Despite my best marketing efforts my backlist just isn t selling How do I decide whether to go back to the drawing board and refocus the series or cut my losses and unpublish it nbsp At a Crossroads Dear Crossroads nbsp I feel your frustration love When a backlist underperforms it 8217 s like owning a vintage auto that sputters hellip

I ve only ever written in one particular genre I have an audience built there a decent backlist and a few ideas for future books But I just recently got an idea for a story in an entirely different genre one that I don t even know I ll continue past this book Do I write the new idea hellip

My biggest obstacle in my career is profitability I have a full series of eight books with great read through I do everything I m supposed to do to advertise them Facebook Ads freebies group promos daily posts on social media But I m still not earning much How do I make money in this business Seeking More hellip

Dear Indie Annie I really want to sell signed books but I 8217 m worried about shipping The majority of my readers are in the US but I am not Would readers really be willing to pay extra shipping for signed books or special editions Multinational Merchant Dear Multi Do you mind my sweet if I shorten hellip

Dear Indie Annie I ve always considered myself a planner but my characters suddenly seem to have gone rogue I can t figure out why my current story isn t working but I m in the middle of the series so I can t really pivot either How do I get this draft back in check before things go completely hellip

Dear Indie Annie I have been looking for books where the author strings together a collection of short stories that build into a larger story The Magnus Archives is a fiction podcast that I have discovered but I 8217 m looking for other works that do something similar Do you have any recommendations Does this kind of hellip

Dear Indie Annie It seems like as soon as I have a handle on my career something about the industry changes drastically the rise of AI changes in marketing strategies a new program everyone s suddenly using How do I keep up with it all and keep from drowning Trying to Tread Water Dear Trying to hellip

Dear Indie Annie I can t seem to figure out a social media strategy that works I never know what to post and I have to manage accounts for two pen names so it feels like a lot to balance Any advice for tapping into that influencer mindset Struggling with Socials Dear Struggling My dear social hellip

Dear Indie Annie I like working with my usual editor and I know she ll clean up my draft without messing up my writing style But this draft took way longer than I intended Now she s booked and I have to find someone else to take on my current WIP How can I find an editor hellip

Dear Indie Annie My last self published book took off and I 8217 m finally gaining traction as an author I 8217 m eager to release my next book as soon as possible to keep the momentum going But I need help to keep a regular writing schedule while also managing tons of promotional work How can I stay productive hellip

Dear Indie Annie I 8217 ve hired personal assistants PAs and virtual assistants VAs in the past with varying degrees of horrible experiences But I know myself and I keep burning myself out trying to wear all the hats I could put out more books a year if I didn 8217 t have to do the things that slow hellip

Dear Indie Annie I m a new author about to publish my first book I m so excited but I m also a little overwhelmed What advice do you have for someone in my shoes Fresh Faced in Franklin Ah welcome my dear Fresh Faced I just want to mush your cute little cheeks together I am so proud of hellip

Dear Indie Annie If I m being honest AI concerns me I worry about its impact on the publishing industry and that it is taking jobs away from creatives I also worry about the potential for plagiarism with what it creates But I don t want to turn it down outright Are there ways I can use hellip

Dear Indie Annie I write in a genre that is dominated by males male authors male main characters I know my writing is important but it gets discouraging to know I m one of the few women in the room Am I truly making a difference Breaking Barriers in British Columbia Dear BB Genderism sucks doesn t hellip

Dear Indie Annie I ve started a new social media account to market my book and I love posting photos and videos of the other things I read But I get nervous posting anything about my own writing How do I build up the confidence to market my work to strangers nbsp Sort of Social in Seville hellip

Dear Indie Annie nbsp I am desperate to fulfill my dream of being a published writer It s all I ve ever wanted since I was a child which I am embarrassed to say was over five decades ago Is it too late Have I missed the boat I don 8217 t even know where to start Clueless in Calgary hellip

I started to write a fairy tale retelling but it has morphed into something more Sci Fi Do I let the story run away with me Or do I force it to stick to my plan Lost the Plot in Lajas Dear Lost How are you my lovely Well I hope because it sounds like you have hellip

I was so excited when I started my series and now I feel like I might lose the will to live if I have to write any more The problem is that I have a big fan base and they are clamoring for the next book Writing is my sole source of income so I hellip

I m constantly juggling the writing deadlines I set for myself with the deadlines I need to meet for other people When others are relying on me to get their work done my projects always seem to take the back burner How do I learn to treat my writing with the same importance as the work hellip

I have a great idea or at least I think it is for a series of books that would be a mash up of a couple of other famous series I wouldn t use the same characters or world but the plots would be somewhat similar But then I wonder if I shouldn t bother because it s been hellip

I want to write a Fantasy series and I love Tolkien s world building with various cultures geographies and even languages But I feel like I m getting completely bogged down in world building and wonder if I m making parts of my world that aren t even important How do I know how much world building to do for a rich hellip

I m dyslexic and my family says I should focus my creative energies on arts like pottery but in my heart I know I want to write Are there any other dyslexic writers out there Dyslexic in Dysart Dear You know often people label themselves as Frustrated from Fairbanks or whatever and regular fans of hellip

Dear Indie Annie I ve been criticized by teachers and even friends and family for my poor grammar I know it s bad but does that mean I should give up writing anything at all Grammarless in Gravelotte Dear Grammarless Let s start by changing your name my sweet child How about Grammarfree Think of grammar as hellip

Dear Indie Annie How do I know I 8217 m good enough Writing a book takes time and effort What if my novel is utter rubbish I 8217 ll have wasted all that time and effort Wasting time in Wabasca Dear Wasbasca I do love a time waster nbsp nbsp In fact like many writers I like nothing better than to hellip

Dear Indie Annie I recently completed my first book and sent it to an editor I got the first round of edits back and it sounds like another person wrote my book How do I keep my editor from strangling my voice Strangled in Strasburg Dear Strangled nbsp Or can I call you by the name hellip

Dear Indie Annie I know I need to run ads if I want to grow my revenue but all the numbers are making my brain hurt ACOS CPC Impressions CTR I am trying to keep them straight but all the acronyms and calculations are confusing me I can 8217 t remember what the letters stand for or hellip

A lot of my writing friends talk about all the conferences they go to whether writing retreats craft courses or business focused conferences I have to admit I just don t see the point I can write more at home without the distractions and everything else I can find in books or online Am I missing something hellip

I have a small problem and I m hoping you ll have a solution for me On January 1st of this year I made a commitment to write every day and despite the myriad distractions life has thrown at me I ve managed to keep that going all year In fact I ve just surpassed three hundred days of hellip