What I’ve Learned as an Indie Author

What I’ve learned, thus far, as an Indie Author is a great deal.  I’d like to say that since the first book I publish in 2015, Breathe In, I’ve become a better storyteller.  Yet, there are many other things that I’ve learned that might be of use to fellow aspiring authors or already published authors who are feeling frustrated about any aspect of the self-publishing industry.  Here’s a list to help YOU, the author, who needs some encouragement or inspiration.

1.  You will lose yourself, and most likely the chance of a really good story, if you try to WRITE to market. WRITE for YOURSELF.
2. There is no EASY way to market any one book to sell thousands of copies.  It takes trial and error, and what worked for one book, might not work for another.
3. If money is an issue, try to do as much FREE graphics and promotions as possible.
4. You will have to give away a LOT of books to get reviews and not everyone will leave a review.
5. Multiple forms of promotion (paid and unpaid: book cover reveal, book release week, discounted book, etc,) are a MUST.
6.  Doubt will ALWAYS filter in and out, but you need to learn to ignore it.
7. If you want to make money, you need to treat this like a business.  You can’t say in one breath, “I just need to write…it’s not about making money.” and in the next, “Why aren’t I selling more books?”
8. You NEED to be YOU!  In all forms: writing, marketing, interacting with readers.
9. You are ALWAYS developing your craft as a writer, promoter, and business owner.
10. WRITE as often as possible.  Even if it’s never used or not good.  That’s how you get better and allow the good stories to be even better.
11. You need 3-6 months to market a book.
12. It MUST be FUN!  The writing, the promoting, the ups and the downs to running your own business.  If it’s not fun, you’re doing it wrong or shouldn’t be doing it at all.

I hope that this little bit helps.  There are many more points I could list, but I think I should stop here.  If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you.