I’m taking a week off work to finish my WIP, a college volleyball romance titled Blocked. Only two chapters left! *bounces*
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| Boo to writer’s block |
While I’ve loved working with Omnific Publishing for my first four novels, I don’t plan to query publishers this time. My main reason for venturing into indie publishing? Impatience. It takes me so long to finish a novel due to my day job that I don’t want to wait the greater part of a year for the book to launch, if I’m lucky enough for my manuscript to be accepted by a publisher.
I also want to try something new and see where it leads me!
I realize professional editing is essential (wow, has it improved my writing over the years), and I plan to hire the amazing editor I’ve worked with for every novel: Jessica Royer Ocken.
Beyond that, I NEED YOUR HELP! Indie authors, what advice would you give a virgin self-pubber? Anything from formatting to Amazon programs to lessons learned the hard way to marketing…I would be so grateful to hear your wisdom.
Happy writing to each of you!
Jennifer Lane Books 
You'll be a hybrid author! That's a great place to be.Check out the pages at the IWSG site. Diane manages the self-publishing one and there's some good stuff there.
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Susan Kaye Quinn is SP and her books are doing great. She has a book for indie authors: Indie Author Survival GuideWhile I haven't read it, I've heard good things about it.
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Thanks, Alex! I wouldn't have thought to look there–I appreciate it.Cherie, great idea. I've enjoyed Susan's blog posts.
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Covers are important but formatting is as well.Invest in a eye-catching cover from an affordable artist — it will be worth the expense.I, too, have heard good things about Susan's book.Your Amazon book page is important. Choose keywords that are popular yet honest about your book. Choose a cover that will look good in a thumbnail.When someone wants a book, they go to Amazon — try to pick a title with a keyword in it that will have search engines go to it.Choose a price that will entice a stranger to try an unknown author — yet enough to imply quality. $2.99 to $4.99 is low enough to tempt new readers. You will never make back your initial expenses until you have gained a following to buy your backlist.I wish you the best of luck in Indie Publishing.
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Excellent advice, Roland. I already bought some images for my cover (involving a tasteful but shirtless man of course LOL) and have an idea of the artist I want to hire.Amazon categories drive me nuts to figure out but you're right they are important. Thanks for the reminder!And I think that price range is ideal. I'm thinking $2.99 or $3.99 for the ebook.Write on, dude!
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I don't have any self-pub advice, but kudos to you for taking that very brave step!I've seen authors who are hybrid do well, because you already have a built-in audience.Your volleyball books sounds intriguing–I'll be watching for it.
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Hey Jenni, thanks for stopping by. I don't own a hybrid car but I'm happy to be a hybrid author. 😉
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I don't have any advice, but I'm glad to see you going the indie route. I plan to as well when my novel is ready for publication (before the world ends, I hope).From what I've seen, there are a lot of great resources for those who want to self-publish. Best of luck!
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Cathy, thank you for the positive vibes you're sending. I wish you the same in finishing and publishing your novel!
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Since you've already published through a traditional publisher and have gotten used to the whole editing process, I think you're well on your way. The only other thing I would suggest is to hire someone good to do your cover. It really makes a difference.
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