The Raccoon Author's Self-Publishing Diary

I started listening to Abbie Emmons’ Make Your Story Matter, and one question she mentioned authors should ask themselves is "Why does your story matter?" And that immediately got stuck in my head in a loop.

In this Dear Raccoon Author Diary episode, I’m talking about writing and why and working through things, lots of things—what I want readers to feel, what I sometimes work through myself within the pages, and how all of that fits alongside the very practical business side of being an indie author.

How I want to both look at my numbers without losing my "why". I talk about Genevieve and Theodore and revising "A New Year's Eve Like No Other", about grief and

Margie Lawson's deep EDITS technique, duets versus standalones both in terms of craft and revenue, read-through and audiobook and translations costs and oh, Amazon deciding to mess-up with permafree books, including mine.

Basically, it's a very Raccoon Author mix of craft, feelings (lots of them) and numbers.

And underneath it all, I keep coming back to that question: Why does this matter to me, and hopefully, to the readers?

• Abbie Emmons — Make Your Story Matter

https://benbellabooks.com/shop/make-your-story-matter/

• 🦝 Join me on Patreon — Raccoon Author tier:

https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook

• Preorder Cancer Is Not My Brand

https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/

• Margie Lawson:

https://www.margielawson.com/

And I’d love to hear from you: Why does your story matter? Elodie AT Elodienow.com

Happy writing. And happy, happy reading. ❤️

This podcast episode was recorded outside of Venice and this is just me, the Raccoon Author, giving you an update on... not writing and not working.

Because I did take a break for a few days before starting up again on updating my social contributions in Belgium and refilling the creative well.

www.elodienowodazkij.com

A few days in this Raccoon Author’s self-publishing life. 🦝

On September 8, I’m once again trying to figure out what the heck is happening with my Facebook Ads account (the saga continues…), while also revising, answering tax questions, working on BookSprout and replying to readers.

Then on September 12, my brain goes from AuthorScale to listening to Lucy Score on the SPA Girls Podcast, to Gallup Strengths, writing through emotions, feeling seen by another author’s process… and, obviously, coming up with even more ideas for future podcast episodes.

Because apparently I needed more ideas.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Skye MacKinnon talking about her AuthorScale / trial reel results on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3EIiGsEcIg

• SPA Girls Podcast — EP546: Interview with Lucy Score: Breaking Out / Advice For New Authors
  
  
• 🦝 More behind-the-scenes Raccoon Author content on Patreon / Elodie’s Writing Nook
  https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook⁠
• The Raccoon Author
  https://elodienowodazkij.com/the-raccoon-author/

You can also email me at [email protected]

Happy writing, and happy, happy reading. 🦝

87 books sold. Less than $100 in royalties. And… I’m actually not panicking about it? 🦝

In today’s Raccoon Author's Self-Publishing Diary, I’m getting into the numbers behind My Christmas Wish List, my Christmas rom-com that came out at the end of July — including its veryyyyy long road to publication, the pre-order I canceled, why I eventually put it back up at $0.99, and what that meant for my royalties.

Because selling MORE books does not necessarily mean making more money.

I’m also looking at the bigger picture: how the other books in my Love in Swans Cove series have performed during the holiday season, why I’m keeping My Christmas Wish List at $4.99 now, why I’m not t running ads right now, and why I don't think a book's first month tells us its entire story.

Especially when it’s a Christmas book. In September.

I also talk about something I took away from an SPA Girls interview with Elana Johnson about working on a primary AND secondary writing project at the same time — which may or may not have given my raccoon brain permission to think more seriously about the next Love in Swans Cove book.

And yes: I’m coming back after the holiday season with updated numbers so we can see what actually happened.

Coming soon, too: the 80/20 rule. Does 20% of my catalog really generate 80% of my publishing income? I have started crunching the numbers…

🦝 JOIN ME ON PATREON / ELODIE’S WRITING NOOK
https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook

🎄 MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST
https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish

📊 PUBLISHER CHAMP
https://www.publisherchamp.com/

🎧 SPA GIRLS — Inside a Prolific Author’s Daily Routine ft. Elana Johnson

& From Zero to $100K per Month – A Prolific Author’s Business Strategy ft. Elana Johnson

🦝 THE RACCOON AUTHOR
https://elodienowodazkij.com/the-raccoon-author/

Happy writing, and happy, happy reading. ❤️

I’m trying something new! Alongside the deeper-dive episodes, I’ll also be sharing shorter Dear Raccoon Author Diary episodes—honest little snapshots from the messier, more emotional side of the self-publishing life.

Today’s entry was recorded on one of those publishing days that felt a bit harder. I talk about disappointing royalty numbers, Substack, the comparison game, and how quickly one difficult day can make it feel as though everyone else is doing better than you.

More Dear Raccoon Author Diary entries will be available to members of the Raccoon Tier over on Elodie’s Writing Nook on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook/membership

What exactly is a Raccoon Author, and what does that have to do with author branding?

In this episode of The Raccoon Author’s Self-Publishing Diary, I’m reintroducing myself, talking about how I think about branding as an indie author, and why the raccoon has somehow become part of mine.

I’m also sharing where the raccoon idea came from, how it connects to the way I write and work, and why branding doesn’t have to mean squeezing yourself into one tiny, perfectly polished box.

Plus: my Gallup Strengths, Achiever energy, multiple pen names, too many projects, manuscript bloopers, dictation, an Instagram Reel that got 145 views and no love, and ten dictated chapters in one weekend.

Basically: author branding, creative chaos, self-publishing, and a lot of raccoon energy.

Links & things I mentioned

• Support The Raccoon Author on Patreon — including the Raccoon Author tier and the Emotional Support Crew.
• Preorder Cancer Is Not My Brand — the nonfiction book I’m currently revising and, appropriately enough, the book that got me thinking even more about branding, identity, and what we choose to be known for.
• I’ve learned a LOT from Becca Syme and the Better-Faster Academy. You can find Becca Syme’s Patreon here.
• I also backed Claire Taylor’s Writing Iconic Relationships Kickstarter — because apparently the Learner/Input part of my raccoon brain still wants more things to learn and I really liked her writing iconic characters book. Plus I write romance and that iconic relationships bit speaks to me...
• The Raccoon Author⁠ — the home for my slightly chaotic, very curious self-publishing diary.

If you're an indie author self-publishing wide, or specifically on Amazon KDP, and you're based in the EU, this episode is for you (or at least, it's for you to commiserate with me). I walk through my ongoing, unresolved, and occasionally maddening experience trying to figure out EU VAT reporting for my Amazon royalties as a Belgian-registered sole proprietor and US citizen self-employed author.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Amazon KDP's EU VAT Invoices requirement and the self-billing agreement, and why that option isn't showing up in my account
• What actually happened during a two-hour Amazon KDP support chat, including an agent who left mid-conversation and wrong information about my tax forms
• Why a US citizen living abroad still has to file a W-9, not a W-8BEN, no matter where they live
• What I found digging through KDP's own (and partly outdated) VAT help pages
• The next step I've identified but haven't tackled yet: submitting VAT invoices to Amazon manually
• A Patreon update: three new paid tiers now live (Emotional Support Crew, Spicy Pickles, and Raccoon Author), and what free members and newsletter subscribers can still expect
• An early audiobook release for # Sweets For Love, going out chapter by chapter on Patreon
• A Barnes & Noble payment update and a quick note on my ongoing TikTok experiment

Disclaimer: This episode is not tax, VAT, or legal advice. It's a personal account of one indie author's experience. Please consult a qualified tax advisor, VAT specialist, or your local tax authority for guidance specific to your situation.

Stick around for the blooper reel. I still cannot say "EU VAT" cleanly.

Links mentioned:

• Patreon (with the Raccoon Author tier): https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook/membership
• FAQ VAT (old document I think): https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZJMEVQJPYBGJ8Z7
• FAQ VAT (newer FAQ): https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GZU8XMCDUGR6PM7F

• Contact: elodie AT elodienow.com

This one's a numbers-and-behind-the-scenes episode. I share a full preorder update across all five of my current books, platform by platform, the good and the zero, and where I'm at ten days into a thirty-day TikTok experiment in 2026 (I know, I know).

The BookTok part is genuinely interesting to me: one video crossed 2,000 views and somehow racked up more than eight hours of total watch time, while its near-identical twin stalled at 94 and I have no idea why. That's kind of the whole lesson.

I get into what's working, where in the world people are actually watching from (hello, UK), how many of them clicked through (spoiler: two), and yes, what it's costing me in focus, because I opened the app nineteen times in one afternoon and that felt worth admitting out loud.

Plus: the Belgian VAT answer that arrived in eleven pages, the Barnes & Noble payment I'm still chasing, a trip to the ER that cancelled a posting day, and trying to use my phone less.

And I'm going to interview the chemical engineer about how to write a believable one. If you've got a question for him, send it to [email protected]. He refuses to see them in advance. So. :-)

If you've tried TikTok and it worked for you, or really didn't, come tell me. We can commiserate, or you can show me your data.

• BeccaCon + Becca Syme's Write Better-Faster Patreon — the author-business conference and the experiments-homework that started all this: https://betterfasteracademy.com (Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/beccasyme/posts)
• Wide for the Win Circle (where I posted about the Barnes & Noble delay): https://wideforthewin.com/
• L. Penelope — "The Fire That Forges You" (My Imaginary Friends), on documenting your process while you're in it: https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/the-fire-that-forges-you
• Jami Albright — The Summer That Changed Us — the book that wrecked me (Steel Magnolias meets Schitt's Creek with the heart of This Is Us): https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW — jamialbright.com

• My Christmas Wish-List (preorder, now July 31st): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish
• Cancer Is Not My Brand (preorder): https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/
• Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat
• A New Year's Eve Like No Other (third in the Nick & Em series): https://books2read.com/ANewYearsEveLikeNoOther
• French editions — Ma Liste de Noël and Un Réveillon Pas Comme Les Autres

If the episode was useful, a rate-and-review would make this self-published author's day. Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.

www.elodienowodazkij.com

www.elodienow.com

I had different plans for this episode. And then I ended up in a Belgian ER at 6:45 in the morning with hives and a lip that decided to start swelling. So... change of plans.

This week, I'm taking you behind the scenes of three days in my life as a self-published author: the writing, the taxes, and yes, the ER.

I talk about:

• My ER stories as a writer (and former cancer patient) in three countries (the US, France, and Belgium) and how those experiences end up in my books, including the nurses who made everything easier (hi to the one who called me Bebe)
• Finding the small good moments even in crappy situations, and why sometimes that's easier said than done
• Why I moved the preorder date for # My Christmas Wish-List to the end of July (spoiler: there was just no way)
• Bringing Plato (our beagle who we said goodbye to in 2025 ) into My Christmas Wish List, and how writing him helped me get back into the story
• Revision talk: digging deeper into character voice, the "worst and best" to make characters more three-dimensional, a scene more alive and why knowing where the dog is in every scene actually matters
• The Belgian VAT saga continues (I called the FinMin help line, I sent an email, I wait)

And Cancer Is Not My Brand is now up for preorder! What a wonderful way to announce it. Such a nice segue.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Preorder Cancer Is Not My Brand: https://books2read.com/cancerisnotmybrand/
• Preorder My Christmas Wish-List (now coming end of July): https://books2read.com/MyChristmasWish
• Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That at Christmas: https://books2read.com/NiceGuysDontKissLikeThat
• Becca Syme's QuitCast for Writers — "Why We Want You to Prioritize Your Health This Year as Authors" (also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ1Lm5o3IcI)
• The Creative Penn — "Writing Through Grief and Rebooting an Indie Author Business" with Jami Albright: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2026/06/01/writing-through-grief-and-rebooting-an-indie-author-business-with-jami-albright/
• Jami Albright's website (and her book The Summer That Changed Us): Steel Magnolias meets Schitt’s Creek with the heart of This is Us.https://jamialbright.com

Choose your favorite e-retailer https://books2read.com/b/mdZvPW

• Susan Dennard on writing more than one book at once "Finishing what You Start": https://stdennard.substack.com/p/finishing-what-you-start

Tell me where you're listening from! Email me at [email protected]

• My websites: https://www.elodienowodazkij.com and https://www.elodienow.com

• My Substack: https://elodienowodazkij.substack.com/
• My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@authorelodienowodazkij
• My Patreon: Elodie's Writing Nook https://www.patreon.com/c/elodieswritingnook

Thank you so much for listening from the US to Nigeria, Hong Kong to Lithuania, Belgium and France and Germany (and hi Alex, hi Maman, hi Gisela). I hope your socks are fluffy, and if you're writing, that the words are flowing.

Happy writing, and happy, happy reading.

This One is About Amazon Blocking One of my e-books - one that had been up for ten years.

In today's episode, I share how many returns that book got over years, the sales number, the reviews, what I decided to do.

I also talk about moving a pre-order, and a little bit about craft - thinking about how to improve my books.

Mentioned in this episode:

- How to get your Amazon account back: https://bit.ly/TBCYA

- Alliance of Independent Authors: https://www.allianceindependentauthors.org/

- Becca Syme: The #1 Thing Authors Can Do To Increase Demand For Their Books (The Quitcast 8.13)

- Ines Johnson: Page Turner Take off - I don't think it's available outside of her Kickstarter yet.

- Margie Lawson: A Deep Editing Guide to Make Your Openings Pop!