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Advice for Aspiring Indie Authors by Successful Indie Authors

Posted by Cynthia on October 6, 2016
In celebration of all things Indie this month, we pulled some quotes from successful Indie Authors about their advice to aspiring writers. Click through to read their full answers, share these quotes with your friends and followers, or tell us in the comments below what the best advice was that you ever got about writing and self-publishing!









Next: Indie Authors Share Their Secrets to Creating Successful Self-Publishing Careers

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Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)

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message 1: by Nabila (last edited Oct 06, 2016 11:48AM) (new)

Nabila Fairuz Those are some pretty good advice! They really helped into making my book get published.
The Chronicles of Captain Shelly Manhar


message 2: by Deanna (new)

Deanna Words of wisdom for an inspiring writer! I love it.


message 3: by Rupert (new)

Rupert Dreyfus "Sniff glue, puke up over your monitor screen before and after writing sessions, pick a fight with your readers and don't listen to me."

-- Rupert Dreyfus


message 4: by Frank (new)

Frank W Butterfield "Don't stress about your sales. Just keep writing." Bingo!


message 5: by Dario (new)

Dario Cannizzaro Also, remember that as an indie author you've the power to tell the truth. There's not gonna be an endless chain of censors ready to cut your pages because they'll "sell more this way".

Be true to yourself.


message 6: by Amaka (new)

Amaka Azie Very inspiring about writing what you love instead of copying what is popular! Also not stressing about sales but to keep writing!


message 7: by Sundari (new)

Sundari Venkatraman Well, I have to agree with the article word for word. I am a self-published author with 10 titles to my name and all of them are Amazon Bestsellers :D
My blog on #PoweredByIndie:
https://sundarivenkatraman.blogspot.i...


message 8: by Ian (new)

Ian Martyn Yes, I buy all that. I would add: 'My latest book is the best one yet'.


message 9: by Mark (new)

Mark Taylor The hardest thing to do is just make yourself write. It's been a struggle grinding out this second book. I'm trying to cut my time in half from my first book, Blind Justice. http://amzn.to/2ecJey8
There's always a thousand things I could do instead


message 10: by Leena (new)

Leena Varghese If I can write a passage about the most beautiful or profound things even at the end of a hard day...It tells me that I am alive and kicking. Whether it gets published or not becomes irrelevant at that precise moment of creativity. Sales will rise and fall...

Keep writing...because you love it!


message 11: by K.S. (new)

K.S. I needed this today. :)


message 12: by Rod (new)

Rod Raglin Nietzsche said, "Art is the proper task in life."

He didn't say it had to sell.


message 13: by Rod (new)

Rod Raglin Rupert wrote: ""Sniff glue, puke up over your monitor screen before and after writing sessions, pick a fight with your readers and don't listen to me."

-- Rupert Dreyfus"


I particularly like the part about picking a fight with your readers - only I don't have any. I would add "friend" no one, "follow" no one, resent everyone, and don't shave or brush your teeth. Oh yeah, and don't listen to me either.


message 14: by Patrick (new)

Patrick McCusker If you don't feel compelled to write - then do something else. Where ever it comes from writers are driven to write.


message 15: by Rod (new)

Rod Raglin Does anyone have a sense of humour on this site?


message 16: by Cambria (new)

Cambria McGrath Great advice.


message 17: by Deborah (new)

Deborah Starling The beauty of being a writer—is learning from everyone, everywhere, and giving it back to the people! I am always looking at blogs, books, and even videos to help expand my horizons and hone my craft. I recently read an AMAZING guide by Nina Amir called "Creative Visualization for Writers" (http://ninaamir.com/) I was so impressed with how this book read; for being largely instructional, I felt almost as if I was being mentored indirectly. And I feel like my writing is coming together so much more naturally than before, thanks to the applied knowledge that Nina Amir so masterfully showcased. The interesting dynamic within this book is that while it teaches a system of finding your creative voice, it also in turn teaches each and every writer to write as an individual. I see this as a double-edged sword and would strongly suggest any writer, rookie or veteran, to give this a thorough read-through.


message 18: by Michael (new)

Michael I would add that you should rejoice in the fact that, as an indie writer, you have 100% control over what goes into your book. There are no heavy-handed editors looking to chop off one-third or one-half of what you wrote because of word count/ page limits. Of course, this is less of an issue nowadays with e-books, but the freedom remains just as inhabitable. I love the fact that nobody is going to tell me, "No, you can't put that in the book; it's too controversial", or "too sexy", or whatever. My first novel, The Gift of Life, spanned 438 printed pages. This would never have been approved by a traditional publisher. The sequel, which I'm currently writing, may turn out to be of similar length. I also feel the quality of the writing can be better as an indie, because there's no "contract" or "deadline" to honor. You can take your time and write whenever you feel most inspired, without feeling rushed. Best of luck to you all! The Gift of Life: A Quest for Self-Realization, Acceptance, and Love


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Examhelpline.in


message 20: by Mike (new)

Mike Dickenson It's not a race and write what you love. Truth.


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