indie author basics
-
Take the Leap
When I first decided to put my book up for preorder in September (2023), I wondered if I had made the right decision. I had never run a preorder campaign that far in advance of the release date. And I was wondering if I could keep the momentum up. In my experience, people forget after… Continue reading
-
Should You Put Your Book Up for Preorder? It Depends.
What is a preorder? A pre-order is when you make a book available for purchase before its official release date—typically a week to a year in advance. Traditionally, publishers have books available for preorder as early as six months to a year in advance. They do it because strong pre-sales tell retailers the book will… Continue reading
-
What Indie Authors Can Learn from Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Book Launch
As an author, I cannot help but to look at the book marketing side of celebrity book launches of this magnitude. And, because it’s such a controversial launch, I want to give a disclaimer. Disclaimer: This post is not about dissecting the morality of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, condoning how she has gone about… Continue reading
-
Self-Publishing: Understanding Copyright and Distribution
Copyright First-time self-publishers often worry about copyright or that someone will steal their idea. This is typically the first sign of a novice self-publisher. However, new and established authors might worry about someone stealing their books now that AI is here. First, you should know that you own the copyright to your book at the… Continue reading
-
Dear Self-Published Author, You Have Options!
While Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing is excellent, there are other options for print-on-demand publishing that self-published authors can explore. Draft2Digital Draft2Digital is a gem. D2D is an aggregator that distributes your books to major retailers online, from Barnes and Noble to Apple iBooks to Baker & Taylor. They have merged with Smashwords and now also… Continue reading
-
Dear Self-Publishers, Don’t Limit Your Potential
The Martian started as a self-published book. Its author, Andy Weir, said he didn’t think the book had mainstream appeal and was surprised anyone was interested. It began as a series on Weir’s website, and when readers complained it was hard to read the stories sitting at their computer, Weir listened to his audience and… Continue reading
-
Why You Shouldn’t Worry about Family Not Supporting Your Books
When the Power series was first hot, my cousin said to me: “You should write books like on Power! The way we grew up, I know you can put some stuff together.” That bothered me for two reasons: Self-Publishing is a lot of work, and not feeling supported by our family and friends can be… Continue reading
The PBS Blog 