Welcome back, everyone! I’m doing something a bit different with this week’s article: instead of me talking your ear off, I’ve recruited a dear

friend and fellow fantasy author to help me discuss the writing/publishing industry, what the life of an author is like, and more! With that being

said, I’m beyond excited to introduce you to the phenomenal Ella d’Avoine!

Ella is a twenty-year-old self-published fantasy author from a little forest in the UK, but that’s not all – she’s also the founder of Soleil Writing

Agency, a mentorship program for indie authors. Soleil helps with social media marketing, offers guidance through the self-publishing process,

provides an author page on the Soleil website, organizes ARC set-ups and send outs, and offers a full guide to self-publishing.

“Our goal is to not only assist self-published authors, but to also provide them with a platform that can amplify their voice and work without

taking away any of their creative control,” Ella says. “As a self-published author myself, I understand how overwhelming the process is. It’s a lot to

undertake on your own, and I know it stops a lot of writers from fulfilling their dream and publishing their books because the workload can

seem a bit terrifying. I wanted to build a platform that would give those authors a helping hand and a mentor throughout the process so that

they can fulfil their dreams. I’m also incredibly passionate about showing the industry that the way you publish your work doesn’t define whether

you’re successful or not. If you’ve written a book, you’re an author. Full stop. Choosing between traditional publishing and self-publishing isn’t

choosing between right or wrong, and I know there’s a lot of people who see it that way and don’t give self-published authors anywhere near

enough credit for the work they put in. I want Soleil to change that.”

Ella’s goal from the start has been to help as many indie authors as possible in as many ways as she can. Whether an author needs help with the

publishing process, finishing their manuscript, or learning the ropes of marketing, Ella is diligent about sharing her expertise with her clients.

Offering guidance to indie authors isn’t all she hopes to accomplish through Soleil, either: “As the platform builds, I want Soleil to be not only a

community for self-published authors to network with one another, but I also want it to be widely known by readers, so that when they’re

looking for their next read, they can come to Soleil and choose one! I’d also love to organize events and books signings for the authors who

sign with me because we don’t get enough opportunities like that as self-published authors.”

As you can see, Ella has big plans for the future of her agency! Soleil is currently open for submissions, and while it’s a fairly new agency, it’s

already signed several indie authors. If you’re thinking about signing with Soleil, here’s a message from the founder about what you can expect:

“Be sure in knowing what you want! When working with authors, there’s a lot I can help with, but I also try to make it clear that I’m not here to

take the entire process off your hands. It’s incredibly important to me that my clients still feel like an author in their own right. They work on

their own schedules and deadlines, all royalties made are theirs, and all creative control is theirs. I want Soleil to be a helping hand, not a

manager, so be sure that this is something you know would benefit you! And as a self-published author myself, I get it. I feel the stress. Take this

as me sending you a virtual hug.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it? I’ll be the first to tell you that IT IS! I’m extremely proud not only to be a client of Soleil, but to be the agency’s FIRST

client! In just a month, I’ve already seen the incredible benefits of being a Soleil client. Not only have I received a stark increase in readers and

visitors to my social media pages, but I’ve also learned so much about publishing and marketing. I’ll admit, neither of those things are my forte,

and I had no idea what I was doing when it came time to share Forged in Gold with the world. I’ve felt Ella’s diligence, professionalism, and

passion for helping indie authors in more ways than one, and I know things will only get better as time goes on! Ella is a magnificent light in the

self-published community, and if you’re struggling with finding your footing like I was (and still am), I urge you to reach out to her! You can find

more information about Soleil, the submission form, and Soleil’s authors on the agency’s website by clicking the logo.

While Soleil is an enormous accomplishment, it isn’t the only one under Ella’s belt! She was only seventeen when she decided to publish her

debut fantasy novel, Midnight Blood, which was released on October 14th, 2023. Not long after in June of 2024, she published a novella called

The Crimson Warrior, which I had the pleasure of beta reading for her before it was released! Both books are included in an interconnected

standalone series (“A mouthful, I know,” she jokes), meaning they can be read in any order while still taking place in the same world, though she

advises that Midnight Blood be read first. Each book – with more to come – follows a different main character descended from an ancient

warrior bloodline. “You get to read about their struggles because of their bloodline, their stories, and their romances – because I can’t write

anything without romance!” she says.

Ella may have been seventeen when she decided to publish, but she got the idea for Midnight Blood when she was fourteen. Not only that –

she’s been writing and telling stories pretty much since the day she learned to walk! “When I was younger, I always used to staple together paper

to make little makeshift books,” she shares. However, writing was just a hobby until she turned sixteen because she spent most of her life training

to be a professional dancer (as if we couldn’t be more impressed by her).

Since publishing Midnight Blood, writing has been her full-time job! “I’m lucky enough to be a full-time writer,” she says. “I like to honor the

natural flow of my creativity, so sometimes I don’t write for weeks, sometimes I’m writing for ten hours in one day. I always like to give myself a

slow morning, so I’ll go out for a coffee or do yoga (the latter is incredibly rare if I’m being honest), and then I’ll do some work for my agency

and my clients, or I’ll write and brainstorm! I take each day as it comes.” And, of course, like all of us, Ella understands the importance of taking

breaks from her creations every now and then! Just like me, her breaks often consist of spending time with her comfort movies, like the Harry

Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean series (I’m sure you can see why we’re such good friends).

When I asked about the inspiration behind her books, Ella shared that a large factor was to assist on her healing journey: “I’ve always journaled to

help me understanding my feelings, but when I was writing Midnight Blood, there was something about the way I could engage with the

characters I was writing about that really helped me to start healing. My characters are little parts of myself that I want to understand deeper,

that I want to give a voice to and hear their story. I always come out of writing knowing a little more about myself. And I set everything in a

fantasy world simply because it’s my favorite thing to write about and visualize.”

While Ella focuses primarily on her fantasy series, she’s also published a poetry collection, Sensual Divinity, dedicated to and celebrating women.

“A few years ago, I found a journal that I decided to dedicate to writing poems in about the feelings I was experiencing and couldn’t

understand,” she explains. “When I read them back earlier this year, I could see so much wisdom in the words, and then it just kept building until

the idea formed in my head for a poetry book. I’m also incredibly passionate about celebrating women in a world that we’re silenced in. Sensual

Divinity is the rawest piece of writing I’ve ever shared with the world, but it’s so incredibly rewarding to know that it’s helped other women feel

less alone.”

Some of Ella’s writing reflects her dedication to spirituality, too! As a practitioner of witchcraft, Ella finds immense strength and power in

spirituality, especially when it comes to her passion for writing. She loves “anything magical and mystical” and has found incredible inspiration

through spirituality and witchcraft. If you take a closer look at the release dates for her books, you’ll find that they were published on new

moons or full moons, as Ella relies heavily on using fresh new energy to set good intentions for release!

I think I’ll have to take a page out of her book when it comes to that (pun intended).

Clearly, Ella is extremely passionate not only about writing, but about writing as a self-published author. Making the decision to self-publish is a

hard one, as all of us indie authors know, so I asked her a little bit about her experience with this. Here’s what she had to say:

“I can be a seriously stubborn person, and after doing some research into traditional publishing, I just knew that I wouldn’t work well with

deadlines set by other people. Creative control was the main aspect that encouraged me to self-publish. I wanted to be sure that the control

was always in my hands. Royalties were also a massive factor for me. I’d spent a year and a half writing Midnight Blood, and honestly, the thought

of the money I made from the sales of that book going to someone else made my stomach turn. I also just loved the idea of self-publishing. It

put me at peace to know I could work through all the different aspects of the process in my own time.”

I can definitely relate to that, and I’m sure other indie authors will agree! As Ella explained to me when I signed with Soleil, one of the biggest

risks an author can take when publishing traditionally is losing a significant portion of our royalties to our agent and publisher. While trad

publishing takes a lot of the heat off of us when it comes to the publication process and marketing, Ella and I both feel that the pros just don’t

outweigh the major con of losing such a vast percentage of our royalties. We pour our blood, sweat, and tears into our books, and it isn’t right

that we’d receive $1 in royalties per sale for a book that retails for $18.

In my opinion, that’s more or less the biggest issue being faced by the writing/publishing industry right now. I’ll let you in on a little secret: for

my $18 book, I only receive $4.06 in royalties. Whether we self or trad publish, we aren’t receiving what we deserve for our work. All creative

industries are suffering right now, and authors are no exception. Writing a book is HARD, and I think we deserve a lot more than what we get

for how much work we put into our creations.

Ella has a different answer for what she believes is the biggest issue currently faced by our industry: “I think there’s a lot of resistance from some

people about the way authors are publishing their books. The rise in self-published authors has skyrocketed in the past few years, which I think is

a brilliant thing, and I think there could be a lot more acceptance with this. I also think that the market is being severely flooded. Some people

are churning out books like it’s nothing, and for me something about this seems a bit surface level. We’ve fallen into this headspace as a

community that the more books you read, the better a reader you are. What happened to savoring a book? Whether that be as you’re writing

it or as you’re reading it. Books are a form of art, and there is no rushing art.”

I can certainly relate to this perspective, too. There are individuals and communities (like Ella and Soleil) that are really dedicated to giving self-

published authors the recognition we deserve, but there’s still a certain amount of resistance from most people. Traditionally published authors

keep pumping books out like it’s nobody’s business – which is fantastic, but it also means they’re at the forefront of the market, so indie authors

have to work extra hard at getting recognized amongst these household names.

Finally, I asked Ella one extremely important question: what advice does she have for aspiring authors? “Always, ALWAYS write for you,” she says.

“Don’t write a book you think someone else will want to read, write the book you want to write! And I know it’s terrifying to share your work

(believe me, I really do), but if it’s something you’ve always dreamed of, don’t let that fear take control and stop you.” I think that’s probably the

best advice anyone could give, and I couldn’t have said it better myself!

That’s a wrap! It was such a pleasure to talk with Ella about her life, her books, Soleil, and her overall experience in the writing/publishing industry

– not only because she’s my best (and first!) author friend, but also because she’s the human embodiment of “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Ella is such a light in our community, and she’s shining even brighter now that she’s using her experience and passions to help others in the

industry. I’m beyond honored to call her a friend, a mentor, and both a personal and professional inspiration.

See the carousel below for links to Ella’s books! ! And as I mentioned above, if you’re interested in learning more about Soleil, click the logo

below to be redirected to the agency’s website! Click the photo below to be redirected to her Etsy shop, The Fallen Bookshop, as well! The

link to Ella's personal website can be found by clicking her selfie above.

Thank you Ella for your time, our conversation, and your incredible guidance! I hope to have you featured on my blog again in the future!

For my readers, make sure to return to my blog on January 17th when I take a deep dive into my experience so far in writing fantasy.

My contribution to today’s article was only a taste of what’s coming next year!

Talk soon!

xxx Katie