For new and aspiring authors.
I am often asked, by new or aspiring authors, for advice and/or information on how to become a successful independent (i.e. self-published) author, or how to achieve particular things in publishing, like effectively marketing and selling books.
There is no simple answer to these questions.
Publishing is a business, and finishing writing that first book is just the first step. (Though huge congrats if you've managed to get that far. It took me decades.)
The very best advice I can give on the above is: seek out those authors who are successful, reputable AND who are set up to give out this kind of advice and information as a part of their business.
Do your research. Google is your friend.
As a starting point, I can point you in the direction of some who offer tons of info and resources (podcasts, courses, books, informational newsletters, etc.). There are many others; here are just a few:
Mark Dawson Self Publishing Formula
Joanna Penn The Creative Penn
Nick Stephenson Your First 10,000 Readers
If you're serious about pursuing a life as an independent author, I highly recommend seeking out authors like those above and soaking up all the info you can, trying things out and seeing what works for you. What works for someone else won't necessarily work for you.
(If you want to go down the rabbit hole of the "why" about the above fact and are interested in learning how to align who you are as a writer with the right systems for you, I highly recommend Becca Syme https://betterfasteracademy.com/ as a wealth of knowledge, books, courses and coaching on this topic.)
I personally think success in business has so much to do with mindset, so my advice is do some work in that area.
Take it seriously.
Learn your craft.
This one's key: Write books that people (total strangers) can't put down!
And I can't stress this enough, do your research. If you want to be independent, no one but YOU can do the work.
It takes a lot of time, energy, passion, and money invested to get a new business off the ground (in some cases, everything you've got), so you have to Want it with a capital W.
Writing, publishing and marketing my books is a full-time business for both me and my husband (my business partner). If you want to write and independently publish books and make a living from it, it is a lot of hard work, but obviously can be incredibly rewarding if it's your dream!
Wishing you all the best in your writing and publishing endeavors,
Jaine XO
