With the first three months of the year behind us and the author event schedule ramping up ahead of the summer months, spring is officially in the air. With that in mind, it’s time for a brief check-in. How are you doing with the writing and publishing goals you set for yourself at the start of the year? Are there any that need to be adjusted? If you’ve already achieved some of what you set out to accomplish this year, is it time to set new ones?
This past summer, guest author Megan Haskell explored the importance of using process-based goals rather than outcome-based goals to keep your momentum and motivation going throughout the year.
Megan Haskell
As you reevaluate your author business and writing goals going into the next three months, taking time for a quick reset in your business strategies and systems can be helpful, too. IAM’s Gill Fernley offers tips for extending your spring cleaning to your email list—tidying up automations, inactive members, and fake email addresses to make sure one of your biggest marketing tools is running smoothly.
Gill Fernley
This Week's Indie Author Magazine Articles
As we kick off the second quarter of the year, IAM columnist Susan Odev is kicking off the next stage of her journey in launching a new pen name. After three months focused on branding, outlining, and building the foundations of this new branch of her author business, she’s shifting to the fun (or scary, or easy) part: writing. In this week’s column, Odev reminds authors that publishing successfully starts with writing sustainably. She also explores how to discover the writing practices that will work best for you, whether that’s writing in the morning or in the evening, in uninterrupted sessions or short bursts throughout the day.
Susan Odev
No new feature this week, but that’s because our staff has been hard at work on the first print issue of the new year and the first issue of our new publishing schedule. Keep an eye out for the issue to land in your inbox—and in the Indie Author Magazine app—in the coming days!
Teachings from Indie Author Training
Upcoming Webinar (April 8, 12 EDT): "Print matters. Learn how to leverage print to grow sales."
You’ve nailed the craft, cover, and copy—now it’s time to make the book-as-object irresistible. Most authors default to basic print-on-demand, but that could mean leaving money, margin, and “reader wow” on the table.
Dave Sheets, of Indie Author Book Services, will show you how smart printing and packaging can boost perceived value, cut unit costs, and unlock premium editions and new sales channels. You’ll learn how to talk to a printer with confidence, decode key terms, prep print files, and determine the right path for your books. Walk away with a vendor outreach checklist, a file‑prep cheat sheet, and a plan to turn your book into a product readers want to own—and pay more for.
Register for the webinar here: https://webinars.indieauthortraining.com/talks/print-matters-learn-how-to-leverage-print-to-grow-sales/
Replays will be made available for anyone unable to tune in during the live stream.
More Indie Publishing News
Here’s a look beyond our pages at the latest headlines and happenings in the publishing world.
- Publishers Weekly reported late last month that more than four million books were published with ISBNs in 2025, a 32.5 percent increase from 2024. What’s more impressive? The increase was largely attributed to self-published works, which jumped from 2.5 million to 3.5 million titles—a 38.7 percent increase. You can read more of the report here: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99943-book-output-topped-4-million-in-2025.html.
- David Gaughran, author of Let’s Get Digital and several other marketing guides for authors, recently shared a list of top book promotional sites for 2026. His list includes resources for BookBub, free promotions, series deals, and mailing list sign-ups. You can see the full list here: https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-sites-books.
Anything we’ve missed that you think we should cover? Any topics or questions you’d like our team to explore? Let us know at feedback@indieauthormagazine.com. Your suggestion may just make it into an upcoming article.
