25 Things Every Indie Author Should Know
1. If you are vending inferior goods, don't be surprised if you don't have any takers. You wouldn't buy moldy food or a shirt that's falling apart, right?
2. Do set your book at a reasonable price. Cheaper is probably better. People are more willing to branch out and experiment if the cost to them is low.
3. Your readers are not walking bags of money. Don't treat them as if they are. They are people with thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and their respect and interest must be won, not wrested.
4. Big egos are lethal. If you are your own worst critic, nothing anyone says will bother you and advice will be easier to stomach if you admit to yourself that you are not perfect.
5. What happens on the internet does not stay on the internet. Anything you say can and will be held against you. Don't be a jerk. Not just because you'll inevitably get caught, but also because it's just not professional.
6. Don't take your readers for granted. Having a steady following doesn't mean people won't notice when you let your writing go.
7. Don't write things you're not comfortable with, even if it's a popular trend. Nothing is more painful to read than an awkwardly written sex scene.
8. Do read over your stories. Spell-check doesn't catch all typos--in fact, sometimes it causes them--and it doesn't do anything for grammar.
9. Do feel free to engage with your readers. If you're enthusiastic and positive, other people will be, too. Readers don't have to stay readers--they can also be friends!
10. Don't attack people for negative reviews. If they were unhappy, it was probably for a reason. Pay attention to their criticism and be honest with yourself: is it warranted? If yes, read over your draft again and see if anything needs fixing. Feel free to ask for elaboration (politely), but don't be pushy. If no, ignore them. Seriously. Some books just aren't for some people.
11. Don't be derivative. No matter how clever you are, people will know when you are copying other works and writers. Dare to be different!
12. Do write flawed and realistic characters. There is a Mary Sue Litmus Test that can tell you how cliche your character is. Take advantage of it.
13. Do be an active user. Presence is great publicity. It lets people get to know you and, subsequently, your books. Plus, you'll meet a lot of interesting people, and it'll make your readers feel like their opinions are actually heard.
14. Don't get involved in internet drama. It's like trying to rollerblade on a mountain of gravel. Not just a bad idea and potentially dangerous, but also a total downhill slope.
15. Do be passionate about your writing.
16. Do participate in ARC giveaways, sales, special events, interviews, conventions, tours, and other promos. It's a great way to build hype around a book and meet new people.
17. Do trim your books. If you find yourself repeating words or overusing adverbs, remove them. Unnecessary passages and excessive descriptions can also go. Remember: if a passage is boring to you, your reader will find it doubly so.
18. Write what you love. Your work will be so much better because of it.
19. Don't preach at your readers. Unless you're writing to a very specific audience, excessive religious, political, ethnic, and/or gender-based undertones should be treated with caution. Be expecting more negative reviews just because of that.
20. Don't rely on tropes, cliches, and stereotypes, unless there's a point (i.e. hipster irony). If you find yourself resorting to stereotypes try to think about the situation in a new way.
21. Do think of your characters as actual people. Understand that their motives and thoughts might differ from yours, and that sometimes they will frustrate you, creep you out, and/or piss you off.
22. Do have a plot. Few people can do a successful character-driven story. Plus, your plot is a handy guideline to keep you and your story on track.
23. Preview your formatting, especially when converting files to different formats. Sometimes automatic settings don't transfer, and everything gets screwed up.
24. Make reading as easy and effortless as possible. Don't use tiny, hard-to-read font. Do be concise. Don't use words just because they look fancy, especially if you're not 100% sure what they mean. Don't rely on thesauruses; sometimes the words they supply are only related to, or approximations of, the words listed. Do use spacing correctly. Do vary the length of your sentences to keep the flow of the narrative. Don't have large, blocky paragraphs of text.
25. Don't be afraid to research! With the internet, fact-checking is easier than ever before. You might be surprised by what you learn.
And most importantly--be professional. If you want to write for a career, think of your readers as your bosses. Even if you don't agree with your boss, you wouldn't insult him or stalk him and his friends, right? Nope! Not if you want him to keep giving you your paycheck.
Happy writing!
xNenia
2. Do set your book at a reasonable price. Cheaper is probably better. People are more willing to branch out and experiment if the cost to them is low.
3. Your readers are not walking bags of money. Don't treat them as if they are. They are people with thoughts, feelings, and opinions, and their respect and interest must be won, not wrested.
4. Big egos are lethal. If you are your own worst critic, nothing anyone says will bother you and advice will be easier to stomach if you admit to yourself that you are not perfect.
5. What happens on the internet does not stay on the internet. Anything you say can and will be held against you. Don't be a jerk. Not just because you'll inevitably get caught, but also because it's just not professional.
6. Don't take your readers for granted. Having a steady following doesn't mean people won't notice when you let your writing go.
7. Don't write things you're not comfortable with, even if it's a popular trend. Nothing is more painful to read than an awkwardly written sex scene.
8. Do read over your stories. Spell-check doesn't catch all typos--in fact, sometimes it causes them--and it doesn't do anything for grammar.
9. Do feel free to engage with your readers. If you're enthusiastic and positive, other people will be, too. Readers don't have to stay readers--they can also be friends!
10. Don't attack people for negative reviews. If they were unhappy, it was probably for a reason. Pay attention to their criticism and be honest with yourself: is it warranted? If yes, read over your draft again and see if anything needs fixing. Feel free to ask for elaboration (politely), but don't be pushy. If no, ignore them. Seriously. Some books just aren't for some people.
11. Don't be derivative. No matter how clever you are, people will know when you are copying other works and writers. Dare to be different!
12. Do write flawed and realistic characters. There is a Mary Sue Litmus Test that can tell you how cliche your character is. Take advantage of it.
13. Do be an active user. Presence is great publicity. It lets people get to know you and, subsequently, your books. Plus, you'll meet a lot of interesting people, and it'll make your readers feel like their opinions are actually heard.
14. Don't get involved in internet drama. It's like trying to rollerblade on a mountain of gravel. Not just a bad idea and potentially dangerous, but also a total downhill slope.
15. Do be passionate about your writing.
16. Do participate in ARC giveaways, sales, special events, interviews, conventions, tours, and other promos. It's a great way to build hype around a book and meet new people.
17. Do trim your books. If you find yourself repeating words or overusing adverbs, remove them. Unnecessary passages and excessive descriptions can also go. Remember: if a passage is boring to you, your reader will find it doubly so.
18. Write what you love. Your work will be so much better because of it.
19. Don't preach at your readers. Unless you're writing to a very specific audience, excessive religious, political, ethnic, and/or gender-based undertones should be treated with caution. Be expecting more negative reviews just because of that.
20. Don't rely on tropes, cliches, and stereotypes, unless there's a point (i.e. hipster irony). If you find yourself resorting to stereotypes try to think about the situation in a new way.
21. Do think of your characters as actual people. Understand that their motives and thoughts might differ from yours, and that sometimes they will frustrate you, creep you out, and/or piss you off.
22. Do have a plot. Few people can do a successful character-driven story. Plus, your plot is a handy guideline to keep you and your story on track.
23. Preview your formatting, especially when converting files to different formats. Sometimes automatic settings don't transfer, and everything gets screwed up.
24. Make reading as easy and effortless as possible. Don't use tiny, hard-to-read font. Do be concise. Don't use words just because they look fancy, especially if you're not 100% sure what they mean. Don't rely on thesauruses; sometimes the words they supply are only related to, or approximations of, the words listed. Do use spacing correctly. Do vary the length of your sentences to keep the flow of the narrative. Don't have large, blocky paragraphs of text.
25. Don't be afraid to research! With the internet, fact-checking is easier than ever before. You might be surprised by what you learn.
And most importantly--be professional. If you want to write for a career, think of your readers as your bosses. Even if you don't agree with your boss, you wouldn't insult him or stalk him and his friends, right? Nope! Not if you want him to keep giving you your paycheck.
Happy writing!
xNenia
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