Guest Post from Tricia Lorntson: How to NOT Skyrocket from Nobody to Somebody as an Indie Author

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My name is Tricia Lorntson and I’m an egoholic. Crowd: Hi, Tricia! This is a public service announcement and a cautionary tale for struggling writers everywhere. Your odds of becoming instafamous are only marginally higher than your chances of winning the PowerBall. You? Are not special. Don’t believe your mother—she has to tell you that. Let me give it to you straight, and in third person for dramatic effect:   Once upon a time in 2011, a girl named Tricia was writing a book and had what she believed to be enough of a budget to release this book into the wild where it would surely draw international fame and fortune. She met with the owner of a local collaborative… [read more]

12 Lessons We Learned Coaching Indie Authors in 2012

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As we reflected on the things that made 2012 memorable, the list became obnoxiously long. We launched Wise Ink, Dara published a book, Amy is nearing the completion of her English Master’s program, and we helped some pretty darn amazing authors publish their books. Did we mention we’re exhausted? For the purpose of this post, we narrowed our lessons learned down to twelve. You might disagree with a few of them, but we call it like we see it. So here goes: Most books should have an e-book version The authors with e-books in 2012 reached more readers, younger readers, and could compete with their competition. Some books should only be published as an e-book This year marked the year… [read more]

Viva La Indie! ‘The Indie Author Revolution’ by Dara M. Beevas

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      It’s not a trend.   It’s not a fad.   It’s not deniable.   It’s the age of the indie author. Above: Dara M. Beevas. Photo by Bridget Marchesi I (Amy) live in a career (yes, that verb choice was intentional—I brainstorm about my authors in my sleep!) where I am constantly surrounded and inspired by creative, innovative, driven people who write books for hundreds of reasons and for innumerable audiences. One of the most inspiring authors I’ve come across? One particular author motivated to write for the audience described above—the audience of creative, innovative, driven people who just need to know how to navigate the crooked, difficult, and infinitely rewarding path of independent authorship. Last night, I… [read more]

The Best 10 Blogs for the Indie Author

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As we said earlier this week, it is so important for indie authors to be educated in all things publishing and writing related. On Monday, we gave you a list of books that you should have in your library. Yet, because the industry is changing on an almost daily basis (did you hear that HarperCollins’s sci-fi/fantasy imprint, Harper Voyager, will be accepting unagented manuscripts from October 1 – 14?), books, though tried and true, aren’t necessarily the most up-to-date sources of information. If you’re not following and keeping up with what’s going on in the blogosphere, you should be! Other than our blog, below are some fantastic blogs for the indie author on industry news, writing, publishing, and marketing:  … [read more]

10 Signs Your Indie Publishing Expert is Not a True Expert

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We often meet authors who have spent pretty pennies getting their books published only to be disappointed by the end results. It’s usually the case that the author trusts a person or service to deliver on the promise of publishing a book and bringing it to market. In the end, the company doesn’t deliver—in one way or another. Sometimes the book is put together haphazardly and doesn’t look professional. In other cases, companies don’t follow through on promised services such as customized printing or adequate distribution, leaving the author with a product that’s nearly impossible to sell. Sometimes, sadly, companies inadequately advise an author about the quality of his or her manuscript, and bring a poorly written and unedited (or… [read more]

Seth Godin’s Advice to Writers: Chart Your Own Course

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We heart Seth Godin. Purple Cow should be on your bookshelf.  His blog should be bookmarked in your favorites. As a content creator, consider Seth Godin your very own Mr. Miyagi. That’s right — he warrants a throwback to The Karate Kid. Check out Seth’s commentary below on why indie authors should chart their own course and in his words embrace indie publishing as an opportunity to, “earn (not take) their readers attention over time.”   [youtube id=yfuOzP1-Ev8 width="620" height="360"]   What do you think? Do you agree that with traditional publishing, “none of your expectations will come true,” as Seth says?.

Author Interview with Alice Anderson,”Tips for Authors”

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We enjoy any opportunity to gather writing and publishing tips from experts in the publishing arena and Alice Anderson is one savvy author to pay attention to. For the last several years, Alice has worked with authors to promote and market their books and her website for writers has been named one of the Top 101 Websites for Writers by Writer’s Digest twice. Alice’s new book Tips for Authors is a must-read chocked full of gems that every author will find valuable, which we discuss in today’s interview. We definitely recommend you grab a copy! 1. Your book Tips for Authors says that authors need more than a great book. What do you mean by this? Have you heard the… [read more]

5 Pinterest Tricks for Indie Authors – Plus Infographic

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Just getting used to Twitter and here comes yet another social media starlet knocking at the door.. Her name is Pinterest and she has entered the social media VIP club. Her friends Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube and Twitter like her style and have offered her full access to their followers. It just got real. Pinterest brings a different flavor to the crew: Eye candy, artsy superiority, and the endorsement of top-notch brands like Etsy, GE, and Michael Kors–she’s not-so-quietly becoming a game changer. For indie authors, opportunities abound to model what other brands are doing to market their products. We definitely recommend creating an account. Once you have, here are tricks to market your book using it. 1. Create a… [read more]

6 Writing Lessons Learned from American Idol

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Using all we love about American Idol to create some writing guidelines came easier than we thought, though a slight caveat: we’re basing much of this on the original seasons with Simon, not the current season with Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. No judgement. 1. Imitation can only take you so far On American Idol, wannabes are often slammed for trying to sing like their “idols.” Writers often make the same mistake. Your writing idols can be your muses, but at some point you’ll have to swim using your own voice, style, and perspective. Readers, like music aficionados don’t want imitations of what’s already out there. 2. Establishing a connection with your audience can make or break your career Contestants on… [read more]