DOS AND DON’TS FOR INDIE AUTHORS

A FIREBLADE PUBLISHERS DIY GUIDE

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Copyright 2013 Fireblade Publishers

Content: Aneza LeeCover design: Vanessa Finaughty

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DOS AND DON’TS FOR INDIE AUTHORS

Table of Contents:

IntroductionThe Heart of the Matter – Your Motivation for Becoming an Indie Author10 Must-Dos and Don’ts for Indie Authors10 Book Promotion Dos and Don’tsTip: Figuring Out Your Target Audience6 Dos and Don’ts for Attracting New ReadershipTip: Self-Promotion Don’t4 Tips for Dealing with Negative Reviews and CriticismFull Steam Ahead – 6 Ways to Stay on Track4 Tips about Free Stuff – Give to ReceiveTo Blog or Not to Blog – 4 TipsTip: Where to Find Your Target Audience4 Ways to Promote Yourself without Promoting Yourself10 Mistakes Made by Self-Published AuthorsTotally Random Tip: Contact Local Bookstores3 Fatal PR Mistakes Indie Authors MakeConclusion

Introduction

This DIY guide was created to assist indie authors upon the road to success. Two indie authors-cum-editors, Vanessa Finaughty and Aneza Lee, realised a dream when they self-published, and they felt so strongly about sharing their knowledge and experience with their peers that the Fireblade DIY guides were born. So, without further ado, we hope to provide some helpful information whilst you forge your own path.

Once upon a time in a galaxy not so far away, indie/self-publishing was frowned upon by the traditional publishing industry. There was a stigma attached to independent, or indie (independent) publishing. Sadly, many great stories have been overlooked for publication by traditional means for various reasons, none of which have to do with the quality of the workmanship. It might be as simple as the fact that the publisher had met its annual quota for romance novels for that particular quarter, and thus the work was overlooked.

These days, many well-known works have been independently published and have attained worldwide acclaim. Renowned author John Grisham sold his first book from his car trunk, believe it or not. The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. was originally self-published and today sells three hundred thousand copies annually. Sadly, though, there will always be those who frown upon a non-traditional method, no matter how lucrative. However, one cannot deny the fact that the world at large is embracing the self-published novel with equal gusto when compared to books on offer by traditional publishing houses. In fact, it seems more and more that not only are indie-published books here to stay, but they are becoming more popular with readers than traditionally published books.

It is worthy to note that not every indie author is lucky enough to enjoy a cataclysmic rise to fame and fortune, but it provides a very necessary platform and affords every author this unique opportunity. You could be amongst those lucky authors who sell millions of copies of their work worldwide. It is only a rare few who enjoy overnight success; for others, it is a step by step process, requiring dedication, hard work and perseverance for a chance at a steady rise to fame and fortune.

At the outset, you should know that indie publishing requires a certain amount of grit, determination and the knowledge that you’ll be spending quite a bit of your hard-earned cash along the way. The old adage, you have to spend money to make money, applies. You need to have a lot of heart to make it as an indie author and to know that success means never giving up on your dreams. It was Edison, I believe, who once said that he had not failed a thousand times to make the light bulb work; he had simply successfully discovered a thousand ways that it did not work. He didn’t give up, and neither should you. The process requires certain things from you and, in this DIY guide, we will attempt to provide you with the tools you require.

The Heart of the Matter – Your Motivation for Becoming an Indie Author

Though we will touch on this aspect of authorship throughout this DIY guide, at the outset, it is important to question your motivations for becoming an indie author. The three most important motivating factors are:

One – wanting to share knowledge to educate othersTwo – wanting to inspire through shared knowledgeThree – wanting to inspire through entertainment

Authors do not write for fortune, nor do they write for fame. This is a by-product of the process and no truly inspired author wakes up one morning with his or her motivation being wealth and fame via authorship. Truly, real writers write with a desire to be of service, in one form or another. Ask yourself which category you fall into and if your motivations are true, for how can you write from your heart when you do not know the reasons you are writing?

10 Must-Dos and Don’ts for Indie Authors

1. Do read and do a self-edit of your work before you submit it for a professional edit and proofread. Yes, this means that you should read your book from cover to cover, properly. As you go, correct any errors that you notice along the way. The human mind, being the marvellous creation that it is, will cause your eye to automatically correct obvious errors, so you will easily pass over them without even registering the error. Regardless of this annoyingly helpful mental feature, a thorough reading of your manuscript, correcting errors as you go, can help to polish your writing before submitting it for a professional edit. It could also result in a cheaper professional edit if you find an editor who quotes based on whether your manuscript needs a light, medium or heavy edit.

Please do not be fooled into thinking that this is enough to rocket you to instant stardom. It is simply common sense to read your completed work. Look for plot or continuity discrepancies, like your main character having blue eyes in one chapter and brown eyes in the next. Is Willoughby’s sister, Elise, the oldest sibling in one chapter, but later referred to as his younger sister in another chapter? This amount of effort shows an editor that you have pride in your work and that you took the time and attention to detail to polish your writing before you handed it over to him/her. I cannot stress enough how important a step this is for you as an independent author.

2. Do not rely on MS Word’s spell check to root out all spelling errors. Auto-correct, in the wrong hands, can be a dangerous feature. Use this feature to search for commonplace errors, but do not allow it to blindly correct every error without first ensuring that you are happy with the correction. Read properly before you correct.

3. Do use beta readers. There may be glaringly obvious errors that you are completely unaware of. These could range from plot twists to spelling, grammar, punctuation, and tautology, or repetition of your favourite word or phrase. I once read a manuscript where the author had used the word ‘okay’ to the point that it was repeated at least twice in every other sentence. This is maddeningly tedious to read and an error of this nature, though simple to correct, might have the reader putting the book down before he or she hits the second chapter. So, what is a beta reader and where can you find one? Does your Aunt Mabel enjoy romance novels, the genre you happen to write? Do you have a trusted friend you believe would give you his or her honest opinion?

You need someone with a critical eye who can provide you with constructive advice and assist you with error correction. Most beta readers read for free and their kind assistance is generally lauded in the book’s acknowledgements. Be prepared for some occasionally harsh criticisms, but, that said, the end goal is a more polished manuscript. Some beta readers are happy to read your work in exchange for the same favour down the road. Whatever arrangements are made, your beta readers are worth their weight in gold. Should none of your friends or immediate family volunteer for the job, you can search for beta readers on the Internet.

4. Do use the services of a professional editor or editing service. Yes, this means hiring someone who does this sort of thing for a living. Do not be fooled into thinking that your Uncle John who always aces the crossword is the right man for the job. Editing is an intuitive and creative process that requires know-how and a certain finesse, as well as a high level of attention to detail. Spend the money and you’ll be stunned by the overall improvements to be seen in the edited product, even after a beta reading. A professional edit will include multiple spell checks, correction of grammatical and punctuation errors, and assistance with plot discrepancies and characterisation.

5. Do invest in a professional proofread after the edit is complete. Some authors may think that this is overkill or a waste of money, but this could not be further from the truth. A proofreader is someone who approaches the manuscript with a fresh eye. He or she may pick up issues or errors that the editor may have missed, or that you’ve added in when making changes as per your editor’s suggestions. Remember that annoyingly helpful built-in auto-correct feature that we all have as we read? This same issue plagues even the most thorough of editors. After seeing the same incorrectly spelt error a hundred times, the brain simply switches off to it as it is constantly overwhelmed with the enormous task of processing so much visual information. Your editor needs the help of a professional proofreader, and so do you!

6. Do hire an experienced designer to create your dream cover. Keep in mind when discussing the overall design that most websites will show it as a thumbnail, and, as such, it should have enough visual appeal to stand out when reduced to thumbnail size. Your cover’s first impression is of major importance, as many readers will take a closer look based on the visual appeal of the cover image.

7. Do include free promotional material where possible. If you have written a book about easy-to-make home remedies, perhaps include a free quick reference guide at the back of the book, or something else in addition to your book. This could range from a series of illustrations or any reference material pertinent to the subject matter.

8. Do take the time and care to create a well-rounded author biography. This author calling card is an important weapon in your marketing arsenal. For useful tips on how to write a great author biography, check out our free DIY guide, Secrets to a Great Author Biography.

9. Do invest time and your hard-earned money in public relations and marketing. For those who are on the proverbial shoestring budget and don’t have extra cash to throw around, your currency of choice may be time and effort. Join writers’ forums where you can communicate with like-minded authors. Here, authors will share everything from writing contests to marketing tips, places to find beta readers, editors and whatever else your writer’s heart might desire. It is also worthy to note that a writer’s forum is a great place to not only get opinions on your writing and cover art, but also to simply connect with other authors.

10. Do start a blog, join Twitter, and create a Facebook and LinkedIn profile. Join any other social network to improve your Internet presence and to make it easier for readers to find your work. Also list your book on Goodreads.

10 Book Promotion Dos and Don’ts

This one indie author aspect could quite easily be considered the hardest art to master. Traditional publishing companies have long-established methods of book promotion and the financial clout to promote a book on a grand scale that is simply not available to the majority of indie authors.

1. Where to begin? Do create a list of realistic goals for yourself and your novel and to try to stick with a definite plan of action. This will be far more conducive to a positive overall experience and, as Bill Phillips, author of Body for Life, wrote, ‘if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail’. This could be as simple as promising that you’ll schedule time once a week to promote your book on a blog or website.

2. Do try to get as many book reviews as possible. Many authors do a swap service, where one will read and review a book in exchange for the same courtesy shown towards their own book. Ask friends, family, acquaintances, business associates and fellow authors to read and review your novel. Keep in mind that just because someone has promised to review your book is not a guarantee that they will provide you with a positive review. Have your reviewers post their reviews on your distributor platform, where prospective buyers can read their opinions of your writing.

3. Do keep in mind the fact that traditional publications are unlikely to review an indie author’s work. As dazzling as the idea of your review appearing in the New York Times may seem, it is far less likely with so many traditional publishers promoting their authors’ works. This doesn’t mean it can’t be achieved, but don’t put all your hopes in this happening.

4. Do start promoting your work several months in advance of its publication. Once ready, your final MS Word document should be professionally edited and ready to be uploaded to your chosen publishing platform. Starting posting on your blog, website, Twitter and Facebook pages or any other available platform about your upcoming novel, and share snippets of your writing or sneak peeks of your professionally created cover art. All of these efforts will create interest in your upcoming publication.

5. Do a guest blog post to spread the word about you, what you write or any aspect of yourself in an effort to garner more attention for your work.

6. Do accept to do interviews wherever possible. This will gain you important exposure. Keep in mind that indie authors are less likely to be featured in more traditional publications. Inquire about being featured in your local magazine or newspaper or on a blog for indie authors.

7. Don’t be disappointed when you approach the larger media outlets and discover that they are unable to assist you. To avoid a continuous stream of disheartening rejections, it is best to focus on smaller, more independent outlets.

8. Do invest some effort in a decent head shot for your back cover. Use a professional photographer and adopt a style that suits your personality. Use a current image that you feel is most flattering and one that exudes self-confidence. The shaky photograph taken of you seven years ago at the family Christmas party by one of your drunken uncles isn’t really suitable.

9. Do invest in a launch party or a virtual blog tour to celebrate the arrival of your book onto the world stage. This is a momentous occasion and one that you should be very proud of. So many people dream of publishing a book, but never go after their dream. You have and you should be proud of your achievement.

10. Do set a positive, upbeat tone to your overall campaign, as it is representative of you and your work, and any task that you tackle with enthusiasm and joy will have a greater chance of success.

Tip: Figuring Out Your Target Audience

Take a moment to focus on your target audience. What sort of readership are you hoping to attract? Which sex and age group are you targeting? Is your audience gay, lesbian or

transsexual perhaps? Which nationality are you targeting? Are you hoping to attract a special interests group? Say, if you write about pottery, you would obviously want to attract an audience with an interest in this particular craft, not so? Make a list of the types of readers you are hoping to attract. Another point to consider is what other reading materials they would be attracted to and if there is a common ground between the two. This simple exercise will help you to realise who you are hoping to inspire, entertain or educate.

6 Dos and Don’ts for Attracting New Readership

Don’t join up and barge in on a thread/blog/group only to talk about yourself and to promote your book. Nobody wants to spend time with a loudmouth self-promoter who isn’t interested in what they have to say. Join to participate, to connect with your fellow authors and readers – this approach will gain you far more readership than the off-putting behaviour of a self-absorbed social bully.

1. To elaborate on the above tip: don’t join book groups only to spam readers with news of your latest novel. A book group has many purposes, depending on the dynamics of the group, but this is not the best vehicle to advertise yourself and it will not count in your favour to join for the sole purpose of posting an endless list of links.

In all likelihood, the group regulars (every group has these) will likely ignore it or, at the very least, be annoyed by it. You might well gain a few readers, certainly, but at the cost of annoying far more than you gained. They may even opt to avoid your books due to your approach. Be magnanimous, share books that you enjoyed reading, and, occasionally, share news of a promotion or freebie that is connected to your own book/s, but use discretion. Don’t appear to only have joined to plug your book.

2. Do join book groups that enjoy the same types of books that you like to read and write about. Join in the community, make friends, read other authors’ books. Interact on the group site by leaving comments or making recommendations about books you enjoyed reading. Over time, you’ll create an interest, as fellow group members are likely to check out your profile and your books in turn. The overall message here is to be subtle in your approach. Don’t go in guns blazing trying to push your books onto others, but join a group for the love of books and with the intent to share, grow and learn in that group.

3. Do keep in mind that recommendations by others will be taken more seriously than those made by the author promoting his or her work. ‘Read my awesome book’ will get a very different reaction to someone else recommending it because they enjoyed it. For this reason, do request that people who read your book leave a review. The percentage of readers who will leave a review is rather low, but each review is worth its weight in gold.

4. Don’t ever try to promote your books by creating an alternate account on a blog or social media group and pretend to be a reader who likes and recommends your book.

Firstly, the stain upon your reputation upon discovery of such an underhanded move would not wash off easily. Secondly, it is extremely unethical! Have faith in your creation, and, if you persevere and promote your work through the proper channels, you will achieve the acclaim your work deserves.

5. Don’t be tempted by the almighty buck. It takes time and effort to build a fan base and, though your fans might be eager to read your latest creation, they will take offence to being robbed for the privilege. What do I mean? Don’t try to milk the profits. If you start charging too much for your books, your readers will go elsewhere for more affordable books, and believe me, there are plenty of great books out there at affordable prices. Try to keep your book prices at a reasonable rate. Charge a lower price for your first book. If you’ve written a series, charge less for the first book and a slightly higher rate for the second book, or make the first book free. Don’t exceed $3.99 per book. You can easily justify these affordable rates as one of the perks of being an independent author. You’re earning more per book than the average traditionally published author who has to pay a percentage to his/her publisher.

6. Do set up a fan page on Facebook. Use it to showcase your writing and update fans on your latest projects. You can do this at any stage of your writing career. Some may advise you to do this at a later stage, when you have more books available and a larger fan base, but, in my honest opinion, any exposure is welcome.

4 Tips for Dealing with Negative Reviews and Criticism

1. Don’t get too upset when you receive a negative review. Tough as these can be, unfortunately not everyone is going to love your book. Some reviewers will provide you with positive criticisms, while others may come across as nasty and may even state things about your novel that are misleading or incorrect. Your natural instinct will be to defend your work, or to reply with an angry response, but this is the worst thing you can do, as it will make you look petty and unprofessional.

2. Don’t rise to the bait. As damaging as a negative review may be, your negative reaction or spiteful comeback will be even more damaging. Imagine your reaction when your response is taken out of context, and is posted on Facebook, Twitter, their blog and other platforms. How unflattering to appear to be a small-minded author who can’t take criticism. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and, though you may not like it, take the high road and try to focus on the positive reviews and feedback that you have received. Also remember that a negative review often piques interest and makes others want to read the book too, to see if the reviewer was correct in his or her statements.

3. Do take it from where it comes. Check out other reviews that person has made. Does he or she generally leave negative or low-rated reviews with only one or two stars? Some folks, unfortunately, enjoy spreading misery and take a perverse pleasure in harsh criticisms.

4. That said, don’t dismiss all criticism. Some of it may very well be constructive and, once you’ve had a moment to process it, what the reviewer has said may make sense and help you to improve that book or future books. Try to be objective, as difficult as that may seem. Keep the good bits and discard the bad ones. Take note of what’s been pointed out and use that information when you next tackle a writing project. Even negative reviews may have invaluable nuggets with regards to your writing style.

Full Steam Ahead – 6 Ways to Stay on Track

1. Don’t be discouraged when your very first novel does not enjoy an immediate and meteoric rise to fame and fortune. Writing encompasses a huge learning curve. With each subsequent novel, you will improve. Some authors look back on their earliest works and shudder with embarrassment, having tracked their progress over the years. Your writing style will evolve as you grow and learn.

2. Do set aside regular time to devote to your writing. This is of the utmost importance and cannot be over-stated.

3. Don’t rest on your laurels and believe that because you were once successfully published by a traditional publisher your indie book will be a raging success or will garner you a string of accolades. Popularity is as varying as the tides and it is good for the traditionally published author turned indie author to keep in mind that the indie route is far more challenging.

4. Do ask for assistance when you need it and do not try to do all the work yourself. Industry professionals are better equipped to assist you with specific aspects of the process, like editing or creating that award-winning cover.

5. Do try to keep a positive mindset. Continuous disappointment can be extremely disheartening, but you should not allow it to overwhelm you or stop you from following your dream. Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingstone Seagull was rejected 140 times before publication, and John Connolly’s first manuscript was rejected by every publisher (internationally) before the last publisher finally accepted it. They persevered, and so should you, in whatever goal it is that you are trying to achieve.

6. Do delight in every success, no matter how seemingly trivial! You have created a unique work, and you most likely put your heart and soul into your creation. You have every reason to be as proud as a peacock for every accolade or development along the road to success.

4 Tips about Free Stuff – Give to Receive

Technically, this section could be placed in the 10 Book Promotion Dos and Don’ts section of this guide, but I felt it was so important that it deserved a heading of its own.

1. The importance of giveaways cannot be understated, whether you are offering your book in e-book or in printed format. Give away copies of your free e-books where possible. Your ultimate goal is to gain readership, as a loyal following means not only creating ambassadors for your books, but more sales as they spread the word about you and your work.

2. The giveaway is an important strategy when dealing with a series. If the first book is free, it will entice readers to download it. They’ll fall in love with your characters, will enjoy the plot, and will want to know what happens next (assuming it’s well written and well edited, of course). You can then charge them for subsequent books in that series. As a rule of thumb, make the first book in any new series free.

3. Join a ‘read to review’ group on Goodreads and enrol in their ‘read to review’ programme. This is a great way to not only get readers to peruse the pages of your novel, but to get valuable reviews for your work. Think of it like this: each giveaway is a free review, and these are priceless! Join groups in the same genre in which you write. You set the limit on how many copies and groups to provide your book/s to for review.

4. A good tip is to also provide free copies to your fan group. This is an easy way to gain fans, followers and also to establish the quality of your book via reviews. Statistics come into play here. People are more likely to read a 4-star book with three hundred good reviews than what they are likely to read a 5-star book with only half a dozen reviews, most of which are obviously written by family members with the same last name.

4 Tips to Blog or Not to Blog

Blog, by all means blog! Blog ’til you’re all blogged out, and then blog some more!

1. Do search for and contact a list of book bloggers. You might be pleasantly surprised to discover how many there are out there. These range from well renowned to practically brand new, but each will have their loyal following and each is a way for you to spread the word about your book.

2. Do set aside time in your schedule to create a list of book bloggers. Check if they have review policies in place and be sure to meet those policies before making your approach. Something as simple as not checking this information could annoy the reviewer to the point where he or she refuses to provide you with a review. Do they review indie authors? If the answer is no, do not waste the effort to contact them. You’ll easily find another book blogger who will happily provide you with a review. Do they only read printed copies when all you have available is in e-book format? Take a systematic

approach when requesting reviews. How many reviews are enough, you may ask? Think big! One hundred? Bigger! Two hundred? Bigger! There is no such thing as too many reviews.

3. Do offer your e-book free, if they will agree to a review. This is a great way to get free exposure and is a general rule of thumb…. Think of the review as your payment for that copy of your book, and reviews are priceless! If they’re agreeable, ask them to do an author interview with you, do a guest blog post or perhaps ask them to host some sort of giveaway, providing them with x amount of copies of your book as a prize in a competition, as an example. Use this as a means to direct traffic to your Facebook page or author website, and request that if the reader or reviewer enjoyed the book, they like your page.

4. Do start your own blog, and host guest bloggers who can provide you with articles about what they do. Return the favour and review an author’s book, posting the review on your blog and Facebook pages. Follow other author, editor, publisher or common interest blogs and feel free to reblog anything you found interesting on their pages (as far as we know, only Wordpress gives the option to reblog).

Tip: Where to Find Your Target Audience

Where, indeed? As an indie author, logic dictates that most of your sales will be in e-book format and that much of your readership will be international, rather than local. Afford your readers the opportunity to find you by setting up a presence as far afield as Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Goodreads, MySpace and LinkedIn, to name but a few. Choose forums that cater to your kind of readership. If, for example, you write romance novels, target female-oriented forums. Due to your limited resources and time constraints, it is important for you to focus on the majority of your readership, rather than the minority. By this, I mean that you should rather focus on the female-oriented forum for drawing interest to your romance novel than spend too much time on a male-dominated forum that will attract fewer readers.

4 Ways to Promote Yourself without Promoting Yourself

Have I lost my marbles? No! How can you do this? Well, pour yourself a cup of coffee and I’ll tell you.

1. Do get involved on Goodreads. First, set up an account, list the books you’ve written, the books you’ve read and the books you are currently reading. Join a group, or several. This is a wonderful platform for connecting with other authors and fellow readers. Start building relationships with fellow group members. Comment on their posts, offer to review their books and ask them to review your books in turn.

This should be one of the more enjoyable exercises when expanding your Internet presence. Simply get involved! Do join in conversations, talk about your favourite books or what you are reading at the moment; just add your two cents, as it were. Your involvement will attract attention without ever having to plug your books. One author reported that her sales tripled from her simple involvement with her favourite Goodreads groups.

2. Do list your book/s on Goodreads’ Listopia listings. It is better if another reader lists your book, but you certainly won’t be committing author suicide should you decide to add the books yourself. I recommend getting a friend or fellow author to list your book on the appropriate list, or ask the moderator to do it for you; if he or she is the moderator of your fan group, even better.

3. Do list your book where there are similar listings, as you’ll receive better exposure than having your novel on an irrelevant list. You’d be remiss in posting your action fantasy novel on a horror listing, for example. Search for books similar to whichever theme is relevant to your novel. This can help readers to find you, because, when they search for a book in the same genre as yours, it will pop up in their search as being similar to the title they’re searching for. Be sure that your prices are reasonable, as readers will most likely download the more inexpensive titles. Most will vote for a book once they’ve read it, so you’ve got a good chance of getting your books to appear and stay high up on the list by using this simple, but effective technique.

4. Do offer the option for readers to order personalised signed printed copies of your book. Many readers will enjoy adding these to their growing collection, and it is great exposure for you. Do this with the idea of pleasing your fans, more than wanting to make a profit. Charge the reader enough to defray expenses, including the cost of printing the book and shipping expenses at the very least. At most, add a small profit, keeping in mind that the end goal here is to expand your fan base. Remember to address the dedication to them by name and include a short, personalised message.

10 Mistakes for Self-Published Authors

1. Authors who get into the writing game for the sole reason of wanting to fatten their bank accounts will be sorely disappointed. Honestly question your motivations for wanting to write. An author writes for the love of writing or because he/she has a burning desire to share an idea, a teaching, or a passion with the rest of the world. Let your desire to write stem from wanting to educate, inspire or entertain. If it comes down to only wanting to get rich, you may end up a very sad author indeed. Not every writer makes it to the big scene, but, at the end of the day, the joy of having written a book and shared it with your readers should be recompense enough. Think of the money as a bonus to this amazing feat you have achieved by publishing your writing.

2. Glaring mistake number two is not hiring professionals to edit, proofread and format your writing. Even the greatest writers make mistakes and you will be no exception. Remember that your brain will trick the eye into auto-correcting some of the more obvious mistakes in your text. To be taken seriously in the writing world, you should deliver high quality content that has been through a professional pre-publication process. Do not cheap out on this expense – it could cost you far more than you know in the long run, as readers may read a badly written book once, but they’ll pass over your next book.

3. Don’t try to save money by designing your own cover. I’m going to say one word on this. No! Don’t! Stop it! Okay, that was more than one word. It is a rare author who can create a beautiful cover design for his or her novel that is not only relevant to the subject matter, but catches the reader’s eye at first glance. I’m not saying that it can’t be done, but in most cases it is very easy to spot an obvious ‘I made this at home using the Paint programme feature on my PC’ type of cover. Employ a professional. You’ll be pleased with the results and you’ll get a far better reaction to your cover. Remember, this is your reader’s first impression, so make it a good one. Generally, books covers are listed as thumbnails on websites, and most websites have lists of books to choose from, so your cover has to catch the eye, even in miniature.

4. Many authors make the mistake of not building their marketing platform in advance. The process of completing a novel and readying it for publication can take endless months and, as such, it is wise to build anticipation for the arrival of your novel. Have your audience eager for its release by spreading the word on all your social media platforms and on your blog.

5. Not using MS Word is mistake number five on our list. It is a universally accepted programme used by everyone from beta readers to editors, designers and more. Converting from a different programme to Word can cause all sorts of discrepancies, so don’t do it. It is particularly popular amongst writers for its paragraph style capabilities, and many distributors, such as Smashwords, allow you to upload Word files, which they convert to the standard e-book formats for you, so it should be your first choice.

6. Authors who assume that their book views correctly on only one platform are making mistake number six on our list. Test your e-book across the board, as it may view correctly on one platform, and not on another. If you don’t own a Kindle or other e-reading device, ask a friend or fellow author to test it for you.

7. Many authors make the mistake of not offering a printed version of their novel. E-books are a wonderful medium, but many readers enjoy the tactile experience of reading a good old-fashioned book and, in some cases, printed books do outsell their e-book counterparts.

8. If possible, do not limit yourself to social media as your only means of advertising. Word of mouth and platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn are wonderful for spreading the word about you and your books, but the importance of a PR campaign can’t be

overstated. This approach will cost you a fair amount of your hard-earned money, but is well worth the investment.

9. Major mistakes include not asking for feedback, and ignoring criticisms from your friends, fans and public in general while in the creative process. Joe Public will gladly point out errors in the plot or may even make suggestions to improve certain character aspects or plot issues.

10. Inflexibility is the next major mistake authors can make. Some authors are so dead set on the idea of being traditionally published that they will not even consider the idea of becoming an indie author. Some indie authors refuse to approach traditional publishers for fear of rejection. Sometimes the path meanders and it is wise to be flexible. You may start out as an indie, and this does not mean that you can never consider becoming a traditionally published author, and vice versa. Keep an open mind and try all avenues that appeal to you, but be sure to research all the ins and outs of your chosen publishing method.

Totally Random Tip: Contact Local Bookstores

Find out about the process involved in stocking your book in their store. You would be surprised at how helpful the assistants at these outlets can be, and they may well have a standardised form with this information already available. Be warned, though, that many major book stores won’t stock indie books due to the fact that so many of them are badly written and unedited. Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer immediately, though – politely try to convince the store manager or owner to read your work with the understanding that, if he or she enjoys it and thinks it of high enough quality, the store will stock it.

3 Fatal PR Mistakes Indie Authors Make

1. Don’t expect that the occasional media appearance or event will be enough to sky rocket you to fame and fortune. Public relations is an area that will take time, consistently applied effort and plenty of patience. Start slowly by creating interest in your books via easily accessible channels: blog, Twitter, Facebook, or do the occasional public appearance or book signing, whatever you feel is manageable for you. The greatest trick is juggling your PR efforts and actual time spent writing. Interviews, whether via blogs or publications, are also a great PR tool, so these will serve you well.

2. Don’t approach local publications to do a showcase of your work without a streamlined pitch. Don’t waffle, stretch the truth or promise things beyond your capabilities. Be honest about your content and take time to create a well put together approach.

3. Don’t discount timing. Timing is important, and it would be unwise to make your approach, whether it be for an interview or a request to review your book, at an inopportune time. Steer clear of late Friday afternoons and early Monday mornings…. Most people are either gearing up for the weekend, or they may just have a case of the Blue Monday’s and will not give you their full attention. The same can be said for the days preceding and following public holidays. This may seem like a silly consideration, but it can make a world of difference to how you are received.

Conclusion

I hope that you have found this guide to be useful and that at least some of the advice provided will help you to gain a larger following and a better understanding of the challenges involved in being a proud indie author.

If you enjoyed this publication, please be so kind as to leave a review and do keep an eye out for other upcoming guides for indie authors. You can also follow our blog at www.firebladepublishers.wordpress.com, where we post regular hints, tips, author interviews/showcases and what we hope are inspirational and helpful articles. Our aim as authors and editors is to help our peers achieve their dreams and goals by sharing whatever information we glean upon our own journeys. With that, we wish you every success!

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Other books by Fireblade Publishers:

Secrets to a Great Author BiographyThink PositiveEditors’ Bible

The Better Writing Guide

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