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5 Great Books for Indie Authors

As I begin my journey towards indie publishing, I’ve been buying books aimed at newbies.

Click on the links at end of each synopsis and you’ll be taken to Amazon.com, where you can check out the Table of Contents for each book and then decide which one (or more) fits your needs the best.

Cheers!

1. THE SELF-PUBLISHING TOOLKIT

I love that Daphne has included a workbook you can print out to keep track of things. Her guidance on market research is spot on. She takes you through the KDP process on Amazon, including how to set up your Author Central profile, Amazon product page, and much more. She notes how Scrivener users can export their books directly into the Kindle format, so there are no extra steps, a huge relief to anyone dismayed about formatting. A fantastic resource.

The Self-Publishing Toolkit

2. SELF-PRINTED, The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing

Catherine guides you through the process, from building an online platform, to formatting (for non-Scrivener users) and publishing e-books and paperbacks, as well as how to sell your self-published work. You’ll enjoy Catherine’s wit along the way.

Self-Printed

3. HOW TO MARKET A BOOK

It’s hard to miss Joanna, she’s a powerful presence on social media and has a wonderfully helpful blog,The Creative Penn. Her book focuses solely on marketing and it’s full of time-tested strategies she’s used with her own books. I especially enjoyed her section on Amazon reviewers.

How to Market a Book

4. Let’s Get Digital

David is passionate about authors pursuing the e-book route and the first part of his book covers the digital “revolution” and how it’s changed the publishing landscape forever. He covers the basics succinctly, and has excellent advice on why you need to invest in a good editor and book cover designer. He also includes thirty-three success stories to inspire you.

Let’s Get Digital

5. The Frugal Book Promoter

Carolyn is a public relations pro who knows the ins and outs of getting publicity on the cheap. She addresses common worries, takes you through the basics, and has a very thorough section on how to put together a media kit.

The Frugal Book Promoter

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Surreal Landscapes

Image from: http://www.carlwarner.com/image/foodscapes/the-rialto-bridge_5/#&panel1-5 — Image from:
http://www.carlwarner.com/image/foodscapes/the-rialto-bridge_5/#&panel1-5

Carl Warner is a genius. I love his rendition of Italy’s Rialto Bridge (above). If you haven’t seen his food landscapes before, check them out at:

Twisted Shifter

Pretty amazing, right? I especially like how Twisted Shifter includes photos that show Warren at work.

Enjoy!

What Every Speculative Fiction Writer Needs

No matter how good a self-editor you may be, an extra set of eyes will find things you’re too close to pick up. Every writer needs feedback, and I’ve found an online critique just for those who write speculative fiction, O.W.W.

It’s geared for writers in three specific genres: science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Right away, you’ve got a corp of readers and writers dedicated to your market. The cost is minimal, $49.00 a year. That’s 13 cents a day to those of you shaking your heads and saying you can’t afford it–you can!

There’s a free, 30-day trial and O.W.W. will post your first submission for free as well (normally, you need four review credits). Of course, you’ll want to start reviewing immediately, both to get your name out and to garner reciprocal reviews. Most authors return critiques, but if you want to be sure then look for a story with C4C–crit for crit–in the title.

My YA fantasy, “Jurata’s Daughter”, went through O.W.W. and it’s a better story for all the stellar feedback I got. Two of my reviewers even offered to be beta readers. How cool is that?

Now my MG fantasy adventure is up for reviews. So far, so good, but even those who like it will note where there’s room for improvement. WARNING: If you don’t have a thick skin, you’ll need one. Reviewers don’t hold back. Yes, you can count on hearing what they like, but also what they don’t and why. Amazing what others see that escapes you.

However, if you think you’ve received a truly mean-spirited or unprofessional review, you can contact the O.W.W. moderators. They have high standards and expect participants to heed them.

Sound good? Go on, give O.W.W. a try. I’ll bet that first month will hook you.

Cheers!

***This may come off as a sales pitch; I promise I’m not on O.W.W.’s payroll. 😉

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net