My first book was released one year ago — this is what I’ve learned

My first book, The Street Poet: The Journals of a Paranoid Man, was released on the 17th of May last year. Since becoming a debut indie author one year ago, a lot has happened.

I saw my novel in print for the first time, held a book launch in a beautiful art lounge cafe, and got my book stocked in various bookstores around Melbourne. This thing I created has taken me to various book signings, markets, and festivals. I’ve accepted some commission jobs as a copyeditor and proofreader, released zines with the writers’ collective I’m involved with, and recently I’ve been engaging in a series of street poetry tours across Melbourne and Victoria. Along the way, I’ve met so many amazing readers to whom I am seriously indebted.

I am fortunate enough to still be getting weekly sales batches a year into the book’s shelf-life, but this is because I still talk about my book and people continue to support me. I haven’t left it to fend for itself just because it’s not a new release anymore. To be honest, I’m quite proud of what I’ve achieved with The Street Poet. The book took eighteen months from start to end, and I got to experiment with paper cut-ups, typewriter diary entries and digital design. I took a huge risk in diverging from a traditional novel structure, but the risk was worth it; it’s what people seem to…