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Going Indie:

Going Indie:. How To Make It as a Self-Published Author. Read books on craft. Books on Craft : The Art of Fiction by John Gardner Story by Robert McKee The Breakout Novelist by Donald Mass Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King On Writing by Stephen King.

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Going Indie:

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  1. Going Indie: How To Make It as a Self-Published Author

  2. Read books on craft Books on Craft: The Art of Fiction by John Gardner Story by Robert McKee The Breakout Novelist by Donald Mass Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne and King On Writing by Stephen King

  3. Read books in your genre Read the bestsellers in your genre. Read the reviews of the bestsellers.

  4. Read books about publishing Resources for Self-Publishing Smashwords Style Guide, by Mark Coker (free) Building Your Book for Kindle, by KDP (free) Self Publishing 101, by Shelley Hitz (free) KatieDavis.combooks on marketing

  5. Write Lots of Books Let go of your dream of writing the great American novel or single literary masterpiece that will make you rich and famous. This is WRITER-CENTRIC. Instead, think of a series that would please an audience. This is READER-CENTRIC. Then write every day if you can. Be disciplined.

  6. Don’t Stop Writing Once you finish the first book, solicit beta readers. Start writing the second book. Publish the first book when the second one is finished. Solicit beta readers for the second book. Start writing the third. Publish the second when the third is nearly finished, etc.

  7. While you are writing… Create your brand. It’s never too soon to develop catch-phrases, fonts, colors, and ideas that represent who you are to your readers. Put your brand everywhere: website, social media sites, business cards, bookmarks. EVERYWHERE!

  8. Make your website your central command • http://www.evapohler.com • A post to your website should be able to be shared and promoted on all of your other social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Amazon Author Page, and Goodreads. • Your website should make it easy for people to learn more about you and your books. • Your website should offer something of value: information and entertainment. • Build a following now, so you have readers when you’re ready to publish.

  9. Create aN Author Facebook Page • https://www.facebook.com/EvaPohler?ref=hl • This is easy to do. • It might seem unnecessary at first, but you will eventually have fans who will want to leave you messages about how much they love your books. • And you will want to spare your family and friends from some of your book talk.

  10. Connect your Facebook to a Twitter Account • http://www.twitter.com/evapohler • Your Facebook posts will automatically tweet. • You can choose to be notified by email of Twitter interactions. • Young people hang out on Twitter, too. • You can schedule Tweets using Hootsuitehttps://hootsuite.com/ • You can create accounts for your characters so fans can interact with them.

  11. Create a goodreads author profile • https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4888434.Eva_Pohler • Connect your blog/website to your profile. • Join groups in your genre and sign up for ARR’s. • Talk about what you’re reading. • Give status updates about your own books.

  12. Create an amazon author page • http://www.amazon.com/Eva-Pohler/e/B009D0TAZ4/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1388816639&sr=8-2-ent • Connect your blog and Twitter account to your Amazon page. • Use your bio to draw people to your website. • Eventually create a page for each country.

  13. Choose your ebook distributors • Kindle Direct Publishing • Smashwords • Barnes and Noble • I would avoid exclusivity.

  14. Choose your paperback distributors • Createspace is the easiest but won’t get you into brick and mortar stores • Lightning Source is time-consuming and not user-friendly, but if you eventually want to be in real book stores, aim to publish here after you launch your ebook career. • Many new small publishers can help, but get references and proceed with caution.

  15. Create audiobooks • The audiobook market is growing exponentially. • ACX.com makes it easy to have audiobooks produced. • The database of narrators makes finding the right voice searchable. • The split royalty option means no money upfront. • http://www.acx.com

  16. Consider creating a team of professionals • Graphic Artist • Professional Editor • Publicist • If you can’t afford these expenses now, try swapping favors. Barter for their services. • Or use them for small jobs and do the rest yourself.

  17. Form alliances • Attend professional conferences to meet other writers and professionals. • Join Facebook author groups. • Sign up for blog tours so you can meet book reviewers and establish relationships with them. • When you approach book reviewers, do so professionally and with tact and consideration. Read their review policies and follow them.

  18. Solicit Trade Reviews • In addition to book bloggers, approach professional trade reviewers, such as Midwest Book Review, Romantic Times, and Kirkus Reviews. • They will come in handy when you want to get into brick and mortar stores, schools, and libraries. • As always, follow their guidelines. • Midwest Book Review has been especially helpful to me: http://www.evapohler.com/2013/11/15/midwestern-book-review/ • http://www.evapohler.com/2014/01/02/another-raving-review-from-midwestern-book-review/

  19. Price your first book to sell • Don’t expect to sell many first books. You don’t start selling until you publish your second, and sometimes third, book. • I priced mine at $2.99. You don’t want to start at $.99, because then when you do a free promotional offer, it won’t seem like much of a deal. • Do not price above $3.99. Readers won’t want to invest more than this in an unknown author.

  20. Cross Promote with other authors • When you meet other authors at conferences and in Facebook groups, try to get to know them. Read some of their work. See if you can find one or two people whose work targets the same audience. Then: • Exchange back matter. • Promote one another on your websites. • http://www.evapohler.com/books • Donate to author giveaways so you can reach their fan base and get “likes.”

  21. Consider your categories • Amazon organizes books by category. You can stand out by choosing to market yourself in a less populated one. • The Gatekeeper’s Sons has been #1 nearly every day since I changed its category: http://www.amazon.com/Gatekeepers-Sons-Saga-ebook/dp/B008YNLXW4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388818958&sr=8-1&keywords=eva+pohler • The Gatekeeper’s Challenge and The Gatekeeper’s Daughter have been in the top twelve: http://www.amazon.com/Gatekeepers-Challenge-Saga-ebook/dp/B00AEVVGAI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1388686873&sr=8-3&keywords=eva+pohler

  22. Make the first book free • Once you publish the second book in your series or branded collection of books, make the first one permafree. It becomes the best marketing tool in your arsenal! • When you make the first book free, and when you have at least 25 reviews averaging 4.0 or better, apply for a Bookbub ad (career changing experience!). • http://www.bookbub.com/partners/pricing

  23. List your free book on every free and cheap site • EreaderNewsToday • Pixel of Ink • FreeBooksy • Book Goodies • Bargain Ebook Hunter • Bookblast

  24. learn about book promotion • Smashwords Book Marketing Guide, by Mark Coker (free) • Market Your Book: 30 Day Plan, by Jeannette Cates ($.99)

  25. Create a street team • https://www.facebook.com/groups/536837629697035/ • Make it fun and rewarding. • Treat your team members like friends, not cheap labor. • Reward them for their efforts. • Sample Missions and Rewards. • Make rewards do double duty as promo items.

  26. Buy Facebook Ads, Goodreads Ads, and Google Adwords • Facebook and Goodreads ads can be targeted to readers of your genre. • Google Adwords use key words people type into searches. • All three are pay by click, so you only pay when it works! • Facebook and Goodreads have built in “Ad Managers.” • Google Adwords can be set up through your Google/Gmail account.

  27. Schedule Book signings • Contact the CRM’s of your local Barnes and Noble Booksellers. • Email is always crm(insert store number)@bn.com. • http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2927 • Best to create events in cities where you know lots of people. • Small book stores also love authors.

  28. Work Hard • Don’t expect a writing career to be an easy one. • Write every day if possible. • Promote every day if possible. • Publish at least one book a year; two or three a year is better. • Create a plan for yourself and stick to it. • Be willing to try new things.

  29. Keep the buzz going • Month one: post a teaser. • Month two: post a cover reveal. • Month three: do a giveaway. • Month four: release a book. • Month five: run a special on the book. • Month six: post a teaser for the next book. • Month seven: post the next cover reveal, and so on…

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