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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
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
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
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
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
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.
An Editor’s Guide to the Proces Note: All editors are different. Just because one editor may follow process A, does not mean that a second editor following process B is wrong. This breakdown is intended to provide general information to get you started, but your mileage may vary. Types of
When and Where to Spend Your Limited Resources What if we told you that your book doesn’t need to be perfect to be published? Following the Michael Anderle school of thought, the goal is to hit a MVP—minimum viable product—with our books. We want to write to genre expectations; it’s
Resetting and restarting By the time you reach the editing stage, you’ve been working on your project for a long time. Your creative brain might be tired. Maybe you have doubts, distractions, overwhelm, or you can’t see your way forward. Give yourself a fresh start with this M.I.N.D.S.E.T. check-up: Motivation—In
If you’ve perused author-centric Facebook groups and some articles here at Indie Author Magazine over the last sixty days, you’ve likely seen chatter about the unveiling of Amazon’s new serialized fiction platform, Kindle Vella. But serial fiction isn’t new. Writers have been peddling their wares on platforms like Wattpad, Radish
TikTok is a social media app that allows users to create short videos (fifteen or sixty seconds, with three-minute videos being beta tested). You can also add filters, background music, stickers, and captions to videos, and create split-screen videos with other creators. What’s in a name? A username is the
Is It Time to Embrace Your Inner Superhero? Secret identities aren’t reserved for superheroes. There are no masks, no capes, no utility belts; and despite the lack of a fabulous wardrobe, an author may still require an alter-ego for success. These noms de plume, commonly known as pen names, can,
The Only Question is How: Sweat Equity or Actual Money? The book cover is the first impression potential readers will have of your work and is what stops them scrolling as they search for something new to read. Beside considerations of genre, title, niche, and tone, your most important question
Prioritize Your Strategies for a Healthier, Happier Author Life Ah, the Fear of Missing Out (a.k.a. FOMO). That nagging panic that tricks us into thinking if we don’t try the newest, flashiest marketing strategy populating our news feeds, our author business will wither. It is distracting at best. At worst,
How Sleeping Aids Creativity. Are you struggling to find a killer hook? Or is that tricky scene between your protagonist and antagonist keeping you awake at night? It turns out that shutting down your laptop and getting a good night’s sleep may be the answer. No One Disputes the Need
On April 13th, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) announced a new program: Kindle Vella, a home for serial stories. Like Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Worlds before it, indie authors around the world have shown enormous interest in the upcoming program, which is due to launch this summer. But like all
Clubhouse is the latest social media platform. It’s an audio-only platform where people engage in conversation in groups called “rooms.” Some rooms invite everyone to participate, whereas in others you’re only a listener. You can select your interests to help Clubhouse identify the content you want to see in your
How Hard-won Words Launched Her Career, and What She’s Learned Since We’ve all heard the expression “blood, sweat, and tears.” I’ve put my blood, sweat, and tears into this project. This month we will meet an author who did exactly that. Let me introduce Jami Albright. Every week, authors around
We’ve all read that publishing fast can be one of the drivers for a successful indie publishing career. In fact, there are writers who consistently produce a book a month. But how do they do that? What single factor enables these people to write 80,000 words in four weeks? Apart
What makes a book an urban fantasy and not merely contemporary fantasy? It comes down to genre tropes. Every genre has its specific set of tropes that define it from others. Readers may not be able to name the tropes or be consciously aware of them; however, their subconscious mind
As writers, there is nothing better than finding ourselves in the creative zone of genius, furiously pumping out words for hours at a time. Before you realize it, you’ve gone a whole day sitting in one spot, realizing only when you stand up that your joints should not sound like
You’ve decided to write that novel. You opened Word, but now you’re staring at a blank screen and… what? What actually goes into writing a novel? This is when Plottr walks in wearing a poncho, chewing a cigar, and it’s here to be your hero. Plottr is a visual outlining
Used correctly, Instagram is a powerful tool that can help elevate your career. There are many ways for you to optimise your Instagram as an author. Here, we provide the top ten tips to help you bring your Instagram A-game to the #bookstagram and #authorsofinstagram community. The ultimate tip, however,
Dear Indie Annie,I’ve been working on my story for a while now, and at first I really loved it. Lately though, I’m starting to wonder if it’s any good. I know I’ll need an editor, but should I just give up on it? How do I know if my story
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