Swimming Upstream – The Indie Author Journey

Welcome to my first blog post of the year! In fact, this is the very first thing I’ve written in 2026. The first week has been incredibly encouraging. While I’m trying to break the habit of checking my sales every five minutes, I couldn't help but take a peek—and I’m glad I did. We saw three sales in the first four days (two eBooks and a paperback), and as of today, January 7th, that number has already climbed to four!

It feels like only yesterday that it was January and I made the big decision to finally publish my book. I found a publishing company that felt like the right match, but looking back, I didn't have a clue how the process actually worked! Was I naive? Probably. Would I have done things differently? Definitely.

Merry Christmas! I wasn’t sure if I should post a blog during the holidays, but I cannot help but write when ideas are floating around in my head. It has been a whirlwind week. We have topped 150 new readers this month, with 133 books downloaded via FREE promos and paid sales. Another 24 paperbacks were shared with my local book club, bringing the total of new readers this year to over 200.

My first book, An Irish Mystery, centers on the legendary Irish Crown Jewels.

It feels like weeks ago I wrote my last blog just because so much has happened over the last week. I have a lot of promotions going on right now, all for the purpose of getting some good quality reviews. Fingers crossed!

The last week has been a bit wild! For those just finding my Swimming Upstream blog, my name is Daniel. I write historical adventure thrillers, but by day, I work as a site manager at a school.

I've decided to aggressively reduce the price of my ebook and give away free copies because, right now, I am after reviews more than profit. You learn quickly that people reading your book is more important than making money, especially on your first book. If these readers review, and they are good reviews, that alone will help drive sales.

This has been a week where I truly contemplate where I go from here. Nothing seems to get any traction, and I've spent more time looking at metrics than writing.

At last, the time has come—my new book cover is out! I had decided the old cover didn't represent my book, the story, or the future of the series. But the new design has taken the brand, I think, to another level. I might be biased, but I think a bestselling author would be proud of this design!

​I haven't been publishing for very long—my book came out in May—and I still don't really class myself as an Author. Storyteller, yes. Self-published writer, check. But Author? I look at people who do it full-time as Authors. In the sports world, you have professionals, semi-pros, and amateurs. Where am I? I'm making money on every sale, but I’ve definitely spent more than I’ve made. You decide!

Last week, I wrote about why I write short chapters (if you missed it, you can find it here: [link] and announced that you can sign up for my newsletter to get an exclusive excerpt of Book 2, An American Treasure.

I've been asked on more than one occasion: "Why are your chapters so short?"