My experience on the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme: Month 11

Hello again. Welcome back to my series of insights into what it’s like to undertake the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme.  

Month Eleven is all about the self-publication route and author-led marketing. I have self-published a trilogy of three books. I learned a tonne. And now, I’m aiming for a traditional publishing deal with a small or independent press. 

That might sound like a contradiction – especially in a month where we’re talking about the power of self-publishing and author-led marketing. But for me, this isn’t a rejection of self-pub. It’s the result of having truly lived it. 

I did the experiment. I ran the numbers. I stood on the other side of my three respective launch days and asked: Is this the life I want as a writer? 

And now I have my answer, I’m headed for traditional publishing. Why? Well, in no particular order: 

1) I write literary fiction: My work probably isn’t going to compete head-on with highly commercial genre fiction that sells in big volumes and lends itself nicely to series. Never say never – but realistically, the manuscripts I’m producing now feel better suited, more at home, with a small or indie press. 

2) I’ve already proven what I needed to prove: My first book reached #1 in 14 Amazon categories across four countries – the UK, the USA, Canada, and Australia – on publication day. It has since revisited #1 in Canada. That bestseller ribbon meant something. It still does. 

But what mattered more was what I learned about visibility: how to get strangers to notice a book, buy it, review it, and then come back for the second one. I’m always happy to be transparent about what that required – in terms of money, time, and emotional energy. Suffice to say: I did it, I got the t-shirt, and that chapter of my life is complete. 

3) I want to focus on being a writer first: Traditional publishing gives me the greatest chance of being single-minded about story. Self-publishing – brilliant as it is – requires you to also be a marketer, data analyst, strategist, and brand manager. I’ve worn those hats. Now I want to hang them up. 

4) I want longevity: I want to be in this world for a long time. Talking about books. Talking about writing. Building a small but deeply engaged readership – not expending attention and effort chasing the next algorithm shift. And I’m incredibly lucky: I now have a job that allows me to live inside this writing world every day. It’s taken the pressure off my manuscripts to “perform.” I can give myself time to grow. 

The reality behind my bestselling ribbon? I published my first book in 2017. Back then, Amazon categories were pretty hidden and murky. I paid someone to help me analyse them because you had to know which questions to ask. The goal? To be a big fish in a very tiny (but valid) pond on publication day. 

Today, tools like Publisher Rocket make that easier, but the principle is the same: strategic positioning. 

Then came launch day. I worked my friends, family, colleagues — anyone who would listen. The book was discounted to 99p. I made 217 sales across the globe, which was enough to reach #1 in those carefully chosen categories. 

Later boosts came through BookBub advertising — an excellent tool — but my ROI remained negative. 

This isn’t a complaint. I had a ball. But it taught me something crucial: selling a book is not magic. It requires attention, focus, skill, analytics, and upfront investment. Exactly what any publisher must invest. 

And that knowledge? It changed me. 

So, would I self-publish again? No. Definitive no. 

The work I’m doing now through the Ultimate Novel Writing Programme is aimed squarely at traditional publishing. 

My last three manuscripts tell their own story. One has had 63+ rejections and now lives in a drawer. One is currently querying: one full request, twenty rejections so far. And now, there’s my UNWP work-in-progress.  

What if this one also faces the same fate? Well, I’m currently ‘composting’ two more novels. I’ll begin again. Because I now understand where my energy belongs. 

Self-publishing gave me clarity. It showed me what can threaten to stop me turning up to my writing – and what always brings me back to the keyboard. It taught me where my emotional boundaries lie: what is within my control, and what never will be (hello, agent submissions). 

So, my goals are simple and stubborn: become the best writer I can possibly be and stay around long enough for success to have a chance to find me. 

That’s where author-led marketing still matters to me — not as a hustle, but as a slow-building relationship with readers. A long game, not a launch spike. 

This month’s focus on self-publishing and author-led marketing isn’t about pushing one path. It’s about giving us the full map. The Ultimate Novel Writing Programme doesn’t sell fantasies. It teaches us students how the industry really works – across all routes – so we can choose with clarity instead of hope, and with strategy instead of fear. 

I’ve walked one road already. Now I’m choosing another – eyes wide open. And that, to me, is the real gift of this course. 

Rachel Davidson was a long-term Premium Member of Jericho Writers, prior to joining our Writer Support Team. Rachel loves helping hopeful writers, such as herself, to solve their problems and take a step or two closer to achieving their writing dreams. Rachel has previously self-published a trilogy, the first of which achieved bestseller status in fourteen Amazon categories in the UK, US, Australia and Canada. She is now seeking her traditional publishing debut with her latest manuscript. You can find out more about Rachel via her Instagram @RachelDavidsonAuthor.