A Creative's Yearly Recap (Indie Author: 2025)

If I said that not much has happened in 2025, I would be lying. I certainly didn't top bestseller lists or go on a worldwide tour, but things are happening that I am happy and encouraged about. So, here's the yearly recap of an indie author and creative human for 2025.

Hrmmm

I had a go at reviewing my goals partway through the year in this post: There's Still Time! Reviewing my Goals (for 2025). This was a broader look at the goals I set and how I was tracking towards them (or not). This yearly recap will be a bit more specific about the measurable things that help me track my progress on key indicators.

I need to let you know: It's a numbers game

Followers, subscribers, readers, downloads, blog posts etc. Most people have heard of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time). To make a goal SMART, you usually have to use numbers (Bleh. Sorry to all the math-haters out there like me).

What is the main goal?

Everybody's main goal will be different. Some people will be doing it ('it' = writing/creating) because it's their sole source of income and they need to make money to live. Others will be doing it because they love to make art and don't have the room to accumulate and store it all, so they want to sell enough to cover costs and create space. One person's goal may be to top a bestseller list or win an Archibald Prize. Someone else may be aiming for 1 million subscribers or to make the front page of their local paper. All creatives will have their own goals, and as a creative human who NEEDS to create to feel happy, I can tell you that my primary goal is not income YET (if it were, I'd be spending a whole heap more on advertising. More on that later).

It is IMPERATIVE that you identify your main goal/s.

Why do you do what you do, sweet creative being? Do you do what you do to help you make ends meet, or are you aiming for world domination? If you want to "make ends meet" or "make a full-time income", what does that look like for you? Write it down.

Has your goal changed?

When I started writing, my goal was to finish and self-publish my own book. Then, it was for one stranger to read what I wrote. When strangers started reading my books, my goal became to grow a mailing list.

I will write more about my current goals a bit later.

Output/Creations

Work, work, work, work, work. What did you get done (make, write, create, produce) this year?

Make a list of all of your marvellous creations: blog posts, books, poems, art, articles, cards, sculptures, clay pots. Get your output numbers down on paper. Where is your time going? Are you a fiction writer who spends more time writing blog posts? (guilty). Are you being productive?

Let's dive into the numbers - Comparison

To recap, we need to compare our numbers to know we are on the right track and can keep track of our progress. So, you created 5 paintings, sold 2, and have 135 Facebook followers. That doesn't mean a lot on its own, but if you started from zero, then you're doing a fantastic job and can use those figures to set new goals for the new year (aim for 10 paintings, selling 8, and 350 Facebook followers). But, if last year you created 25 paintings, sold 18, and had 150 Facebook followers, then those numbers tell a different story, right?

Ooops

Um, so I have a confession to make... I've lost my 2024 figures. I don't know where I wrote them down. Oops (one of the problems with being an old school pen-and-paper kinda gal). To get around this, I will compare current figures to my 2023 figures. Not as good, but it will do. I'm not going to share all my figures with you, but I will give you an idea of how it's looking. Another oops is that I don't keep track of my output well. Books and writing, yes (when I'm writing a book, I even keep track of a project's word count and how much I write each day). But my comics and poems get a little bit sloppy. I don't even save what I do in the same place, or keep track of what I've shared. This may have to be a goal for 2026: Save all of my comics and poems in my 'Comics' and 'Poems' folders on my computer. (You'd think that'd be easy, right? lol. I have no idea why I don't automatically do this).

Let's get down to the nitty-gritties.

Marley's 2025 Recap

Indie Author Facebook Page

• Social Media

  • Instagram followers - 61 (27 in 2022; 42 in 2023. I don't make Instagram a priority, but I do crosspost things that can be crossposted from Facebook.

  • Facebook - 183 (122 in 2022; 135 in 2023. I use Facebook a lot and wish I saw this figure growing quicker. That being said, I am still happy to see the numbers getting bigger. We're heading in the right direction!)

1049 downloads of my free novella, The Silver Maid

• Book Funnel downloads - 1049 total. This is compared to 176 in 2022 and 342 in 2023.

• Newsletter Subscribers - 398 - This figure goes up and down as I participate in new group book promos (see blog: Group Free Book Promotions: What Are They and Why do Indie Authors Participate in Them) and clear out the inactive subscribers every 6 months or so. At the end of 2023, I had 301 subscribers.

• Website Visitors - approx 200 visitors per month. This is a new metric for me and not something that I have tracked before. I remember being chuffed when I was averaging about 30 website visitors per month at the end of 2024, so I am really pleased with this progress.

• Poems written & shared - 12 included in monthly newsletters

• Comics drawn & shared - 12 included in monthly newsletters

Our quarterly publication, Bannockburn News

• Bannockburn News contributions - 23 comics + 4 poems published

• Markets - Clunes Booktown Festival has been booked for March 2026.

  I have never done a market before, though I have wanted to for quite a while. See blog post: Setting Up a Market Stall in Australia. Booking something in is an achievement in itself.

• Writing - Words/Books - 1 book (Other Than Mother) finished, edited and released.

  NB: I am averaging 1 book a year. 2022: The Silver Sheep, 2023: The Silver Shepherd, 2024: The Perfect Gift, 2025: Other Than Mother.

• Blog Posts - 35 published + 5 planned for December = 40 posts (compared to 31 in 2024)

Other Than Mother was released in 2025

Ultimately, my numbers are all increasing. I am being productive, and an increasing number of people are reading what I write. My writing/creative career is a long-term game plan (a marathon, not a sprint, they say), so I am a happy little indie author.

On Finances

I do look over my finances, but businesses in Australia operate in a financial year, not a calendar year, so I would find it easier to share these figures in July (following the end of our financial year).

That being said, I have no problem sharing that I operate at a loss every year. I always spend more than I make. The following list will give you an idea of the expenses that I have and ways that I do/could make an income:

• Income -

  • Book Sales:

    • Amazon

    • Markets

    • Face-to-Face

  • Commissioned pieces of writing and art

• Expenses -

  • Advertising

  • Proof copies and book stock

  • Website hosting and domain name

  • Email address and email marketing software

  • Subscription fees

  • Postage

  • Merch and overheads

  • Other: Market fees, equipment purchase, market insurance, book covers, editing, writing programs, travel expenses, postage, etc.

I used to sell books through a local cafe, which was a beneficial marketing tool and income source. Unfortunately, this cafe has closed down, and I have lost this source of income. I will definitely endeavour to find a local business willing to stock my books (do you happen to know a guy? lol), so this is another goal to add to my list for 2026.

One big win in 2025 was being asked to illustrate a book. This is a paid job that will happen next year and should really help me get out of the red and into the black (ie. make a profit for the year - woo-hoo!). Stay tuned (I am currently working on a follow-up blog post about goal setting for 2026, which will follow this one.)

Other Stuff

The other things that I consider when doing my yearly review are:

• Networking and exposure opportunities that I have had (e.g. article in the Golden Plains Times, and other mentions in print and social media + face-to-face events)

• Competitions I have entered (3)

• Books that I have read (42)

• FB Posts (lots), and of course,

• Personal Stuff (to make sure I stay nice and balanced) eg. holidays (1 family holiday, 1 solo retreat), exercise (next question), bible study (daily solo devotional and weekly group), date nights (not enough) etc.

Goals

Okay, that about sums up the things I look at. If my primary goal were to make money, I'd be failing. Miserably. Fortunately, my current goals are:

• GROWTH

  • Continually increasing my subscribers, readers & followers [global outreach]

  • Consistent output (growing my number of 'products' available) and growing creative opportunities

  • Improving my knowledge and skills (this year I made my own book cover for the first time!)

In my writing and output, I aim for:

• CONNECTION

  • Honesty and realness (warts n' all) with love and gratitude

  • Help people feel seen and understood

• My long-term goal is:

  • To build a steady income source equal to or above my current income as an employee (which would allow me to become a full-time author) before the age of 50.

I am still in the creating phase.

I am building up a sustainable creative enterprise.

I want to be able to write books and be creative until I die.

To give myself permission to create and feel like a worthy, valid, creative human.

By doing so, I am permitting other creative humans to do the same.

I aim to show love and understanding.

I want to connect.

And guess what...

I am!

Maybe not on the scale that I'd hoped (yet), but I am tracking along nicely. None of my figures are going backwards, and I can see good things in the future, especially with my upcoming project and the market I have booked (after I have done the first one, I will feel equipped to do more face-to-face events).

Here are those words again: It's a marathon, not a sprint.

One thing I did just last week was purchase a Square electronic payment device. This will allow me to accept electronic payments when selling my own books and art. I am very excited to see the difference these things will make in 2026!

So, there's my yearly recap/annual review.

Got a question? Ask it in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Much love,

Marley