Claude officially turns one today.

It’s his pichu birthday.

Or moonday, if you prefer.

I’m really grateful you've been along for most, some, or all of the ride so far.

So how’s it gone?

Low lights

• “Having” to do self-promo and put myself out there on social media
• Not knowing where to sign a print copy for a friend. I still don’t know for sure
• The long stretch of newsletter inertia. I was focused on finishing the damn beasty
• Trying to encourage reviews while knowing Amazon prohibits incentivising them
• A celebratory Honest Burger and London trip on Book 3 launch day that turned into a brutal night of food poisoning

Highlights

• Just over 2,960 copies of Book One finding their way into the world
• Getting your photos with the book, often with beers or children I might add (not together)
• 128 Amazon store reviews, settling at an average of around 4.6
• Learning an assortment of bits and bobs, from copywriting to Amazon ads to power words
• 20,444 trilogy pages read via Kindle Unlimited (madness)

Life carried on nicely too. Engagements, birthdays, new teams, padel rallies, speeches, and the usual juggle of full-time work and writing in the margins.

Looking into 2026, I want to spend more time sharing the books, experiment a bit with the marketing, do a proper audiobook, possibly bring the trilogy together in a nice toucan beak coloured hardback. And maybe just maybe, give my rom-com idea a whirl...

Thank you for being here and for backing the monkeys.

Here’s to year two.

Cheers,
Jim

P.S. If your own side project or idea has been halted by kids, moving house, grief, or simply trying to keep the show running, I hope this gives you a gentle nudge to keep going (or reading), when you can.