(continuation of the previous blog from 27.01.2026)

Lives of indie authors are full of surprises. Even when a peroneal nerve palsy leaves half your leg in a state of half‑sleep, the book work doesn’t pause. And every new path brings new learnings worth sharing.

Last December, I ordered 100 printed copies for my own use. When they arrived — deposited on a pallet by two very stressed UPS fellows — the real work began. At that point I was still fully mobile, yet dragging fifteen boxes of roughly 20 kg each up the stairs and through the atrium was no small feat. I was, quite literally, staggering under the weight of my own creation.

Lesson Four: Try to stay reasonably fit before you publish.

Launch preparations swept me along, and soon it was the night before the event. Thirty copies had to be made ready. I expected a pleasant distraction. Instead, I found damaged volumes, lamination flaws, and cardboard as hard as the top of an overdone Danish pork roast. I was sweating, muttering expletives, and eventually falling twice, when my numb leg buckled.

Lesson Five: Check extra copies the moment they arrive.

The replacement shipment came days after the launch. The UPS men left it by the garage and vanished into the snowfall. The books were perfect — but they still had to be carried up our wooden spiral staircase. With my impaired balance, I could manage only two copies at a time. Up and down I waddled, like a literary Sisyphus. My mood was not serene.

Lesson Six: If you write books, be prepared to carry them too.

Meanwhile, former colleagues asked for signed copies. I made several trips to my old office, limping through endless corridors with as many books as I could manage. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was heartening to meet so many eager readers.

Lesson Seven: Grow your network well before the launch — and keep it alive.

Requests from readers abroad added another layer of learning. Brexit complications, Flemish address formats, wrong labels from a postal platform, and a local delivery point that “forgot” a package for two weeks — all part of the adventure. Still, helping readers reach the book was a joy.

Final lesson: Prepare to work with postal services — and to develop packing skills.

Despite everything, I wouldn’t trade these experiences. They taught me more about indie authorship — and about myself — than any smooth launch ever could.