The Three Ingredients of Indie Success

There are a lot of different success stories out there, but the failures outweigh them by far in terms of sheer numbers.  So what's the magical formula for Indie success?  As far as I can tell, there are three key ingredients to Indie success.

A Great Book:

If you want to be successful, you need to start with first things first.  You need a great book.  This means that editing, formatting, and even the cover should be the absolute best that you can produce.  Never settle for OK.  Your book needs to scream five-stars from all angles.  Take the time.  Invest the effort.  Pour every ounce of your creative genius into that baby, then refine, refine, refine until it is as close to perfect as you can get.

Luck:

Yeah.  I know.  I don't like this one either.  But let's face it.  Luck plays a huge part in this game.  The market is constantly changing, so marketing tactics that work one minute don't work the next.  Add to that fact that the market is entirely flooded with Indie books.  Add to that fact that many of those Indie books probably shouldn't be published yet because they are full of errors, etc, (sorry, but it's true), and thus readers are wary of even picking up an Indie book in the first place....  Luck plays a huge role.  The chances of someone finding your book are right up there with the chances of finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.  Yay.

Persistence:

Out of all the factors, this is the one that you have the most control over.  Sure, you control the effort you put into the creation of your book, but there are certain innate talent factors that we have no say in.  We can refine our skills, but each of us have a limit, whether we like it or not.  It's part of being human.  However, you have total control over your actions, and that is where persistence comes in.  You must stubbornly refuse to give up.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  You have to be like a rabid pit bull.  You have to hold on to that thing that you believe in, and not let go, no matter how discouraged, how hopeless, how incredibly lost in the sea of Indie authors you feel.  When you feel like giving up, you need to give yourself a pep talk along the lines of "Hell no!", keep your chin up, and keep going.  This is a marathon, folks.  Quitters are automatic losers.  Only the ones who keep going ever have a chance of running into magic ingredient #2, Luck. 

A Rocking Review of The Commons: Book 1: The Journeyman

Find it on: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

Paul Reid died in the snow at seventeen.  The day of his death, he told a lie - and for the rest of his life, he wondered if that was what killed him.

And so begins the battle for the afterlife, known as The Commons.  It's been taken over by a corporate raider who uses the energy of it's souls to maintain his brutal control.  The result is an imaginary landscape of a broken America - stuck in time and overrun by the heroes, monsters, dreams, and nightmares of the imprisoned dead.

Three people board a bus to nowhere: a New York street kid, an Iraq War veteran, and her five-year-old special-needs son.  After a horrific accident, they are the last, best hope for The Commons to free itself.  Along for the ride are a shotgun-toting goth girl, a six-foot-six mummy, a mute Shaolin monk with anger-management issues, and the only guide left to lead them.

Three Journeys: separate but joined.  One mission: to save forever.

But first they have to save themselves.

Why It Rocked:

This book is the first installment in The Commons series.  As an urban fantasy series this book established a world that most who were reading could relate to, at least at the beginning that is.  I really enjoyed the fact that when the reader first starts this book it isn't set in a fantastical world.  It's set in America.  And when you first start it it definitely doesn't seem like fantasy.  The author establishes a place that readers find familiar before throwing in all of the amazing fantasy elements and I for one appreciated that.  The author's creativity makes each one of the characters come alive and thrive before your eyes.  I could feel myself connecting on some level with each of the characters and that made this book so much more enthralling.  I will say I was a bit nervous about this book as some of the urban fantasy I've been reading lately hasn't been up my alley, but I'm extremely glad I picked this one up!  I am definitely looking forward to more from this author.

A Rocking Review of The Subtle Fiend by Jane Dougherty

 

When reality becomes a nightmare, only dreams can save the world.

Deborah, daughter of the fabled Green Woman, has disappeared, and Hera, another grey-robed schoolgirl, has become the hostage in her place. Hera fears she will be left to languish, unnoticed and forgotten, in her prison cell. But the honesty in her eyes touches a young Black Boy, her prison guard—Amon.

Amon is destined for a military career, but convinced of the innocence of his prisoner, he begins to question the laws and values of his city. In befriending Hera, he risks his life by standing between her and the most powerful man in Providence—the Protector.

The Protector’s new hostage will serve her purpose. After all, one veiled girl looks much like another. But if Deborah has joined her mother and her host of myths and stories, the sham will be revealed. To hang onto power the Protector determines to destroy the Green Woman's allies within Providence by lighting the sacrificial fires of Moloch. When the flames have burned out none will be left, not even the child at its mother's breast.

As the flames of evil leap and dance in Providence, Hera and Amon resolve to defy the Protector, with courage as their only weapon.

 Buy this book on Amazon

Firstly, let me say I did not intend to review this book, at least not right away.  Somehow, immediately after finishing the last book, I found myself on Amazon clicking the "Buy Now" button.  I simply had to have it.  I had to know what came next in this amazing series.  But honestly, part of me was thinking this one couldn't be as good as the first, especially considering I knew already that this book left the main character of the first novel behind for a little while to focus on telling a different aspect of the story.  I was so wrong.

The second book in The Green Woman series does not disappoint at all.  In fact, it is even better than the first.  Seriously.  

You want characters you can root for?  Characters you will love for their humanity and admire for their growth?  Got it.  I loved so many of the characters in this book (of which there are quite a few, but somehow Jane keeps all those balls in the air without confusing the reader or losing the strength of the connection with each character).  Every time the perspective switched to a different group, I experienced that little disappointment of leaving the last character behind, but then immediately found myself caught up in what was going on in the new scene.  My level of engagement with the characters and the plot was very high.  I did not want to set the book down at all!

Speaking of plot, wow, there is a lot going on in this book.  When Jane heard that I was reading the second book, she emailed me something to the effect of "You really don't need to read that one.  It's just what's going on in Providence in the meantime."  To which I say, Jane, you are indeed crazy.  If I had missed this one, I would have missed sooooo much.  "Just what's going on in Providence" is epic, moving, heart-breaking, and absolutely not to be missed.

Emotion:  This book reached up and slapped me in the face.  Literally.  I have bruises to prove it.

I could ramble on all day about how amazing this book is, but I am afraid to say too much.  Here is the bottom line:  Put this series on your to-read list.  If I recommend one series to people right now, it's this one.  It's one of the best things I've read in a long time.  I now have the third book, Beyond the Realm of Night, in my possession, and it is all I can do to make myself not read it so I can make some progress on the waiting list of review books instead.  (Sorry all you waiting authors out there, but blame Jane, not me.  It's completely her fault.)

Connect with Jane Dougherty:

Jane's Blog
  Jane Dougherty on Goodreads
Jane Dougherty on Twitter

Book 1: The Dark Citadel on Amazon US

Book 1: The Dark Citadel on Amazon  UK

The Indie Book Routine by Guest Author Mark Shaw

Since releasing my first novel The Keeper of the Wind, the one thing I noticed right away on social media was the frenzied way everyone seemed to be promoting their books. I thought it was crazy how Indie authors were basically begging for someone to either buy or take a look at their book for free. Social media is saturated with this, and I found this very discouraging and wondered how i could compete in such chaos, and I’m sure many new Indie authors think the same way in the beginning, too. Being a very creative person, right away I started thinking of ways to get around the frantic hustle that promoting Indie books seemed to be based around, and started thinking of other alternatives to promote my book. 

A few days after putting my book out, another Indie author sent me a note asking me how my book was selling and how I was promoting it. He then proceeded to tell me how his current book wasn’t selling well at all, and he was in the process of releasing his 4^th novel. I thought this was crazy. Then right after, I read an article online titled “Keep Your Day Job”. It broke down how very few Indie authors are making money at their craft. And how the chances of them being able to make a decent living from their writing are slim to none. This pissed me off, and I saw it as a challenge for change. With this notion I came up with the #IndieBooksBeSeen movement. 

The first thing I set out to do was to make July 1^st of every year IndieBooksBeSeen Day. A day where Indie authors show we’re unified and proud to be Indie. We would post a picture of us holding up our Indie titles and then constantly retweet everyone else’s book, for the world and all social media to see. One grand gesture to show the world that we’re here and strong together. It was a better success than I thought it would be, and I was very moved by others' warm sentiments and sense of pride. This gave me hope and I felt encouraged to forge ahead with a new plan while the momentum was still present. 

I then decided to attempt giving struggling authors a boost, by challenging all others to seek these authors out and give them reviews to bolster them. I for one know what it’s like to just start out and hardly anyone will give you reviews, unless you pay for them. So i felt this would be an easy challenge, and boy was I wrong! I began to tweet several participants of our indie pride day to start. Thinking they were still feeling the love from our #indiebooksbeseen day a couple weeks before. Only to get one person say that she felt like she was being spammed by me. And i thought wow! But it wasn’t spam when I and tons of others spent hours retweeting your title. To make things worse, the review challenge never took flight. Out of all the people I reached out to, only a few took part. What this said to me was that most Indie authors will only get involved in projects that are self-serving to their own cause, unless they’re part of a group. 

What is so clear to me and a few others is most Indie authors can’t seem to shake this routine of hustling the books at all cost. This mindset will keep us right where we are, with some doing great and most of us not! I am doing everything I can to break this routine with new innovative ideas on how to take us to that next level where being Indie is trendy. I want Indie books to be the cool alternative to mainstream books and the only way I can see this happening is if we become one voice for the industry itself. I’m not saying don’t promote your book, I’m just asking you to give some of your energy to boosting our industry. Because when the light shines on our industry, it’ll shine on all of us.       

Connect with Mark Shaw:

Twitter

Facebook

Youtube

Day After Disaster Blog Tour with Sara F. Hathaway

Today as part of her blog tour for Day after Disaster, Sara F. Hathaway is sharing her experience as an author. Check out her website and blog.

What made you decide to go Indie and self-publish?

I self published after extensive research. I learned how rare it is to be picked up by a traditional publisher without a sales record. 

What do you think is the benefit of going Indie and self-publishing your own work?

The biggest benefit I see for self publishing is retaining the rights to your own work. The work will not be altered by a publicist. If there are future earnings to be had they are all yours.

What do you think is the biggest challenge an Indie author faces?

As an indie author, there are many challenges to face. First of all, an indie author must weed through the myriad of publishers to find the one that will honor their promises and not include many hidden charges. Secondly, an indie author must understand that their book is their business and should be treated as such. This means having a business plan and a financial layout for your project before you get started. The third and most challenging aspect is marketing. This can be a rather expensive endeavor. It really pays off to research, research, research! There is so much information out there that can be found for free, as long as you are willing to find it and put it to use. An indie author faces many struggles but with a little hard work they can be tackled.

What are you working on right now?

I just launched my first novel, Day After Disaster, on June 3rd. This is book one in The Changing Earth Series. Day After Disaster is an apocalyptic, adventure in which a dynamic woman, mother and wife struggles, against all odds, to find her family, dead or alive, in a world being tormented by Mother Nature.

What advice can you share with other Indie and aspiring Indie authors?

Stay inspired, keep writing, marketing and dreaming!

Which authors inspire you?

My major inspiration is Jean M. Auel. I found her series, The Children of the Earth, absolutely enthralling. She presents survival in a prehistoric world. Her descriptions of the natural settings are vivid. She blends in historic artifacts and paintings with her fictional story. She details the use of herbal medicines, which are all accurate. Her stories really fired my decision to write my own books.

What genre are your books?

Survival, adventure, apocalyptic.

Why do you write in the genre that you do?

I write in that genre because I have always wondered what if our world collapsed. It is so fragile and we all take it for granted. How would humans adapt and survive a world wide catastrophe? These questions culminated to a story and Day After Disaster is the beginning of that story.

How much research do you do when you write?

I do a lot of research. A lot of my research centers around what I enjoy reading anyway, which is survival techniques and our natural environment. I also do character research to find new and interesting people to include in my stories.

When did you decide to become a writer?

I never decided to become a writer. I wrote for fun because I had the story in my head. It took me a long time to complete my novel because it was just a hobby while I was attending college, starting a family and then starting a career. When I became pregnant with my second son, I had lots of time on my hands so I finished my book. I never intended to publish it but my mom encouraged me to do so and here I am.

Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?

I spend most of my days now taking care of my two kids, Fletcher and Christian, and marketing my book. I try to block out at least three to five hours a week to write in my next book.

Tell us about the cover and how it came about.

The cover for my book was designed by my publisher, Tate Publishing. I gave them an idea of what I had in my head and they gave me a couple of options to pick from. I absolutely loved both of the ideas they presented but I chose the one I did because it captured my character perfectly, it was unique and very eye catching.

How do you market your books?

I market my book extensively through social media. My novel is available in a couple of local book stores and I have appeared in a few of newspaper articles. I also get booths at local events but I really enjoy harnessing the power of the blogging world because it gives an authors so much more exposure to the people that are interested in their material.

What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?

Marketing has filled up a lot of my writing time. I have been immersed in marketing research so I can find the methods that will provide the most exposure for the lease amount of funding. This may be a big downside of self-publishing, I have had to become a marketer as well as an author.

Find Day After Disaster on Amazon and Goodreads
 

A Rocking Interview With G.P.A.

Today we have author and poet G.P.A. sharing his experiences with us. Checkout his website, or find him on Youtube, Amazon, and Press Release Point.

What made you decide to go Indie and self-publish?

Poetry, unless it is performed, is regarded in some circles as archaic or a dead art. Since i didn't have a "name" or was a celebrity, this way was the most viable option.

What do you think is the biggest challenge an Indie author faces?

Getting past the stigma of being an indie author first and the challenges that go with that label. But money to do the necessary things(promoting,travelling, etc) is a HUGE challenge.

What are you working on right now?

I am finishing Summer with Bobo(Here Comes the 6th Grade) and beginning work on Revenge of the Orgasm(The Hedonistic Diary). Also, I'm completing a live album of my performances.

What advice can you share with other Indie and aspiring Indie authors?

Write and read,write and read, then travel even if it is inside your own city. Experience new things. All of this enhances your writing.

What genre are your books?

Poetry that runs the gamut of topics(General, Children's, and Erotic).

Why do you write in the genre that you do?

I believe that I have been chosen to carry the torch for Poetry. I am her Champion.

How much research do you do when you write?

It has been said that there is a lot of detail that goes into my writing That is the case because I read,surf the net, watch movies, and listen to music to enrich the poetic experience so that it is cinematic.

When did you decide to become a writer?

In a federal camp in 2007, August 28th to be exact. 

Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?

Whenever the mood hits or a deadline looms in the distance is when I write. But late nights and early mornings are especially gratifying times.

Do you work to an outline or plot, or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?

For me and the Poetry I pen, a combination of both is highly effective.

How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?

My choices on what is put on paper, in a book, or performed are more careful. It has to all be in tune, the work and how I feel about it.

How do you market your books?

I USE EVERYTHING THAT IS AVAILABLE AND WORKS FOR ME. Do the same. Helpful hint i just threw out. 

What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?

Marketing is nonstop. It occupies the beginning, middle, and end of the writing process.

What’s your views on social media for marketing?

Greatest tool available.

Is there anything else you would like to add that you haven’t included?

G.P.A. is in the conversation of being one of the greatest poets ever. He is Poet,performer,author,storyteller,host, and innovator. Keep your eyes on him!! Thank you for this opportunity.

A Petition to Add More Hours to the Day

...Because there needs to be more!  Right?

My high school calculus teacher (who was the awesomest*, by the way!) once decided to dedicate a class period to time management instead of higher mathematics.  He had us do this simple little exercise:  Write down all the things you do each day, and how long you spend on them.  Everything from teeth-brushing to sports practice.  Don't forget sleep.

OK, class.  Get out your paper 'n' pencil, and write it all down.  ;)

 

Alrighty....  Anybody come up with more than 24 hours? 

 

...So how does that work?  Hint: the first thing to go is usually sleep.

Most of us Indie authors are working at least two jobs.  Author.  PR rep.  That's before you consider that many of us have a day job as well.  So that's three.  Now, add in a personal life.  Perhaps a family.  Friends.  Either we are seriously over-achievers, or we simply love writing so much that we are willing to grind ourselves into the ground for the mere hope that someone out there will read and connect with our writing.

Now, you may ask if I have a point.  Am I saying that readers should appreciate how much Indie authors put into their work?  Am I asking Indie authors to look after themselves and try to get the rest they need and deserve?  Am I advocating cutting out the unnecessary crap that doesn't seem to be selling any books?  

No!  I am petitioning to add more hours to the day because I want to do it all!  Indie authors, are you with me?  Sign my petition by commenting below and telling us how many hours are in your day?

*Yes, I know that's not a word.  It is now.