Hi Lovelies,
If you are new to my blog - Hi! I'm Vik and I'm an indie author of cozy (ish) mysteries (and also non-fiction essays based on my experience of living with chronic illness).
I'm currently on the path to publishing my first cozy mystery - a path that is taking longer than I had hoped, but is progressing nevertheless.
The necessary end of year stock take
As we hurtle through December towards the main parts of the festive season here in the UK, I'm feeling the fatigue of trying a lot of new things over 2025 in an attempt to double down and focus on building my indie author career set in.
I'm ready for a period of rest and hopefully relaxation that will enable me to come back refreshed in 2026.
Writing this blog is part of my winding down process, where I review what I've tried over the past year to build my indie author career as a chronically ill mum on a shoestring budget.
I'll cover the writing, the author platform building, and the income streams in this blog.
I tried many new things this year and took a chance on opportunities that I might not have considered in past years.
It has been fun, but I do need some refocusing.
I'll discuss here what is still working for me, and those areas that will probably not be a focus going forwards, even if they have served a purpose over this year.
Trying to get serious about my indie author career - the words and the first book
2025 felt like the first year in many where my head was in a clear enough space to give myself permission to really focus on my indie author career.
I'd spent the past few years in a wilderness of worsening illness and grief of failed surgeries - hi fellow endometriosis sufferers.
This year, acceptance of a kind has set in. And with it, ambition to publish my stories - and to make a living from my writing - have rekindled.
I wrote a lot this year - more than in any other year. I am now in rounds of self-editing my first book.
I'm not where I hoped I would be - first book in hand - but I am 91, 000 words better off and that first book is now months, not years away from publication.
Building an author platform: throwing a lot of spaghetti at the wall
As an indie author on a shoestring budget - and without that first published book - my options for finding my future readers lie in social media.
This comes with a lot of drawbacks that are well-rehearsed - social media platforms can change or disappear; feeding the algorhytim can feel relentless and a little soulless; there is the risk of doom scrolling and time suck; and most people - even those following you - don't see the content you put out. It can feel like shouting into the void.
And yet, I still decided to try more - and new - things with social media this year.
I decided to try Tiktok because of the success of #booktok and #authortok - the way that indie authors can reach a wider audience of readers than on other platforms - I had found my Instagram had stagnated over much of 2025 and I wasn't enjoying it as much as before (and I had left Twitter/X years back with no intent of returning).
I am surprised to find that I enjoy Tiktok - having curated my own little space - and I have connected with a lovely community of writers, readers and other chronically ill mums. It has been refreshing and galvinising.
It has also been fun - simply enjoying making videos for a giggle - and making content is made easy on Tiktok via trending audio and lip syncing.
But.
Yes, there is always a but.
Growth on Tiktok has brought some distractions - that came in the guise of opportunity.
As I grew followers, I accessed some opportunities for income generation that come via Tiktok shop and creator programmes.
As a chronically ill mum on a zero budget (endometriosis killed my academic career and salaried position and then forced me to close my own coaching practice), I have to consider any potential income related opportunities that crop up in order to cover the production costs of publication.
I decided to give this opportunity - commission from reviewing samples - a go.
This has been an interesting experience; in some ways, I think it has added to my confidence. It takes a certain 'zero cares about judgement' to do this.
But.
Yes, another but. While this has been fun and sometimes fruitful - it was always a compromise and a risk when trying to be more conscious of consumption.
And, this is not helping me focus on my author ambitions.
I will remain on Tiktok for the book and author community and marketing opportunities, but the commissions side of it is a strand of spaghetti that can fall for now.
More is more? Other strands of social media spaghetti still on the wall
As Tiktok helped me to 'show up' - both in terms of sharing my stories and book and as a chronically ill mum - I added more social platforms.
The logic was discoverability - going places where other readers tend to hang out.
On the list of additional spaces I've set up and tried this year include; Youtube, Bluesky & Substack. I also restarted my Pinterest account.
I have found that there is potential value for the indie author in each of these spaces - they cater to different types of my writing; offer engagement with different communities; offer new creative opportunities. Pinterest is a search engine with longevitity - this has a lot of potential. Substack offers a space for long form content.
Again, I've enjoyed trying these places and I don't have plans to quit any of them.
Equally, I'm not sure if all of these will receive my focus 2026.
As with any review - especially with chronic illness - decisions come down to where limited energy is best spent.
This is where the role of social media is interesting as a chronically ill person - it gives a lot for the indie author as well as taking energy from the writing.
As I spend most of my day at home and alone due to illness, online spaces are a lifeline. These offer links to other writers and readers and can be a space to have fun, practice accountability and gain motivation - they can really be galvanising for moving my publication process forwards.
And yet, the flipside is always what energy this takes.
Going into 2026, I am surprised to find that it is Substack that I am enjoying most - the space where I have fewest followers - and that is where I feel I will focus energy. I'm not leaving other platforms and will still engage with Tiktok and Instagram and perhaps others - but I'm going to spend much less of my creative energies there.
Doubling down again. 2026 has to be the year that I make an income from my writing
As I close this blog post - and wind down my social media activities for this year - I'm returning to the logic behind all of the new things I tried this year; I want to publish my cozy mysteries and make an income from my writing as an independent author.
That means, I have to publish my book and that it is published to a standard where readers will want to purchase, read, review, share and come back for more.
Without this first book; there is no possibility of that.
I'm not scared by writing that truth now - I am 91, 000 words richer at this point and in my first rounds of editing.
I'm enjoying sharing snippets of my book and creating trailers and teasers for the book and the series.
I can't wait for people to be able to read my book.
Yes, publication has taken me far longer than I planned or hoped - but 2026 will be the year that I become a published indie author and that I hopefully earn an income from my stories.
Wishing everyone a restful festive season - looking forward to writing a new post for a new year in 2026!
P.S. If you do want to follow me on social media or Substack, then all the links are in the menu. I will still be showing up there.
P.P.S If you would like an old school, no frills, simple email notification about publication of my first book, then you can sign up for my mailing list using the subscribe button on any page.
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