Ah, the dreaded 3 a.m. wake-up. You know the drill. You’re drifting in and out of sleep, and suddenly, your brain decides now’s the perfect time to replay that awkward email you sent at work. Or it spins a delightful doomsday scenario about how your project will implode, your reputation will be ruined, and your […]
Harnessing the 3 A.M. Dread to Supercharge Your Writing (and More) Read More »
Ah, the dash. That versatile little line that writers love to use—sometimes too much. Recently, I was asked to assess an ebook prepped for sale. There were many formatting errors in the book, most of them arising because the author, a long-time trad published writer, was making the transition to indie. They knew standard formatting
Dash It All! A Writer’s Guide to Em-Dashes, En-Dashes, and Manuscript Dashes Read More »
Writing is hard. Some days, it’s staring at a blank page until your soul starts to shrivel. Other days, it’s forcing words onto the page that feel as clunky as a toddler’s first steps. This difficulty, though, isn’t a bug in the system—it’s a feature. What you’re experiencing is disfluency, the grinding friction that comes when creativity refuses to flow like a perfect algorithm. But here’s the kicker: disfluency isn’t just a hurdle to clear; it’s the point of the creative process.
Writing Through Disfluency: How to Embrace the Grind and Keep Moving Forward Read More »
A couple of weeks ago, my online store turned into a digital battleground. One minute, I was running a cozy little shop for my indie author business; the next, I was fending off a tsunami of fraudulent transactions orchestrated by credit card checkers. Let me walk you through the nightmare, so you can avoid the
Don’t Let This Happen to You: My Tale of Credit Card Checker Chaos Read More »
Why It Matters and How You Can Help For over two decades, Writers’ Digest has celebrated the best resources available to writers with its 101 Best Websites for Writers award. This annual list highlights exceptional websites that support writers on their creative journey, whether they’re looking to improve their craft, market their work, or navigate
Writers’ Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers Read More »
If you’ve been in indie publishing for a while, you’ve probably felt it: the slow, creeping decline in book sales. You’re writing as fast as you can, launching books regularly, marketing like mad… and yet, it feels like you’re running uphill in quicksand. Here’s some perspective: According to ALLi’s Dan Holloway, 2.6 million indie titles
Why Being “Prolific” in Indie Publishing Might Not Mean What You Think Read More »
As an indie author, you’re not just a writer. You’re a marketing department, an editor, a publisher, a social media manager, and possibly the person who has to remember to water the plants. All this juggling means burnout is more than a risk—it’s almost a guarantee if you’re not actively carving out downtime. And yet, downtime isn’t laziness or time wasted. It’s the fuel that keeps the creative engine running and prevents that ugly beast called burnout from knocking on your door.
Why Indie Authors Need Downtime (And How to Actually Get It) Read More »
We’ve all heard that success in writing is partly a matter of luck. And while that can feel frustratingly out of our control, there’s a bright side: some aspects of luck are within our grasp.
How Indie Authors Can Create Their Own Luck Read More »
The 2024 Indie Author Survey by Written Word Media offers some interesting insights—albeit not without its blind spots. While the survey highlights obvious trends like the link between publishing more books and higher earnings, there are nuances that the survey didn’t fully capture, especially for those who’ve found success outside digital norms. Key FindingsThe survey
What the WWM 2024 Indie Author Survey Got Right (and What It Missed) Read More »
