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Self-Publishing Your Story

Self-publishing insights, tips, and techniques. Sample topics: my Fiction University guest posts about Indie Publishing Paths, cover artist and editor selection advice, formatting issues, creating print versions, etc.

Introducing the Business Plan for Writers Worksheet!

Arrow zooming up on a graph with text: Introducing the Business Plan Worksheet!

No one will ever care about our success as much as we do. That’s why—even though we’re writers—we should think of ourselves as business people. No matter what kind of writer we are, we’ll need to make business decisions, and that’s where having a business plan can help.

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August 28, 2014

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3 Tips for Self-Publishing Success — Guest: Julie Musil

Julie Musil with text: 3 Tips for Publishing Success with Julie Musil

It’s no secret that many authors are considering self-publishing on some level. So I’m happy to host my friend Julie Musil, who’s sharing some of the pitfalls of self-publishing and providing tips for avoiding those issues. Honestly though, I think her advice is applicable to every author, no matter our publishing path.

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August 21, 2014

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Lessons from RWA14: Help for Slow Writers

Snail crawling against black background with text: Help for Slow Writers

One of the RWA workshops I most looked forward to was Courtney Milan’s “Slow Writer’s Guide to Making a Living” presentation. Judging by the crowd, a lot of writers struggle with the pressure to write faster and the worry that our slowness will prevent us from reaching our goals.

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August 7, 2014

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Lessons from RWA14: Techniques for Sales Success

Looking down a funnel of dollar bills with text: The Keys to Sales Success

This past weekend, author Hugh Howey shared Liliana Hart’s self-publishing method, which she calls “5 down and 1 in the hole.” It’s easy to look at her self-publishing success (over 2 million ebooks sold) and chalk it up to luck. However, I heard advice that complemented her technique throughout the RWA Annual Conference.

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August 5, 2014

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The Future Is Here: Self-Publishing and RWA

Crystal ball with text: The Future Is Here, Do You Have the Right Attitude?

When changes happen gradually, we’re not always aware of them. My every-other year schedule for attending the RWA Annual Conference allows me to see the changes in the organization like a distant relative. I hadn’t attended the National Conference since 2012 and the differences from then to now were profound.

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July 31, 2014

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Hiring a Developmental Editor — Guest: Stacy Jerger

Letter blocks with text: Everything to Know about Developmental Editing

Those of us who haven’t been through the editing process with professionals don’t know what to expect. In the case of developmental editing, we might not even know what editors do. That’s not good. We need to understand what’s involved with the different stages of editing to judge whether an editor is right for us and will meet our needs.

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March 20, 2014

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How Can We Identify a Good Editor?

Compass with text: Finding a Good Editor

Back at the start of the ebook revolution, self-publishing was still a “no-no” and only a handful of small and e-publishers existed for my genre. Since then, our choices for publication have exploded, from self-publishing becoming accepted to dozens of small and e-publishers hopping on the ebook train. Before, we […]

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February 27, 2014

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A Newbie’s Guide to Self-Publishing — Guest: Julie Musil

Picture of Julie Musil with text: A Newbie Guide to Self-Publishing with Julie Musil

More writers are considering self-publishing than ever before. Even traditionally published authors who love their publishers are taking the step to become hybrid authors—a mix of New York and self-published—as they release related novellas or new series on their own. Yet the prospect of self-publishing can be overwhelming. Self-published authors have to […]

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February 6, 2014

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All About The Money: Authors, Readers, and Ebook Prices

Checkbox form with text: Author Income & Ebook Prices

The publishing world has been abuzz with the results of the 2014 Digital Book World (DBW) and Writer’s Digest Author Survey. Headlines scream “Most authors make less than $1000 a year.”  Numbers taken out of context claim that 80% of the 9000+ respondents earn $1000 or less. Eh. Yes and […]

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January 21, 2014

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