Being your own last judge means that you are in control. You are the big boss. The one who ultimately makes the decisions—all of the decisions, including which changes to make to your manuscript.

Get ready to exhibit! Banners, book swag, and more.

Achieving clean copy from cover to cover requires a mammoth amount of effort. Here's my process.

Your platform is the thing that grows your following. That is, the people who know you and follow you. Those who take an interest in you and your books. As indie authors, we hope to grow a large platform. The larger, the better.
 
But how do you go about doing it?

If you’re asking yourself, Why am I doing this? Why am I trying to accomplish something that’s so hard?, then you should read this post.

My books are populated with characters of varying strengths and weaknesses, abilities and disabilities. One of them requires a wheelchair. Is my portrayal accurate, believable, positive? Enter the Sensitivity Reader.

When it comes to marketing, the reasons to collaborate with other authors are many.

I’ve noticed that even with my favorite books, there is usually something I don’t love about the book. The interesting thing, I think, is that I still love that book unconditionally.

Since publishing my first book in 2021, I have done four in-person events, and they’ve all been worthwhile. More than worthwhile, they’ve been fun and memorable. Here’s why you should do one too.

Tips to help you get the ball rolling.

Story structure is pretty complex, so I understand why some writers resist learning about it. “I don’t want to write in a formulaic way,” is one of the common responses. But story structure does not require you to write formulaically.

This week's blog is a guest article by author Deborah Sheldon, who discusses how the Covid lockdown affected the writing of her novella Readhead Town.

I didn’t always like character sketches. They were like homework I did not want (or need) to do. I no longer feel that way.

When it comes to feedback, how do you know what to act on … and what not to?

I want to talk about the moments of insecurity that come with self-publishing.

I want to talk about giving your manuscript time and space to breathe.

Last week, I talked about the general process for having an audiobook made using ACX.com. This week, Laura Botten, voice talent and author of A Recipe from Rome, goes into detail about everything from how to hire the right narrator for your book to the possibility of narrating your own book.

The great thing about making an audiobook is that it requires a relatively small amount of time compared to writing and publishing a novel. Part 1 in this short series will provide a general outline of how an audiobook is made, and Part 2 will dive into the particulars of hiring a narrator and other details.

Instead of speeding headlong into 2024 with new material, I’m going to start off the year with a peek back at 2023 and the many blog posts I (and a few guest bloggers) wrote.

Early in my self-publishing journey, I had learned that series are a good thing for unknown indie authors. We hook the readers with Book One, which we provide for free or for 99 cents, and we hope they'll want to buy the other books in the series.