Life of an independent author

A process

It has been a process to learn about being an author since I published my first book in July 2020. It has been at times a great and fun process. Then there are times I feel like I am playing catch up to other authors.

I joined every children’s book author and independent author group I could on Facebook. I did this to connect with other authors. I wanted to see what different strategies for marketing others were doing as well as to find great books to read or review. These groups have proven to be amazing resources of not just support but information on different things I can do to market my book. It has been amazing to have others support my first book and review it. It also has been fun to see new books I want to read and most of which I want to keep for the future. However, it has made me realize how behind I am as an independent author.

Marketing

In joining all the Facebook groups, I find different ideas for marketing on a weekly basis. I have posted my own book in the different groups to promote it. I have found amazing authors who do interviews and podcasts. Those are so much fun, and I love having this video to share later with the world. There is so much to learn about marketing it can really be overwhelming. I have found that I am behind in that respect. However, I have also realized that is really what can happen if you are an independent author. Being self-published, or independent means, you are not going to have a well established and respected publisher to support you and guide you. You are really on your own to find ideas and market your book. Not having that support I feel has left me behind in some ways. I try to look on the bright side of things and think about the fact I am discovering new and exciting ways to market. New ways ill continue to use with my next books in the series. Sometimes it Is easy to become discouraged being an independent author. I try to remind myself that I am learning, and this is a process. A process I welcome and am excited to continue to learn from as I publish more books in my first series.

What I have learned

I have learned that there is this amazing supportive community of traditional and independent authors out there. They have this wealth of information they are willing to share. Whether it be about writing reviews, marketing, critiques of illustrations or the cover, there is a positive community out there that is amazing to take advantage of. Then it is up to you to figure out how to use it to your books and writing advantage, especially for marketing your book. I also think having this community is a huge help in just navigating the different parts of the writing world and publishing world. There are a lot of things I did not know because the company that helped self-publish my book took care of it all for me. And I have a lot more respect now for anyone that self publishes and does not use a company like I did. Because I honestly don’t think my book would have come out as good or I would have issues in trying to do it myself.

The life of an indie author is an interesting one. It is one I am glad to be a part of and grateful to have this amazing community of authors out there to look to for support and ideas.