Planning for 2025

And celebrating 2024's successes!

I love this time between Christmas and the new year, when I look back on the year, celebrate successes, and look forward to the year ahead. I get all excited with the possibilities of everything, and it means I jump into the new year full of vigour!

It’s not so much as setting resolutions, but planning writing schedules (roughly), release times for new books, holiday plans, conferences, and the things I want to achieve. It’s also about looking at what worked well this year, and the things I want to take with me. My theme this year is streamlining, but also expansion. It sounds contradictory, but honestly, it isn’t!

This post is mainly about my author business/writing goals, but also some personal goals, too.

2024

At the beginning of this year, I set several goals: to produce lots of audiobooks, grow my YouTube channel and Ream subscription, and to really push my online shop, Happenstance Books and Merch. I am pleased to say I achieved all of these, and did things I didn’t expect, such as start my Substack. I really love you, Substack!

Audiobooks

I work with two amazing narrators. Adam Gold narrates my Rise of the King series, and in February 2024 he completed The Silver Tower, book 2. The Cursed Sword, book 3, was finished in October. The entire series is available as a bundle on my shop and on lots of other audiobook retailers.

Here’s the first chapter of The Cursed Sword if you’d like to hear his wonderful work:

Diana Croft narrates all of my other series, and I really wanted to get as much of my backlist up to date as time allowed, bearing in mind that she’s a very popular narrator.

We kicked off the year with The First Yule, the Moonfell Witches novella, after which she completed Midnight Fire, White Haven Hunters book 5, then Immortal Dusk, book 6, and then book 7, Brotherhood of the Fallen. That means that entire series is now available as audiobooks, and they are again published on all retailers, including my shop where you can buy the entire set as a bundle.

Di then narrated four White Haven Witches books: Vengeful Magic, Chaos Magic, Stormcrossed Magic, and Wyrd Magic. That leaves only two to do in that series, and they will be completed very early in 2025. I can’t believe how many she managed! They are also available in bundles on Happenstance Books and Merch. Diana, like Adam, has lots of wonderful accents that she uses, and they really bring my characters to life.

Here’s the opening chapter to Wyrd Magic:

In total, that’s 10 audiobooks I’ve published this year! I’m so happy with that.

Books

I wrote and published four books this year: Brotherhood of the Fallen, the final book in the White Haven Hunters series - the characters will appear in other books, and may get their own book/novella, too; Dark Heart, Storm Moon Shifters Book 2; Triple Moon: Honey Gold and Wild, Moonfell Witches Book 1; and Sacred Magic, White Haven Witches Book 13. It was published later than planned, because honestly, I ran out of steam in August, and just needed a break.

I also updated all of my White Haven Witches paperback covers so they match the hardbacks, audiobooks, and eBooks. That was a huge job, for me and my cover designer, and I am super grateful to Fiona Jayde Media for her patience with this. Storm Moon Shifters has hardback versions as well as paperback and eBooks, and so do the Moonfell Witches. That leaves jobs for next year!

It’s great to have ticked off some of these big jobs, and kept my store updated, but where does that leave me? Well, there’s a list of course…

Translations

I have started translating the White Haven Witches series into German. Well, not me as such, but I have employed a translator! The first two are published, and book 3 will be out end of January/early Feb 2025. This is a long-winded process, but hopefully worth while.

Podcasts

I decided to reach out to a few witchy/writing podcasts this year, and have been so excited to be interviewed by such lovely people. I am aiming to apply to more shows and hopefully be interviewed for more podcasts next year.

The Witty Witch Podcast:

The Witch Lit Podcast:

Mysteries and Monsters Podcast: https://audioboom.com/posts/8567538-mysteries-and-monsters-episode-305-author-t-j-green

Plans for 2025

This is the perfect time for planning, because it’s the New Moon in Capricorn on December 30th, and it’s a Black Moon, too, so called because it’s the second new moon in a calendar month. Capricorn energy is all about ambition, structure, and making solid plans, so this is the perfect time to set goals that align with our long-term dreams. With the added oomph of a Black New Moon, it’s like the universe is giving our intentions a double shot of power. Think of it as a celestial reset button – especially potent as we edge closer to the new year. A Black New Moon is often seen as a time to embrace deep transformation, clear out the old, and call in fresh energy with real staying power. Yes please!

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Unsplash

New Books

Let’s start with the important stuff, like books! I’m an author, so writing and creating is the thing that I love most. I also love messing around with images for merchandise, social media and advertising, and finding new ways to do things, but nothing happens without more books, and writing is my happy place.

There’s nothing quite like feeling a story take shape and evolve, especially that moment when it drops into place and I enter that fertile zone where words just flow on to the page. It’s sooo satisfying! Some books start in that fertile zone, while others take longer. I’m not a plotter. Certainly not a rigid plotter. I start with a rough idea of what the story will be about, decide pretty instinctively where it will start, and go from there. However, there is no denying that the more I know, the faster the words flow.

But, I have learnt not to push it too soon, and to trust in my process. I never know how my books will end, or what happy twists may turn up in the middle. It keeps me entertained, so hopefully keeps my readers happy, too.

This year’s plans are to write:

• The third Storm Moon Shifters book, as yet untitled, released end of April 2025. I have an awesome plot.

• The second Moonfell Witches, untitled, potential release July 2025. I love these ladies.

• The fourteenth White Haven Witches book - so much to pick up in that one! Fingers crossed October 2025.

• And potentially one more, as yet undecided… December 2025

• I will be in an urban fantasy themed Kickstarter anthology at some point next year, so more on that later. I’m writing the short story for that right now, and it will feature the Storm Moon Shifters and Moonfell Witches.

Hardbacks

Rise of the King series and White Haven Hunters will be available in hardback by March latest - I hope…

Audiobooks

• First up is Midwinter Magic, which is almost done.

• Sacred Magic, which brings the White Haven Witches completely up to date.

• Storm Moon Rising, Storm Moon Shifters #1,

• Triple Moon: Honey Gold and Wild, Moonfell Witches #1,

• Dark Heart, Shifters #2

And that’s my backlist up to date. After that we will hopefully get all my books narrated very soon after release, depending on Di’s schedule.

Happenstance Books and Merch

I’m going to bundle up lots more eBooks and audiobooks so they can be bought together with great savings from my online shop. I’ll start doing that over the next week or so. I have seen great growth in sales with all formats over the last 8 months, especially from my shop, and want those to grow.

I’ll be adding more merchandise, and refreshing some items.

I’m going to add signed paperbacks, which has long been my intention, but I need to sort out shipping.

Book Boxes are coming!

I also would love to try super special editions, sold directly from my shop. That’s a big goal that will need planning, so no promises as to when…

Substack

Grow this fabulous platform and add a paid subscription level. And a chat!

Streamline:

I have two websites, two email providers, two launch teams, and two subscription services. I have to let some things go!

Over the next twelve months I will close my www.tjgreenauthor.com site, but obviously keep my online shop going. However, my tjgreenauthor site is where I gather subscribers for my regular newsletter. I cannot merge that with my Happenstance Books newsletter. It’s ecommerce, so totally different. I need to think on this. My tjgreen site also has my blog there, but I’m migrating that to Substack, and I can also add it to Happenstance Books if needed. I can keep two newsletters, but may merge my main one with Substack.

The other advantage of my tjgreenauthor site is that I can link to all retailers there, including my own, because readers, understandably, like to stick with the retailers they’ve used for years, but I can still remind readers of my shop. However, Bookfunnel have now just set up universal links that include Shopify stores so that solves that problem!

I have a launch team newsletter group, and am already closing my Facebook launch team, having asked my FB review team to transfer if they want. The newsletter launch team is part of my larger one, and again could move to Substack.

I love sharing updates with my subscribers, including newsletter subscribers, but replicating emails is nutty. It has to stop!

I have no intention of closing my Ream subscription which is called Happenstance Book Club. I really enjoying posting my work-in-progress chapters there as I love the interaction I get from my readers! I also love sending out signed books and merch to paid subscribers. Most subscribers also receive my eBooks and audiobooks as part of their subscriptions. It maybe that I replicate those lower tier bonuses here. That’s easy to do. I’ve enjoyed creating extra content like Wheel of the Year Guides, too, and suggested tarot spreads. However, I may close the associated Discord Group and create a chat on Substack. I’m not overly fond of Discord.

Part of being a wide author is the ability to be on lots of platforms where readers like to hang out, without (hopefully) it becoming a crazy amount of work. I’ve found I really like the way Substack works, so really want to keep this going. Ream will remain a dedicated space for those that love it there, and as I said, I love posting work-in-progress chapters.

Definitely a few things to think about there, but the main two are to get rid of one website and align my main newsletter with Substack. And grow Happenstance Books and Merch subscribers of course!

Translations

2024 was all about audiobooks, 2025 will be about translations. Watch this space! More updates on that soon.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash

Personal Goals

Achieve balance! I am not setting overly ambitious goals as far as book releases go, as I want to enjoy my lovely life in the Algarve - hence the streamlining - and allow time to blog, write short stories, and make lovely extras for my subscribers. Nor do I wish writing to be a chore. I love it, and it must remain that way.

I will continue to lean into my witch. I love magic and witchcraft, and intend to grow my practice even more this year. I have lots of new books, new podcasts to explore, and practises to experiment with. So exciting! I have more tarot packs, too, and have really enjoyed varying my readings with the new packs. I’ll talk about that another time.

Do more gardening! I have a wonderful greenhouse, and we need lots more herbs. Guess what I’ll be planting in the spring.

Enjoy some mini breaks and explore new places. Back to Seville for a conference in May, maybe Matera in June for another, and a break in Marrakesh, and that’s just for starters.

That’s a Wrap

So, I think I’m done! A few logistics to consider regarding newsletters etc, but there’s so much to look forward to. Tomorrow I’ll be intention setting with the new moon, and continuing to write my short story.

I hope you enjoy planning, too. Don’t hold back. Make some good ones.

Until next time, my lovelies! If you have any comments on my post, or thoughts/plans to share, just drop them below.

Thank you for subscribing to Where the Witches Gather. I really appreciate it.

TJ