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
You’re not doing marketing wrong; you’re doing the wrong marketing. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over our combined twenty-five-plus years of helping authors, it’s that most people don’t hate marketing; they hate the marketing they are forced to do.
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
In the hushed solitude of the writer’s room, the clatter of keys is the only sound. The author weaves worlds from nothing but creativity and caffeinated determination, crafting tales that possess the power to transport readers to distant realms. Yet
When the two of us started the Writer MBA, a company built to train authors on the ins and outs of the publishing industry, we knew we wanted to share the news with as many authors as we could. Our
For a career that is often portrayed as a lonely endeavor—one in which the author sits at their desk late into the night, a cup of coffee (or something stronger) beside them as they feverishly tap away at a keyboard
Since Amazon launched the earliest version of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) in 2007, the business giant—which controls an estimated 50 percent or more of the online retail market in the US already—has maintained an unwavering influence over the self-publishing industry.
A theme park that immerses fans in the world of a favorite movie. A board game or video game adapted from an existing story world. A fictional character’s favorite T-shirt made in real life for fans to purchase. Although the
When Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson smashed Kickstarter records in March 2022—earning more than $41 million over the course of his campaign, almost half of that in the first seventy-two hours—he sparked a shift in the indie author world. Sanderson was
Authors understand the power of a strong launch, but describing OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT simply as “strong” feels like an understatement. In the first five days after an early demo of the generative AI chatbot released in late November 2022,
From writing and editing to marketing and administration, independent authors juggle an array of responsibilities. With so many balls in the air, automating repetitive tasks can be a game changer. This is where a tool like Zapier comes in. Zapier
At the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), the global association for professional self-publishers, one of our ongoing campaigns is what we call Self-Publishing 3.0, or SelfPub3 for short. The seismic shifts that the self-publishing sector has seen over the past
Tips for Staying Healthy This—and Every—Conference Season Coined “con crud,” the influx of colds, flu, COVID, and other illnesses that happen this time of year is often on the minds of conference attendees and a factor to consider when
Having coached more than six thousand individual authors, I see burnout on a daily basis. The biggest cause of burnout in this industry is not overwork. It’s unrealistic expectations. Let’s look at the mental math involved. One work equals one
Website: https://antheasharp.com/
Social Media:
IG: https://www.facebook.com/AntheaSharp/
Anthea Sharp is a USA Today bestselling author of YA Fantasy, GameLit, and Steampunk. Her books are filled with magic, adventure, characters you can care about, and a touch of romance. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies, and she’s been an enthusiastic indie author since 2011, when she left tradpub and jumped into the new world of publishing. Wow, things have changed in the last dozen years! She can hardly wait to see where they go next…
Website: https://embercasey.com
Social Media:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ember.casey/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmberCasey/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmberCasey
Ember Casey is the USA Today bestselling author of over forty contemporary romance novels. She also writes interactive fiction, poetry, and serial stories (where she branches into fantasy romance under the pen name Ember Blackthorn), and she’s always looking for new ways to tell stories. She’s the founder of the Writing and Selling on Fiction Apps group on Facebook, a community where authors can discuss strategies for publishing in this world of new media.
Website: https://betterfasteracademy.com
Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has been coaching success alignment for more than a decade. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course. She also writes mystery novels in her spare time and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.
Website: https://www.thewritingwives.com
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewritingwives/
Malorie is the author of over 127 books built in a far-reaching sci-fi universe she named Aeon 14. Over the past few years her focus has shifted to helping other authors achieve their goals via improving their launches and marketing. Together with her wife, Jill, they run The Writing Wives.
Website: https://bookfunnel.com/
I’m the creator and CEO of BookFunnel! And, to a lesser degree, a self-published author of my own Fantasy trilogy as well. So, while I’m mostly a tech guy, I’m also an indie author just like you.
Website: https://www.draft2digital.com
Social Media:
https://www.threads.net/@danwoodok
Dan Wood is the Chief Operating Officer at Draft2Digital, where he has spent the last 9 years helping authors publish their books to stores, libraries and subscription services worldwide. During this time, he has had the privilege to present at conferences across the world and speak with thousands of authors at various stages in their careers. With their acquisition of Smashwords, Draft2Digital now distributes over 900,000 books. Dan is also a Co-Host of the Self Publishing Insiders Podcast.
Website: https://deanwesleysmith.com/
Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer, Dean Wesley Smith has published over two hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres.
At the moment he produces novels in five major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the old west, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, and the superhero series starring Poker Boy, and the highly acclaimed puzzle mystery series The Cold Poker Gang.
His monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly, consisting of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and each month has over 60,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.
Website: https://www.7Figurebookbusiness.com
I am an author, marketer, and serial entrepreneur who loves writing poetry, talking about relationship and teaching about book marketing.
Website: https://ineswrites.com/breakdown
Hey guys, what’s up? My name’s Ines.
I’m a television producer/writer turned romance novelist. My path to becoming a full time author wasn’t a smooth one.
After pulling in an annual income of three and four figure royalties for years, and suffering through low or no reviews, as well as lackluster sell-through from book to book, I finally figured out what readers wanted.
Now I teach fiction authors how to write more bingeworthy books using pacing techniques from episodic television structure. Unlike other plotting courses, the Page Turner Pacing course helps writers craft their own plotting system that’s tailored to their subgenre, so that they can increase sales by giving their specific readers the compelling, quality stories they crave in a timely manner.
Website: http://www.markleslie.ca
Social Media:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/markleslielefebvre
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@markleslielefebvre
YouTube: https://youtube.com/markleslielefebvre
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/markleslie
Mark is a writer, editor, professional speaker, and bookseller with more than thirty years of experience in the book industry as a writer and industry professional. A huge advocate for how technology can further empower authors, Mark has been lucky to be at the helm of bookselling as is transitioned from a print-only game to one that embraced digital publishing. He is the author of more than forty books both indie published and traditionally published. But more than all of that he is primarily a passionate storyteller and book nerd.
Website: https://www.kevinomclaughlin.com
Multiple USA Today bestselling author of over 100 SF&F works. Love teaching about writing, playing with my puppy, and procrastinating.
Indie Author Magazine: On an individual level, direct publishing can equate to greater control over titles, greater royalties, and a closer relationship with readers. What will the trend of authors publishing direct mean for the industry as a whole? Oriana
Indie Author Magazine: How will the strategy of publishing wide play a part in the future of the industry? Paddy Finn: I don’t subscribe to the idea of exclusive versus wide. It focusses too much on such a narrow sliver
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!
