What's one thing you're willing to do differently in your writing or self-publishing this year?
One thing I'm willing to do differently this year is commit to keeping my ebook in Kindle Unlimited and fully lean into what that exclusivity makes possible. Rather than treating KU as a temprary experiment, I'm approaching it as a focused distribution strategy that supports discoverability, reader ampling, and long-time visibility. This shift allows me to simplify my publishing workflow, concentrate marketing efforts in one primary ecosystem, and better evaluate reader engagement through page reads and trends. At the same time, I'm being more deliberate about how my wider author ecosystem—print editions, direct sales, journals, and community content—supports and benefits from that exclusivity instead of working against it. The goal is not limitation, but clarity: fewer scattered efforts, stronger alignment, and smarter use of the platforms I choose to commit to.
I wish to be transparent with my readers about my progress and what I have left to do. Because of this, I decided to share my To Do list. I was going to do a digital rendition like the new Weekly Updates, but decided to just do one post that I can update as I complete things or add things. The list is broken up into different sections based on what there is to do. This list will be updated as frequently as possible. Please enjoy and be patient with me as I work through my backlog and future progress.
Please note: The Rose Times personality growth and explorations reflect Rose's (my Finch in the Finch app) development wwithin Finch—a mirror of habit and attention, not self assessment.
PUBLISH ON WEBSITE
WORK ON BOOKS
BLOGS TO POST
LONG-TERM GOALS
INFORMATION ABOUT READING AND REVIEWING BOOKS AS LISTED IN GOALS
I entered my book library into Libib under two different categories: My eBooks and My Physical Books. From these two categories, I plan on reading a book a week and leaving an in-depth review on my blog to show my readers what I read myself, and how I view the books I read. If you want to know about a specific book, feel free to let me know, and I will read that before others. The physical books are books that I will stand behind and pass down without hesitation. The eBooks are books that I either cannot get a physical book, or I only use for casual reads instead of wanting to have a physical book on hand. Please check out the link below to see if there is any books you wish to know about, and let me know in the comments. Other than that, I will go on moods.
https://www.libib.com/u/aillerois
Thank you for your continued support,
Áille Róis
What habits or systems will help you stick to your writing and self-publishing goals this year?
This year, I'm focusing on systems that support consistency without forcing artifical routines. Rather than rigid daily word counts, I work on structured creative cycles that move between drafting, revision, world-building, and business development. This approach reflects how I actually produce my strongest work and helps prevent burnout by allowing creative and operational tasks to support—rather than compete—with each other.
I rely heavily on centralized tracking systems, including spreadsheets and digital planners, to manage projects, timelines, royalties, inventory, and submissions so that nothing is dependent on memory alone. My storytelling worlds are also designed with modularity in mind, allowing novels, journals, blog posts, and interactive content to fee into one another instead of gragmenting my time and attention. I prioritize depth over volume, focusing on fewer, more intentional releases with long-term relevance rather than casing rapid output. Regular weekly and quarterly reflection checkpoints help me evaluate what's working creatively and financially and make adjustents early. By early separating creative work from operational tasks and batching business responsibilities, I protect focused writing time. Ultimately, my goal isn't to write more at any cost, but to build a sustainable author ecosystem where creativity, publishing, and audience engagement reinforce each other.
