When we started planning the magazine issues for the first two years, we decided we wanted to tell the stories of different indie authors each month. After meeting so many innovative, smart, and creative people over the past few years, we knew we would never run out of stories to tell. Foremost, our featured subjects […]
We’ve All Seen The Quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Will Durant (Not Aristotle) Habits are funny things, aren’t they? In Atomic Habits, James Clear defines them as “a routine or practice performed regularly; an automatic response to a specific situation.” There are good […]
In “Wide vs. Exclusive: Which is for You?” (IAM May 2021), we covered the pros and cons of publishing e-books as widely as possible. The alternative is publishing through programs requiring exclusivity, like Amazon’s KDP Select program. When authors decide to publish their e-books wide, the next question is: “go direct” or use a distributor? […]
How to get your books into libraries Imagine a kingdom where books are traded like currency. The wealthiest are voracious readers who never reach the end of their TBR piles. It’s protected by wizards who teleport their patrons to distant fantastical worlds. In this realm, the castle at the center isn’t a myth, it’s a […]
How to Use Merchandise Sales on your Website to Make Money and Grow Your Brand In today’s economy, it’s a given that relying on a single stream of income is risky business. For authors, that means looking at your books as content and finding ways to slice and dice your creative work into other methods […]
Dear Indie Annie, I have just released the fourth book in my series, and it is doing really well. Sales are good, and the fans love it and are clamoring for more. Doesn’t sound like a problem, right? There are two more books to wrap up that series, but I am tired of writing these […]
Recognizing Imposter Syndrome This is part one of a three part Mindset mini-series focusing on imposter syndrome. You may or may not have heard of it, you may or may not have experienced it, but it’s said to affect seven out of ten people. Defining It’s a term first coined by psychologists in 1978, and […]
How to successfully network at author conferences Before the Conference Maximize your conference experience by planning ahead. A few simple steps can elevate your experience and ensure you get the most out of attending. Ideally, you want to stay in the same hotel as the conference is being held. You will become a familiar face […]
Backstory is what happened to your characters before page one of your story. Not everything—the reader doesn’t need to know what she had for breakfast on her tenth birthday, unless it led to anaphylaxis, and that pertains to the story you’re writing. Backstory adds depth to your characters. It helps the reader to connect with […]
BookFunnel specializes in e-book and audio distribution. Authors can send e-books directly to readers’ preferred reading devices, collect email addresses, participate in group promotions, and more. BookFunnel has created tools that save authors time, facilitate reader engagement, and it prides itself on its customer support. 1. Delivering Your Reader Magnet Upload your free “reader magnet” […]
Being an independent writer can mean a lot of hours behind a desk. It also means we can take on a lot of stress while we push for deadlines, learn marketing strategies, and plan our world domination. Exercise can be hard to stick to when we’re tied to our chairs. Fortunately, there are a lot […]
Wide for the Win: Strategies to Sell Globally via Multiple Platforms and Forge Your Own Path to Success By Mark Leslie Lefebvre Arguably the gold standard when discussing distribution and platforms. Mark Leslie Lefebvre articulately breaks down each concept with skill and his signature humor and gentility. Drawing on his experience working for heavy-hitters Kobo […]
What Is National Novel Writing Month and Why You Should Participate Warning: This story starts and ends with a challenge. Choices have to be made. Read and walk away with insight. Read and walk away with the seed of an idea that will flex creativity, demand tenacity, and forever change the writer/story relationship. That, dear […]
In over two decades of entrepreneurship, there hasn’t been a single successful person I’ve known, followed, or interviewed that hasn’t admitted to doubting themselves at some point. Call it what you will. I’ve distilled the many names I’ve used over the years down to ‘imposter syndrome’, ‘existential crisis’, and ‘plain old doubt’. It’s the voice […]
All Your Favorite Stories…in Space Space Opera is a popular genre among authors and readers who enjoy Sci-Fi themed stories with an epic scope, splashy tech, romantic subplots, and a sharp contrast between good and evil. Where other genres of Science Fiction speculate on the intersection of technology with society, Space Opera shifts its focus […]
You’ve written a rollicking good story set in eighteenth-century France, and now you want to add some killer details. It’s time to immerse yourself in research. Turn back time All historical novels begin with the promise that the author will subtly connect the “Then” to the “Now” so the reader can suspend disbelief throughout. To […]
Meet the Man Behind 20BooksTo50K® and the World’s Biggest Indie Author Conference To an online author group of over 50,000 people, a wise man once said, “The most important gift you can give somebody is your time because you don’t get it back when it’s gone.” And while that statement isn’t novel, it seems apropos, […]
So, your book has been edited, and your designer has sent you an amazing, genre-appropriate cover. Congratulations! Now it’s time to upload it to the Amazon store, a retailer which accounts for 70% of the US e-book market. This article will take you through the process step-by-step and point out any pitfalls. How to Find […]
Hello! I’m Indie Annie, and I would love to send you a copy of this month’s issue of Indie Author Magazine. Just join our email list and I’ll drop it in your inbox!
