Being an indie author is tough. There’s the long hours of writing, the nail biting and teeth gritting as you revise your work, and of course there’s marketing, promoting, and hoping that maybe you’ll get a few, or a lot, of readers.
Over the years, more and more indie authors have published, and shared their advice and experiences. Though writing tends to be a solitary activity, publishing is not. And I think it’s great that so many people have shared and connected over the topic of indie publishing. Here are a few helpful links I’ve found (in on particular order):
Additional Publishing Items
- “Cataloging in Publication Program” on Library of Congress
- “eBook Explainer / Promo Video” on Envato Market
- “WHAT IS THE FUTURE FOR ISBN?” on International Publishers Association
- “From Astronauts to Van Goghs: Little Known Sources for Public Domain Images” on Helen Sedwick
- “How to Translate Your Book and Get Published into Other Languages” on Training Authors
Book Sales
- “Are You Losing Book Sales Over This Common Problem?” on Training Authors
- “How to Self-Publish A Bestseller: Publishing 3.0” on TechCrunch
- “ALLi Watchdog: Amazon vs Apple” on ALLi
Career Advice
- “Making Your Book a Career Instead of a Hobby” on Wise Ink
- “How I got a big advance from a big publisher and self-published anyway” on Penelope Trunk
- “Self-Publishing Basics: Focus on One Book Series or Start Multiple Series?” on Lindsay Buroker
- “Self-Publishing Your Own Book is the New Business Card” on James Altucher
- “What Distinguishes the Most Successful Authors…from You?” on EPublish a Book
- “The Mindset of Successful Self-Publishers” on The Book Designer
- “Harlan Coben: ‘Every successful author still has to treat it as a job’” on The Guardian
- “How to make a lucrative living as a self-published author: Everything you need to know” on Express
Jargon
- “What Defines ‘Traditional Publishing’?” on Anne R. Allen’s Blog
- “Jargon and the Misuse of Publishing Terms” on E-book Builders
Legal/Taxes
- “Questions about Copyright, Pen Names and 1099s” on Keeping It Legal
- “The Indie Author’s Guide to Rights” on Publisher’s Weekly
- “How to Use Lyrics Without Paying a Fortune or a Lawyer” on The Book Designer
- “Tax Tips for Writers Who Hate Math” on The Book Designer
- “What Every Self-Published Author Needs to Know About Taxes” on Jane Friedman
- “AUTHOR 101: WHY AN LLC MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU” on LG O’Connor
- “IPR License Expands Licensing Opportunities for Self-Published Authors” on Digital Book World
Resources
- Kate Tilton’s Author Services
- “Best Websites For Self-Published Authors” on Molly Greene
- Book Riot
- “Resources” on Wise Ink
- ParaPublishing
- SelfPub Nation
- “Suggested professionals for hire” on Rebecca Berto
- Writers Write
Shared Thoughts
- “Evan Ratcliff: What I Learned in 2013” on Book Business
- “Dear Publishers” on terribleminds
- “MY JOURNEY: SELF-PUBLISHED TO BIG PUBLISHING DEAL” on The Fearful Adventurer
- “Great Writers Who Self-Published: Virginia Woolf” on Corpse Wander
- “How do you write a book (steps) and publish it?” on Quora
- “On Becoming a (Self) Publisher” on Publishing Perspectives
- “Self-Publishing #FAILS” on The Book Designer
- “Self-Publishing: It’s Not Settling, It’s a Choice” on Someday Box
- “The Literary Darknet of Independent Publishing” on Digital Book World
- “Should I or Shouldn’t I? Advice from the self-publishing trenches” on The Coconut Chronicles
- “Pen Names—Necessary Evil or Ticket to Crazyville?” on Kristen Lamb’s Blog
- “Should Self-Published Authors Create Their Own Publishing Imprints?” on ALLi
- “Authors: Avoid Cyber Trolls and Book Bullies” on Writers Win
- “Paid Reviews: Why Authors Should NEVER Buy Amazon Reader Reviews” on Anne R. Allen’s Blog
Writer Beware
- “Indie Author Beware” on Publisher’s Weekly
- “INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING AND DMCA ABUSE, OR ‘HOW A SCAMMER GOT MY BOOK BLOCKED WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT’” on the Active Voice
- “AWARDS PROFITEERS: HOW WRITERS CAN RECOGNIZE AND AVOID THEM” on Writer Beware
Just for Fun
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on June 25, 2015.
I wish I had kept the review of the worst book we ever published when I worked for an academic publisher. It was actually hysterical, and the editor for whom I worked would always joke about it! But, give it time. And keep plugging it on social media!
Good advice!