It’s That Time Again: My Year in Review (May 2025–April 2026)
Last year’s update (until 30 April 2025) is HERE, and the running page of past and present updates is HERE.
I never celebrated this milestone. Again. I’m not the best at celebrating anything really. And it’s so important.
Many many things changed in my author career over the last year and I think it’s going to be a very slight post… But let’s not revel in old habits and review this year.
As always, the inspiration for posts like this comes from The Creative Penn with Joanna Penn, Sacha Black, and the SPA Girls. More on that over on my TIMELINE page.
📆 What Happened in 2026
Published WIDE A Genocide 12 May 2025
Stopped blogging daily 20 May 2025
Started #BAS Secrets in the Sand 6 July 2025
Published Kindle Unlimited The Unknown Boxed Set 17 August 2025
Published Kindle Unlimited Wedding Vows 18 August 2025
Book cover update Frances & Gilbert 15 September 2025
Book cover update Jack & Jool 29 September 2025
Published WIDE Frances & Gilbert 17 February 2026
Published WIDE A Day of Celebration 18 February 2026
Published WIDE Beauty and the Vampire 25 February 2026
Published WIDE Pebble in my Brick 26 February 2026
Published WIDE Jack & Jool 3 March 2026
Published WIDE Walking the Pages 27 March 2026
Anne’s Fiction Insider weekly on the blog from 25 April 2026
💸 Earnings (May 2025 – April 2026)
Amazon earnings from May 2025 to April 2026 R369.56
Kobo earnings R0
Draft2Digital earning R0
Direct sales earnings $6.97
A smidge more than last year
đź“š Reflecting on the Year
I think it was a year of settling.
I tried things and noticed real results. But never replicated the things that worked! The whole purpose of the game, right.
This was the year though when I started working outside the house again, starting November 2025. It’s been an adjustment and confusion.
đź’Ş The Real Wins
I moved a lot of my books into WIDE distribution and away from Amazon’s control. Some horror stories out there!
I learned paid ads, which has always been a nerve-wracking uncertainty for me.
I’ve sent out my newsletter nearly every weekend!
đź’ The Disappointments
As previously, the earnings and the fact that no new stories saw the light of day.
The inconsistency in my focus and writing also cost me dearly.
Life’s changes tend to get me down a lot, and this year it really threw me a curveball again.
But who’s afraid?
That’s it for this year’s review.
Cheers
Anne
PS. Past and future timeline posts will go to the timelines page
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**