find everything they need (including an email address) as quickly and easily as possible.
Author William Brinkman
Author Member
William Brinkman is the author of Urban Fantasy series the Bolingbrook Babbler Stories. Find out more on Facebook.
Milestone
My third book, A Fire in the Shadows, was released this year. It is my best book launch to date.
Why are you proud?
I was able to go from the rough outline to publication in six months.
What have you learned?
The good lesson is that focusing on securing early reviews helps with book launches. The second good lesson is that I can release a book that I am happy with in about six months. I also found out that my books do better with Facebook ads than Amazon ads. For improvement, I will use a different editor for each stage of editing. That way more mistakes will be caught before publication. I also needed to clarify that the book was a novelette and not a full novel. Some wanted more story, which is a good problem to have. Overall, it was a great launch, and I plan to build on that success with my my next novel.
