Covers of Jami Fairleigh's The Elemental Artist series, in a row. On the left, Book One: Oil and Dust; in the center, Book Two: Graphite and Turbulence; on the right, Book Three: Charcoal and Smoke.

Going After the Widest Audience Possible: Q&A with Award-Winning Author Jami Fairleigh

The self-publishing author of cozy post-apocalypic fantasy was crowned 2023 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project.
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Hybrid Publishers and Paid Publishing Services: Red Flags to Watch For

If you’re an author seeking a hybrid publisher or self-publishing assistance, it’s important to know what to look out for.
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Want to Improve Your Amazon Ranking? Improve or Update All of Your Book Descriptions

If your older book is no longer performing well on Amazon, updating the description, metadata, or cover can show them that you mean business.
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Lessons from 23 Years as a Self-Publishing Novelist

An author who self-published before the current tools existed offers some thoughts on the mindset required to succeed in this business.
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How Smaller Organisms Adapt to Amazon in the Self-Publishing Ecosystem

An independent author wonders why two publishing services companies sell their clients’ books at different prices than Amazon.
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Book Files and Formats: How to Protect Your Writing Investment

Owning and protecting your publishing source files is one of the most important things a writer can do to protect their writing asset.
Image: Holocaust survivor Gidon Lev stands at the gate of the former Terezin concentration camp in the Czech Republic, holding a yellow fabric Magen David with the word "Jude" stitched on it.

Harnessing the Power of TikTok: From Self-Published to Traditionally Published Author

How one author leveraged a sizable social media platform to breathe new life into a self-published book.
Image: a young woman peers at the viewer over the edge of an open book with no cover design.

The Key Elements of Eye-Catching Book Cover Design

In an excerpt from her new book on cover design, Jessica Bell offers tips regarding how to utilize space and color for maximum effect.
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The Short-Run Printing Option: Pros and Cons

There are three main ways to create printed copies of your book. Which one you choose depends on your budget and goals.
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Book Printing 101: What You Need to Know Before Approaching a Printer

Choosing the right materials for your printed book affects not just its appearance but how a potential customer perceives its value.
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How to Format Your Manuscript for a Designer or Publisher

When your ms is complete, it's time to think about semantic structure—a digital map that allows computers to identify the parts of your book.
Ashleigh Renard Q&A quote

Succeeding with Self-Published Memoir: Q&A with Ashleigh Renard

The SWING author discusses the pre-order campaign for her self-published book, the importance of social media engagement, and more.
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Why and How I Got My Rights Back from HarperCollins

Despite pre-publication buzz, one author found her book orphaned when the publisher was fired and the imprint dissolved.
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How to Make Six Figures Self-Publishing Children’s Books

One successful self-publishing author discusses the importance of multiple formats, licensing, thinking like a publisher, and much more.
Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book

Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book

This is an introductory guide to the major self-publishing options available to authors today, and how to choose the right service for you.
The Value of Book Distribution Is Often Misunderstood by Authors

The Value of Book Distribution Is Often Misunderstood by Authors

Any self-publishing author can easily make a book available to Amazon, bookstores, libraries, etc. But availability doesn't mean visibility.
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How to Turn a Microsoft Word Document Into an Ebook (EPUB)

Word doesn't export to EPUB, but you can still produce an editable file quickly, without buying software or using a "meatgrinder" conversion.
11 Signs You’re Ready to Self-Publish

11 Signs You’re Ready to Self-Publish

When do you decide that it’s time to pursue Plan B? Taking stock of these considerations will bring you that much closer to knowing.
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Securing Audiobook Rights: The Rights You Need to Bring Your Audiobook to Market

Whether you’re an audiobook producer, a publisher or an author, here’s a breakdown of the rights needed to bring an audiobook to market.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Amazon Pre-Orders

Ebook pre-orders can be a great tool for KDP authors, but it might not be right for everyone—especially those without an established audience.
Why Waiting Too Long to Register Your Copyright Is a Big Mistake

Why Waiting Too Long to Register Your Copyright Is a Big Mistake

Though registration with the Copyright Office is no longer required for protection, there are still many reasons why it’s important.
How to Put Together an Indie Author Anthology

How to Put Together an Indie Author Anthology

Because an anthology includes many authors, it can connect to the fan bases of all those authors and ultimately be greater than the sum of its parts.
audiobook publishing

Audiobook Publishing and Distribution: Getting Started Guide for Authors

Everything authors need to know about the audiobook market, including retailers, distributors, and payments.
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Why Self-Publishing Authors Should Consider Establishing Their Own Imprint

Imprints aren't just for big publishers; any self-publishing author can invent an imprint under which to operate. In this guest post, consultant and author David Wogahn explains the many ways that an imprint can help your branding and marketing.
Public Libraries: How Authors Can Increase Both Discoverability and Earnings

Public Libraries: How Authors Can Increase Both Discoverability and Earnings

Libraries represent a valuable opportunity for a book discoverability and sales, but librarians may not know your book exists without marketing outreach.
Identifying the Best Self-Published Books by State: The Indie Author Project

Identifying the Best Self-Published Books by State: The Indie Author Project

The Indie Author Project identifies the best self-published fiction by state; thirteen states participate so far. This year's national winner is Ran Walker.
bookstore distribution

For Indie Publishers: When and Why to Work with a Trade Book Distributor

A trade distributor is a partner company who takes over the tasks and responsibilities of selling your books to trade accounts like bookstores and wholesalers.
self publish backlist

How Traditionally Published Authors Can Repackage and Self-Publish Their Backlist

A checklist for repackaging and republishing your own backlist after you get rights reverted from your traditional publisher.
Elliott Hartinger Klein Mooser authors

The Rewards and Challenges of Self-Publishing Children’s Books: Q&A with Four Authors

A Q&A on children's self-publishing with authors Zetta Elliott, who has released several books under her own imprint, including picture books; Brent Hartinger, who self-published a young adult series and a new adult series; Cheryl Klein, the author of a self-published a work of nonfiction; and Stephen Mooser, who released a middle grade book on his own.
self-publishing

The 13 Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid

For every new venture, there is a learning curve. When it comes to self-publishing your book, however, that curve can be steep.
indie authors and the value of free

Is Writing Being Devalued by Giveaways and Cheap Ebooks?

There's growing unrest surrounding the proliferation of free and cheap books, particularly ebooks. The reasons for sharp discounts and giveaways are legion (and some reasons are better than others), but regardless of the reason, I see greater shaming of those who are seen to "devalue" literature in our culture.
how to self publish in france

How to Self-Publish in France

More books are translated in France than in any other country: 1 out of every 6 books has been translated from a foreign language, many from English.
biographies of ordinary people by nicole dieker

Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, The Costs, The Results

A self-published author breaks down her expenses and resulting sales after promoting on social media and email, paying for reviews, advertising, and more.
Jessica Chapman Tapas

A Serial Publishing Platform That Earns Money for Indie Creators

Tapas, a new digital publishing platform, has led to meaningful earnings and readership for independent artists and writers in less than two months.
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The Pressure to Release More, More, More Titles

Whenever you produce titles fast, you're making trade-offs.
land an agent for self-published book

How to Land an Agent for a Self-Published Book

If you've given up on the self-publishing route and want to try traditional publishing, then there are several approaches you can take to interest agents.
ebook publishing resources

How to Publish an Ebook: Resources for Authors

In this post I regularly update the best resources I know of related to learning to publish an ebook, finding the right distributors and services, and staying on top of changes in the industry.
book distribution

How to Get Your Book Distributed: What Self-Published Authors Need to Know

The most important thing any author needs to know about book distribution is that more than half of all book sales (regardless of format) take place online.
Pronoun ebook distribution

Q&A with Pronoun: An Increasingly Competitive Ebook Distributor

Pronoun works with independent authors to distribute their ebooks to the five major online retailers: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. Pronoun charges authors nothing upfront, and doesn't take a cut of ebook sales either.
amazon kdp select

Is Amazon Exclusivity Right for You?

There are advantages to selling ebooks only through Amazon, and makes most sense for authors who are just starting out or who are relatively unknown.
choose type campaign

Using Amazon KDP Ads to Sell Your Ebook on Amazon

Amazon offers two ways for authors to advertise ebooks at their site. Learn how to smartly set up and manage product display and sponsored product ads.
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A Self-Published Poet’s Path to Her First Book Deal

How a self-publishing poet achieved visibility for her book—and landed a book deal with traditional publisher Andrews McMeel.
Create If Writing interviews Jane Friedman

Choosing Between Traditional and Indie Publishing

This week, I was a guest on the Create If Writing podcast, discussing traditional and independent publishing.
literary publishing

A Round-Up of My Columns for Publishers Weekly

Last year, I began regularly contributing to Publishers Weekly on the topic of independent authorship and publishing. Here's a list of all my columns so far:
should you self-publish

Should You Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish?

Should you self-publish? There is no single right answer to this question—it's always situational. It depends on you, your book, and your career goals. This post outlines the key questions you should ask.
An antique world map.

Selling Your Books Internationally

Helen Sedwick and Orna Ross discuss selling international rights to your book.
paying for book reviews

Are Paid Book Reviews Worth It?

The majority of authors will not benefit from paid book reviews, and should invest their time and money elsewhere. Here's why.
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5 Steps to Creating a Great Audiobook

Jay Swanson, the creative mind behind real-time fantasy blog Into the Nanten, explains how to develop a compelling audiobook.
The SheepOver

Shepherding a Self-Published Picture Book to Success: A Conversation with Literary Agent Brenda Bowen

Sangeeta Mehta interviews agent Brenda Bowen about the success of the children's picture book Sweet Pea & Friends: The SheepOver.
Self Publishing Checklist

The Self-Publishing Checklist: Editorial, Production, and Distribution

This printable and interactive checklist guides your self-publishing project to completion, to ensure you don't miss any important steps and to help you hit your target pub date.