Think back to when you started your author career. When did you start to consider your brand, and how did you decide what it would be?  For me, the idea of settling on one selling point for my stories has always sounded nearly impossible. Even as I prepared to release my first book, I knew […]

Countless craft books and blogs will tell you that the beginning of your book needs to be some of your strongest writing. You have to introduce your narrator and your world and hook your reader into the story, often in a matter of just a few sentences.In some ways, your book’s launch serves the same […]

Raise your hand if you’re one of those authors who has acted out a scene when they’re writing it to make sure it would work. Keep it raised if you’ve ever mimed a facial expression at your computer screen to help yourself describe it, typed a questionable search into Google while researching for your work-in-progress, […]

Although you’re reading this in January—or maybe even later into the new year—I’m writing this letter in December 2023. My family’s Christmas tree is still halfway decorated. I still have packages to ship, letters to mail, and several deadlines to meet for our staff before I sign out for the holidays. I may be clinging […]

Another year is nearly complete, and I feel confident saying it’s been a busy one for most of us. It’s one of the side effects of being an indie author, after all. Generally, the word “leisurely” is not in our vocabulary. If you’re anything like me, at this point, your schedule is probably filled with […]

I once had a college professor remind me that, in some professions, doing everything right means most people won’t see the work you did. I can’t remember now if the advice came as part of a journalism or editing course, but after several years of working in both fields, I’ll admit it seems to apply […]

Why did you pursue independent publishing?  We could surely all answer differently. In my case, I knew traditional publishing could be a long and taxing process. I knew the book I wanted to write was in a niche genre and therefore would be harder to sell to an agent, even if I also knew it […]

To anyone who thought the discussions around AI might be quieting down, let this past month be an assurance: among authors, at least, the debate rages on.  On August 7, author and industry expert Jane Friedman wrote a blog post expressing frustration with Amazon and Goodreads after she discovered a series of nonfiction books, which […]

Ah, editing. The stage of the publishing process every author always seems eager to reach … until they reach it.  Don’t feel bad. Editors get it. We know you’ve probably frowned at your screen in confusion at some of our questions (“How do you want me to style your ellipses?”), or you’ve grumbled not-so-nice words […]

Some of the best things about being an editor for Indie Author Magazine are the gems of wisdom I come across in our writers’ stories. Take Eryka Parker’s feature on keywords in this month’s issue. Like many of you, I’m sure, I’ve always viewed managing metadata as a bit of a chore—something we do to […]

Once you’ve written “The End,” how do you prepare for your manuscript to go in front of new eyes?  By “new eyes,” I mean those of your editor, beta readers, or ARC team—that special selection of people who get to see your “book” before it’s truly a book. Putting your published book out into the […]

At IAM, we have always prided ourselves on our ability to dissect and disseminate technology information for authors. From the beginning, we’ve understood the importance of having the right tools for your business and knowing how to use them. So it felt only right for us to dedicate an issue to breaking down the newest—and […]

Six months ago, I wrote “The End” on the first draft of my current manuscript. It was some time in the early evening, in the middle of the work week. I remember sitting on the floor beside my writing desk and pausing my music to type those final words.  I’ll admit it: there were a […]

One of this month’s features asks a handful of authors that exact question, and I always love hearing people’s responses. I met mine through Camp NaNoWriMo about eight years ago. (In fact, you can read about our group, the Treehouse of Writers, in the article!) During the summer sessions of the writing challenge, the site […]

I have an honest confession to make: I’ve been staring at my computer for a few minutes now, trying to figure out what I want this letter to say. I’ve fallen victim to the Curse of the Blank Page plenty of times. When editing is part of your day job, it makes it difficult to […]

One of my favorite parts of Christmas morning has always been reading the letter Santa Claus leaves for me and my siblings. My parents started the tradition when I was around five years old. Every year, we’d wake up to a letter that talked about everything we’d each accomplished that year and how proud we’d […]

In American Sign Language, to sign the word “friend,” you hook your two pointer fingers together, then flip both hands over and repeat the action. When I was learning sign language in college, the website we used as a reference said to imagine your fingers were hugging. Instead, I like to think of things connecting. […]

I’ve never considered myself particularly technology capable.  Sure, having grown up awash in new devices and an expanding internet, I’m probably more adept than I give myself credit for. But you can also guarantee I’ll need to ask for help from my more computer-savvy friends to set up a website. Over the years, Scrivener and […]

A few weeks ago, I spent an afternoon shopping for school supplies with my younger sister. She’ll be a freshman in college this year, attending the same university I did, and while I’m helping her prepare—showing her around campus, explaining how the bus system works and where to buy textbooks—I can’t help but feel nostalgic. […]