I Will Get Better

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This is for all the new indie authors out there who like me are coming out of their skin over indie publishing and who want to sell their books more than anything. It’s my hope that we can work together, sharing our experiences, learning from each other and generally having a kick-ass time.

I’ve been writing since I was fifteen. I never made a career of it though—not because I didn’t want to. When I was in my twenties I pursued movies and television like a crazy person. Hey, I live in LA—if you’re not working on a screenplay you can’t get your driver’s license. I did manage to sell one screenplay that was made into a movie. It’s called ‘Killers,’ and you can find it here. So much for my film career. The important thing is I never stopped writing.

For years I sent out short stories and novels, and have collected a lovely pile of rejection slips which will be useful should I ever run out of toilet paper. When Amazon, Barnes and Noble and others made it possible to take control of my own publishing destiny, I went all in.

Like traditional publishing, indie publishing has its own challenges. For one, there are more than a million titles in the Kindle Store. I haven’t read them all but if I had to guess I would say they span the brilliant to the mundane. The reason is simple. There is no gatekeeper other than you. Anyone can publish now. In a way it’s like leaving matches out on the kitchen table. Someone might use them to light a literary fire. Others might just burn the house down.

So how does a writer stand out from the crowd? For me it’s simple. If I want to be read I have to get better. That means not only writing better but marketing better, dressing better, engaging with online communities better, and doing this—publishing a blog.

So here is what I’ve decided to do going forward.

Write better
Master the publishing process
Master digital marketing
Help others whenever I can

Write Better

A great piece of writing is like a really close shave. It takes a professional. And writing better means reading more. For me reading is like dreaming. I wish there were fifty hours in a day so I could spend more time doing it. Right now I am focused on reading as much self-published work as I can—especially in the horror genre. I am an Amazon Prime member so borrowing books is easy and affordable.

In order to write better you must dig into the language and say things in a way that people haven’t read before. The easiest way is to avoid clichés. I can’t tell you how many authors I’ve read recently who allow those pesky shopworn sayings to remain in their work. It tells me they aren’t working hard enough. I am as guilty as anyone but I have tried mightily to avoid the trap. Here’s an exception. If my character speaks in clichés, that’s fine. It’s a character flaw and I embrace it.

Writing better also means hiring a great editor. Period.

There are tons of other things I could mention but there are writers out there who have said them much more eloquently in their blogs so I’ll leave it to you to discover those sources. To get you started, check out Ashley Barron. She has a lot of very smart things to say about writing and the business of writing.

Master the Publishing Process

Let me just say that I am not an expert. I’ve been researching this topic for months now only to find that there is always more to learn. In fact I will predict that I may never become a master. That doesn’t mean I won’t try. I will share with you what I’ve learned so far.

You need a team. As I said before, that means a great editor. It also means a talented book cover designer. And if you are publishing a hardcover edition of your book, you will need an amazing book shepherd who will gently guide you from written word to published work.

So far I’ve only published eBooks and haven’t engaged a book shepherd. I am currently writing a zombie novel and am planning a hardcover edition. Over the last several weeks I’ve been following Joel Friedlander. This guy knows his stuff and I am hoping to have the privilege of working with him when the time comes. It worries me though that he wants me to learn typefaces.

Master Digital Marketing

You think publishing is hard? Digital marketing is a labyrinth. There are so many things you can do to promote yourself and your work. And there are so many wrong turns you can take. If you want to get a jump start, follow Melissa Foster. She rocks.

Depending on your budget you may also want to hire a marketing agency. I’m not sure I will be able to afford that. With everything else I’ve mentioned, I’m going to be into this thing several thousand dollars. But I’m sure if I do go that way it will be well worth it.

I am also planning to create a book trailer. There is a controversy over the effectiveness of these. I want to do it because I need to differentiate my zombie novel from all the others out there. YouTube is a powerful medium.

Help Others Whenever I Can

This is all about engaging with my audience and being an active member of the online community. There is no one better at this than Melissa Foster. I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting her in person but she strikes me as a happy giving person. As a successful author she still finds time to help others. Here comes the money quote. We need more Melissas.

Some specific ways I’ve found to help is via Twitter. We are a community and we must cheer each other on. Find articles and blog posts you feel are interesting, and share them. I review books I’ve read and share those reviews on Goodreads and Twitter. If someone reaches out to me, I celebrate the interaction. It’s a big digital world out there and these kinds of connections are gold.

That’s it for now. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. What things are you doing to get better? Is there something you tried that worked brilliantly and could help others? Or is there something that failed miserably and could be used as a learning tool? Let me know. And the best of luck to you realizing your dreams.