How to Become an Indie Author

So you're ready to write your first book? Here are the no-fluff, straight-to-the-point steps to becoming an independent author! (In my experience! 😜)

1. Start writing a book

   
   
   
   

   The most important step to becoming an indie author is to write a book. You can't do this if you never start. You can start deaf, blind, or impaired, but if you never start it just won't happen.

   
   

2. Find for your audience

   
   
   
   

   After you start writing the book, the first thing you need to do is find your audience. YES - BEFORE YOU FINISH THE BOOK you can go ahead and start to find the audience for your book. It's vital to know who your readers are and what they like to see. You will be marketing directly to them when the time comes. And if you've already started writing...then my friend, the time is now! Readers are nosey as hell lol They want to see all of the behind the scenes content. They love to see you putting in work, working on that manuscript and sending the copies to editors. It's a great opportunity to start to build your community online in places like Bookstagram, Bookthreads and Booktok.

   
   

3. FINISH THE BOOK

   
   
   
   
   
   

   Finish the book Anna Mae! Finish the damn book! lol That's the second most important step next to starting. You can't sell a book you've never finished. And nobody wants to hear about that book you started when you were in college and never finished. Once you finish, now you have something tangible to work with. You've succeeded at pulling an idea from your head into the physical world. CONGRATS this is huge!

   
   

4. Get Alpha & Beta Readers

   
   
   
   

   Now that you've finished the book, you'll need to get some eyes on it. Your alpha readers can read while you're still writing or once you finish your first draft. They are just checking for plot holes and and making sure the concept is sound. This can be anyone you trust to read your early drafts.

   Your beta readers can either read chapter by chapter or at the once the first draft is finished. They are doing the same thing as alpha readers but to a more finalized draft. They will be looking for any loose ends or big questions you're unintentionally leaving unanswered.

   
   

   We also have a bad habit of being repetitive or forgetful when we do things. So your beta readers will more than likely be pointing out those types of things in your first finished draft. Don't be upset with yourself If you find you have to re-write some sections or add some extra content where things might not have added up In one section. This Is all a part of the process.

   
   

5. EDIT EDIT EDIT!

   
   
   
   

   Now that the book has been roasted by your friends and you got it to a place where it's actually decent, it's time to start editing! You can hire an editor or use any of the editing tools available to you. Of course before you send it off be sure to do your own rounds to check for spelling, grammar and things that are out of place. But don't worry you will miss something! You will miss alot of things lol And that's why you need an editor.

   
   

   But I do understand everyone can't afford an editor, so if this is the case for you be sure to do several rounds of edits to make sure you catch those pesky things that slip through the cracks. I find it's best to focus on different things each time like line editing, copy-editing and proofreading all in separate rounds just to be thorough.

   
   

6. Choose your platforms

   
   
   
   

   Once you've got your writing to a place where you feel comfortable, you'll need to establish where you want to publish your book. I would highly recommend publishing both digital and physical copies of your book. They both cost nothing to you. It's important to know where you want to publish your book so that you can get formatting specs from them for your next steps.

   
   

   For Amazon, you can upload a pdf copy of your book for paperback, and a epub copy of your book for digital and Kindle unlimited. I highly recommend Vellum for formatting. I used InDesign for my first book since that's what I was good at. But Vellum just makes it so much easier.

   
   

   Also, please note that If you do publish on KDP Select, you are giving them exclusive rights to your e-book for the first 90 days. This does not include your paperback or audiobook.

   
   

7. Format the Book & Design Your Cover

   
   
   
   

   Now that you know where you want to publish your book it's time to format. You will need to create the interior of your book and the cover of your book separately. I used Photoshop to make my cover art (I'm an artist), but I know lot's of others are hiring artist or using Canva. Honestly, people will judge you no matter what you do, so just do what you can afford.

   
   

   Again, I'd recommend at least having a paperback and a digital copy, so you will need cover files and interior files for both types. The cover for your paperback will be front, spine and back while your digital copy will only be a front image.

   
   

8. Upload & Publish

   
   
   
   

   Once you got your book formatted and ready to go it's time to upload to your desired location. (Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Nobles, Kobo etc.) For me that was Amazon and KDP. You will also need to know when you want your book to publish before you can complete the publish process. That could be instantly, or later down the line. From experience I can also tell you that the Barnes & Nobles process is fairly similar and just as easy if you're interested in publishing with them as well. It's free both ways. They do all the printing and shipping, and you will get royalty payments a few months later.

   
   

   Before you upload you should already have your genre and tropes in mind. This comes to play when you are selecting the categories for your book.

   Again please note, if you are uploading your e-book to KDP Select then you should not be uploading it anywhere else during the first 90 days.

   
   

9. Get ARC Readers

   
   
   
   

   I know you're probably asking, "Why the hell would I upload and publish my book BEFORE I get ARC readers?" I know... I know! lol I honestly thought the same thing. But the purpose of ARC readers is to get reviews of your book. If your book is not already available in at least a digital pre-sale on Amazon, you will not be able to get reviews on Goodreads. You will not be able to get reviews on Amazon until AFTER your book is published. So if you want to start building a buzz around your book beforehand you will have to use a third party like Goodreads to start collecting reviews. Goodreads connects directly to Amazon so once your book is available on Amazon you can go over and claim it on Goodreads.

   
   

   After your publish date, you can have your ARC readers drop their reviews on Amazon to make sure you start with some ratings.

   
   

10. Market the book

    
    
    
    

    Of course, you've been doing this the entire time. That's why you found your audience in step two. Everything you do is marketing for your book! Talk about the characters, the tropes, the genre and the journey. You want to get as many eyes on your book as possible. I've seen that social media and word of mouth work wonders.

    I haven't tried any paid ads at the moment, but other Indie authors have incorporporated this as a great way to get an extended reach on social media. This doesn't stop. This is before, and after you publish your first book!

    
    

11. Publish & Track your sales and reviews

    
    
    
    

    You made it! GOOD FOR YOUUUUU! It's such a journey but it is so fcking worth it! As an artist who has studied design my whole life, I can honestly say writing has been one of the most creative outlets I've had to date. It's such an exhilarating feeling to put your work into the world. I feel even more proud of my books than I ever did at any of my art shows or exhibitions. So don't stop. I know it's tough, but once it's done it's done! Don't get too obsessed, but be sure to track your sales goals and see how your ratings and reviews grow over time. Also be sure to key in on your social media and website analytics while you're marketing and promoting. That's how you set goals for yourself and keep achieving long after the book is published.

That's all folks. Any other indie authors relate to these steps? Or is there something different you did during your journey that made a big difference? Let me know down below in the comments.