Hi all and Happy New Year!
I hope the last few weeks have been kind to you and that you’re looking forward to the year ahead.
I had a nice Christmas (although I got a cold on Christmas Eve). Essentially that just meant I really did have a break, and I ended up watching more films, playing more games, and snugging more with the cats. Snacks may have also been a theme.
I don’t know what changed, but despite the madness that seems to infiltrate so much of our lives, personally, I currently feel like my mindscape is clear and focused. My word for what I’m doing at present is ‘intentional’. Over the last 20 months I’ve mostly gone with the approach of try things and see how they work out, learning as I go. Now, things feel different. It’s like a switch has flicked within me, and what I do from here, at least for the foreseeable future, will be more planned, considered, and mindful of lessons learnt so far. I don’t know what that will end up looking like. I know it won’t be the same as what I’ve done before (even if it looks like it at times). I also know I’ll continue to try things and step outside my comfort zone. As always – thanks for being with me on this journey.
To the updates!
Pricing
In my last blog I mentioned one of the printers I use for my books is increasing their prices for the second time within a year. I wasn’t sure if this would mean I’d need to increase my own costs. I’ve had a chance to review things, and, for now, I’ll keep the books (paperbacks) as they are. This will mean I’ll earn a little less on books via them in the future, but I really want to stay competitive (as much as I can) in the middle-grade marketplace. In the UK, a lot of MG books are £7.99, although, to be honest, I’ve noticed some are creeping up to £8.99, and some are even £9.99 if they’re an especially popular title. Another thing I’ve noticed is some of the books which continue to be released at £7.99 are considerably shorter than they used to be, so I guess that’s their publisher’s way of containing costs. For me, I’ll keep things as they are, but I might need to review this (and whatever the norm is in the publishing world) a bit later in the year.
Fyn Carter
In November and December I spent a good amount of time revisiting Fyn Carter 1 (Fyn Carter and the Agents of Eromlos) and Fyn Carter 2 (Fyn Carter and the Legends from Atlantis) before moving on to notes I’d made for the rest of the Fyn Carter series. I did pause for a bit over Christmas, but I’ll be back on it soon. I’m excited as series plans are continuing to click into place. For example, I always had a clear idea for Fyn 3, 5, and 6, but I struggled a little with what Fyn 4 needed to look like. I now have a solid idea for it, and it really contributes to the rest of the series. I also have some potential titles for the books, although that always changes, so we will see! I should be starting to write Fyn 3 within a few weeks (once I’ve got my tax return out of the way), and I’m really looking forward to it!
Live TikTok chat on Sunday evening!
My ‘Events’ page for 2026 is currently looking a bit empty. It won’t stay this way. I do have more scheduled but not for a while, so I’ll update them down the line when I’ve worked out further details. One thing which is different and a bit exciting, is this Sunday (11th January) from 7 p.m. GMT, I will be taking part in a live chat on TikTok with ‘ReadAlongwithSue_g13’ (@sueward1958_g13). Sue and I have been messaging in recent weeks. She is a true supporter of indie books and last weekend read ‘The Shoe Creeper’ in one day! Something Sue has started to do is have live chats and invite the authors of the books she has read along to chat with her about them. It’s a way of engaging I’ve not tried before (and I’ve never done a TikTok ‘live’), but it sounds like a fun experience. If you use TikTok, come along!
Requests
- I’d love to know what you’d like me to focus on with my blogs. Does what I’m doing work for you? Please let me know your thoughts.
- Although I got a good amount of reviews for Fyn 1, there are not as many reviews for Fyn 2 or The Shoe Creeper. If you have read any of my books (or listened to The Shoe Creeper audiobook), could you please consider leaving a review online in the usual places?
Speaking of The Shoe Creeper audiobook…
FREE audiobook copy of The Shoe Creeper!
I have a limited number of codes for free copies of The Shoe Creeper audiobook (via Audible in the UK and US). If you are interested in a copy and happy to leave a review when you’ve listened to it, please let me know. It’s not cheeky – it would be helping me out.
Many thanks! Until next time!
Ian x
Ian Hunter Creates 