Your favourite writing software can disappear, break, become too expensive, or simply become too painful to use. Tech independence doesn’t mean giving up the tools you love. It means protecting your data, keeping it portable, and making sure you can leave when you need to.
Tech Independence for the New Indie Author Read More »
Success rarely looks the way we imagine it. It isn’t always polished, confident, or accompanied by a triumphant soundtrack. More often, it’s messy, improvised, and held together with coffee, determination, and sheer stubbornness. Ugly success is still success—and it deserves far more credit than we give it.
Solar Sail Theory isn’t about finding stronger sources of momentum. It’s about becoming better at capturing thousands of weak sources of momentum that already exist.
One newsletter subscriber won’t change your life. One podcast appearance won’t transform your business. One new reader or conference conversation or bookstore event won’t either.
Individually, they’re almost insignificant.
That’s why the sail is enormous.
How to Expand Your Discoverable Surface Area Read More »
Writing careers aren’t built by books alone. Every conversation, reader, bookseller, podcast host, journalist, and fellow author becomes another thread in the sail that carries your career forward. Discover why people are one of the most powerful—and often overlooked—sources of long-term momentum in the Solar Sail Theory.
People Are Part of Your Sail Read More »
Book launches aren’t dead. But the idea that every new release must carry your entire publishing business is fading fast. Traditional publishing still depends on launch velocity, but indie authors operate under different physics. Solar Sail Theory shifts the focus from short-term sales bursts to building long-term visibility, discoverability, and audience reach. The bigger your sail, the less any single launch can make—or break—your career.
The Death of the Rocket Launch Career Read More »
One of the oldest arguments in publishing is whether writers should write quickly. Solar Sail Theory approaches the question from a different direction. Every book you publish becomes a discoverability asset: another doorway for readers, another wake spreading across the internet, and another opportunity for luck to find you. Fast(er) writers don’t just produce more books—they build bigger sails.
Why Fast(er) Writers Build Bigger Sails Read More »
Jamie Ferguson interviewed me this week about The Indie Author Survival Guide, long-term career thinking, systems, sustainability, discoverability, and why modern indie publishing increasingly rewards adaptability over certainty.
Talking Shop with Blackbird Publishing Read More »
Excerpt: Fourteen exclusive books and one workshop, all packed with up-to-date advice for indie writers navigating 2026—from writing faster and smarter to marketing, Kickstarter, newsletters, and surviving the modern publishing landscape. Available for a limited time, the Write Stuff StoryBundle also supports World Central Kitchen, so you can help your writing career and do some good at the same time.
Write Stuff Story Bundle Release. Read More »
When writing starts to drag, the problem often isn’t laziness or lack of discipline — it’s that you’ve lost sight of what you’re writing toward. In this post, I explore the “magic cookie” method: finding the one scene, moment, or beat in your story that excites you enough to pull you through the difficult middle. Because sometimes the best cure for procrastination is knowing there’s something wonderful waiting a few chapters ahead.
The Magic Cookie Method of Writing Motivation Read More »
Hollywood franchises might be able to reset their storylines and expect fans to go along with it—but indie authors don’t get that luxury. Readers trust books to remember what came before. When we break that trust, we lose more than just continuity—we lose our audience. Here’s why honoring your story’s past isn’t a limitation—it’s your greatest creative tool.
Retconning Is Not a Free Pass: Why Indie Authors Can’t Afford to Rewrite the Past Read More »
