When I tell people I’m a romance author, they imagine that it must be a dream job. And it is! But if you think that I sit around and type away on my computer at some countryside property all day, then you’d be sorely mistaken.
Readers get to enjoy the finished product of an author’s hard work, but they don’t always know what goes on behind the scenes. And although my job as an author is to write books, that’s hardly the only thing that I do—especially as an indie author. There are so many small yet important tasks to do when running an author business. So! I thought it might be fun for you to get an idea of what an average day is like and the kinds of things I do that readers might not realize.
A Typical Day in the Life of a Romance Indie Author
Alright, I have to confess: there’s not really a typical day for me as an author. For other authors, maybe there is, but for me, there are a lot of things that I consider as I plan out my day. So I typically check in with myself about a few things first…
Which deadlines are pressing? If I have upcoming deadlines (drafts to send to beta readers, drafts to send to an editor!), this means that I have something I need to focus on. I do not like to put things off until the last minute—I learned pretty quickly that everything in my author life takes much longer than I expect it will—so I prefer to space out my work weeks in advance. Of course, I can put my nose down and really get to ~work~ if need be, but my brain works better when I can work on my own time and not overload myself.
How did I sleep? I’m not able to function if I don’t sleep well, and since I don’t like caffeine, that means I need to wake up rested. If I wake up groggy or tired, I will read the room and give myself some grace. But this is why it’s always important for me to get to bed at a decent time and rest up each night.
What non-author things do I want to accomplish today? I prefer having balance to my schedule. Work hard, play hard, and all that. I like to make sure that I’m always making space for the other things I like to do in my life, like getting in a nice workout, going out with my husband to one of our favorite restaurants, and, of course, sitting around and reading a good book with my cats.
Once I assess those three things above, that’s when I figure out what I’m able to tackle on any given day. On an ideal day where I’m working away on a project, got a decent sleep, and have some kind of evening commitment, my schedule might look like this:
Early Morning (until ~`10am) - Wake up, journal if I can (a habit I’ve fallen out of recently but am getting back into), and have some breakfast. Lately, I’ve been really jamming on Greek yogurt with chia seeds, some fruit, and honey. I have hyperactive cats, so I spend 10-20 minutes playing with them. Then it’s time to settle in for some work.
Late Morning (10am-12pm) - This is where I will work on what is the most important/pressing, typically related to my manuscript—so, either plotting, writing, or editing. My brain works best when I’m able to check the most important thing off my list before I tackle smaller tasks. I find that pomodoro sprinting works really well for me to lock in and get stuff done in only a few hours.
Midday (12pm-1:30pm) - In the past, I’ve blown through lunchtime, but I’m really trying to make sure I fuel my body better these days, so I do break for lunch. Depending on my mood, I might allow myself some time to mentally wander; if I’m feeling focused, though, I might dive right back into work.
Afternoon (1:30pm-5pm or 6pm) - As much as I’d love to just continue doing all the fun creative stuff, I typically can only do that for a few more hours in the day and dedicate at least a couple hours in this chunk of time to other tasks. Other tasks, meaning, well, everything. Searching for cover designers, social media planning or posting, writing blog posts or newsletters, connecting with other authors in my subgenres, organizing beta reader feedback, creating ARC campaign images…
Evening (6pm onwards) - Time to wind down and enjoy life! If I’m staying at home for the evening, I cook dinner and will likely read on the couch with my cats and/or watch something with my husband. If I have something planned, then I try to give myself enough time to wind down at the end of the evening so I can wake up the next day refreshed and ready for more!
What Doesn't Always Make It Into My Daily Routine
As I mentioned, every day is a little different for me—which I love, because it keeps things interesting. I find that I fall into cycles with what I’m doing. I also usually have more than one project in the works at any given time. For instance, right now I’m editing a novella based on beta reader feedback, I have 40k words of an upcoming book, and I’m plotting out another book. My schedule very much depends on where I am with each project and what I’m trying to publish next! But here are some of the things that might be my focus, depending on my current priorities:
Planning releases and launch schedules, which means looking weeks and months in advance to figure out my schedule leading up until then.
Working with editors, cover designers, or proofreaders; this entails researching to find these people and then actually working with them. You might be surprised to know that some of the people I hire are booked months in advance! Hence why I really like to stay on top of deadlines.
Formatting books and uploading files, which isn’t glamorous but is one of the final steps before a book is in my hands!
Managing advertising, finances, and other business responsibilities. These can sometimes be a time-suck, but they’re still very important.
Brainstorming new stories and plotting future books. Let’s be honest, this is always fun!
The Reality of Working for Yourself as an Indie Author
I’ve never been someone who does well in a traditional office work setting. As an indie author, I get to be my own boss, create books I’m proud of, and share them with the world. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and roses—I’ve been known to have a breakdown from time to time, as my husband can confirm. But for me, the creative freedom is unmatched.
I decide what I write, what my book covers look like, and who helps edit my books. I also decide what each day looks like. That requires a lot of self-discipline, it’s true, but all that working remotely prior to becoming an author really helped me! I have no issues sitting down to get the writing done when it needs to get done.
I struggle the most with the administrative side of publishing. I really wish I could hire someone to handle that side of things—especially the social media side of things. Once I have a secure enough income, that will be the first thing I invest in. I only have so many hours in a day, and I’d rather spend them writing or editing!
And if I had to tell you the thing that has surprised me most about this job…it’s the rewarding feeling of looking at my growing library of written books. I always tell people that writing and publishing my first book, The Half of It, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. And yet only a year later I went and did it again, and I will continue to for years to come. Like with any job, I’ve improved and grown, and I love seeing the number of “Books By This Author” go up and up.
My Favorite Part of Being an Indie Romance Author
It’s tough to narrow down what I love the most about my job as an indie author. I’m so lucky to have a job that I enjoy, that allows me to be creative, and that gives me the flexibility to decide what my day-to-day looks like.
But probably more than anything, the best part of being an indie author is the readers. It is truly the coolest feeling in the world when a book I’ve written resonates with someone and they tag me in an Instagram post about how they cried the last 15% of the book or how it was one of their favorite reads of the year. I can’t believe that I get to write romance books, and I can’t believe that other people love my love stories as much as I do. It really is the stuff of dreams!