10 Things I Learned From 10 Years As An Indie Writer
Looking back to move forward
Ten years ago, I finally realized my lifelong dream of becoming a published author.
In April 2013, I released my debut YA novel, The Mess Of Me into the world.
It was the result of years of writing, dreaming, and doubting myself but I got there in the end, and it felt amazing. Feeling the weight of that book in my hands was one of the best moments of my life. I was dizzy with pride, excited for the writing and publishing journey I was now on and full of optimism for the future.
Ten years have flown by, and I am soon to release my eighteenth novel, The Day The Earth Turned, Book 1: Summer, the first in a four-book YA post-apocalyptic series.
I started as an indie writer and I am still an indie now, so what have those ten years taught me and how will that shape the following ten years?
1. Family and friends don’t care — Sad, but largely true and I’m not the only indie author who has experienced this. In the beginning, I was naïve enough to expect everyone I knew to rush out and buy my book. After all, why wouldn’t they? Most of my family and friends are avid readers and surely, they would want to support me and read my book, right? No, not so much. I have maybe two or three loved ones who have read my books and if anything, interest has waned further the more I release. It hurts and I try to understand it, but I have to conclude ten years on that it’s unlikely to ever change. Not unless I bagged a traditional book deal and/or a Netflix series!
2. Other indies are incredibly supportive — Now for a positive. I was overwhelmed in the beginning by the kindness and generosity of other indie authors. Most of my online friends are now other indies and because of them, I mostly read indie books. When preparing to launch my new book, I contacted some of the indies I knew and asked if they would like to read an ARC of the book and review on their blogs as well as on Amazon and Goodreads. It was a big ask but I wish I had asked before. I’ve now organized a weeklong blog-tour for this book and I’ve had amazing feedback and support from these writers. They are the best.
3. Front cover is key — It makes me cringe now, but my early efforts at front covers were shameful. I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t do the research. I thought it didn’t matter that much. How wrong I was! I now find myself judging other indie front covers in the same way people must have judged my early ones. That font needs to be bigger, that image is too messy, the cover doesn’t match the genre and so on. If you want people to take you remotely seriously as an indie author, you need to have the best cover you can afford.
4. You’ll never have enough time to market — Not unless you can afford to give up your day job! Over the past ten years, I have put more and more time into marketing and I’m still nowhere near where I should be, and there is still so much more I could be doing. It’s a constant juggling act between the day job, my family, writing the books and marketing the books. I’m not sure I ever get it right and it can be disheartening and overwhelming at times. But I’ve got a better attitude towards it these days. No more hiding or moaning from me. It is what it is, and we just have to get on with it and do the best we can with what we have.
5. To be successful, you need money — To think, I only realized this lately! I’m what I’d call a struggling indie. I feel lucky to sell a few each month and I’ve always wondered if this is to do with my marketing skills, or the books themselves. Only recently have I contacted some very successful (as in, have been able to give up the day job, successful) indies about what worked for them. Turns out, it was mostly money! Not to deny their hard work and commitment or their awesome books at all, but the turning point for them involved money. Paid adverts on Facebook or Amazon and more. I haven’t tried this yet because I just haven’t had the funds to justify it, but I know I need to. Another indie who does very well once said to me, but can you afford not to advertise? Fair question. But at the time the answer was difficult. I didn’t have any spare money and that was it.
6. I should spend less time writing and more selling — Over the last ten years I have published almost eighteen books, but I have written far more. The four-book series I am about to start releasing is finished; all four books are written, edited and waiting to go. I also have four other finished novels which are currently being sent to beta readers and my editor. Then there is the story I wrote last year in five notebooks, which I need to type up at some point, fearing it may another series… Then there is an unfinished novel that just needs an ending, another novel in another notebook that’s half way written, and another idea that I keep adding to but haven’t started writing yet. I write too much. If I put as much time, effort and energy into marketing as I do writing, maybe I would be more successful!
7. ARC’s are worth setting up — to my shame, setting up ARC reviewers for this new book is only the second time I have ever done it. With all the other books I have simply released them, some with a bit of a fuss and a launch party, and some with no fuss at all. But I strongly recommend trying to secure ARC reviewers if you can. It gives you reviews to start sharing before the book is out, it gives you a bit of a confidence boost, and it starts the book off on the best footing possible. I must do it every time!
8. Write for other mediums to build brand — In the beginning, I only wrote my books. I soon branched out to blog writing, sharing my progress and problems and other non-writing related things. I have written articles for Author’s Publish and for a local parenting magazine and now here I am on Medium! I have also pushed myself with short stories, screenwriting and poetry. I think all these formats and platforms help show readers who I am and how I write, and I only wish I had tried it sooner.
9. Success is interpretive — There are times I feel proud of how far I have come and there are times I feel ashamed that I am still not ‘successful’. But I try to remind myself that success is open to interpretation. To the writer who has yet to put pen to paper to release the stories in their head, I am successful. It all depends on your point of view.
10. The passion only gets stronger — Despite the ups and downs and the relative lack of ‘success’ in monetary terms, for me, the urge to write only gets stronger. The passion increases with every piece I write, and there is never anything else I would rather do than write.
In terms of what I’ve learnt during ten years as an indie author, this list could be a lot longer, but I think these are the main ten things that stick in my head. These are the things I’d wish I’d known back then and these are the lessons I’ll take with me into the next ten years. And the most important one? For me, it’s number ten. The more I write, the more I want to write, the more I need to write and no matter what the following ten years bring, that will always be the most magical and vital part for me.
