Editor’s Letter: Endings and Beginnings

Although you’re reading this in January—or maybe even later into the new year—I’m writing this letter in December 2023. My family’s Christmas tree is still halfway decorated. I still have packages to ship, letters to mail, and several deadlines to meet for our staff before I sign out for the holidays. I may be clinging desperately to the little time I have left this year to get everything done, but we are racing toward the end.

But on your side of the page, the end has come and gone. Instead of unfinished to-do lists or a mess of sticky note reminders, you’re looking at a blank calendar and a freshly opened pack of pens, ready to take on 2024. While I’m looking at the final page in this book, you’re already holding the next story in the series in your hands.

When you’re in the thick of it, it can be hard to remember that every end is also a beginning for something new.

This past November, the indie author community saw the end of what had become a fixture in the industry for many: the 20Books Vegas conference spearheaded by 20BooksTo50K® co-founder Craig Martelle. But it was also the beginning of a new conference series led by the Author Nation consortium. In this month’s issue, we share reflections from our community on what this end means for the industry, as well as what’s known so far about what comes next.

As humans, we’re bound to find endings worrisome or even a little sad—especially when what we’re leaving behind is something meaningful. But as writers, endings are part of our job. And whether we choose to give our readers a happily-ever-after, a massive cliffhanger, or a bittersweet farewell, they can trust there’s always a new story with countless possibilities waiting on the other side.

As I reach the end of this year and you stand on the precipice of the new one, let’s make the next book in the series the best one yet.

Nicole Schroeder

Editor in Chief