What I've Learned as an Indie Author

This upcoming year (actually, it won't be until October of 2015) will mark my 4th year as an indie author. To say it's been exciting is an understatement! I'm thrilled to have made it through all these years, which I have to say are the best years since I began writing professionally. Besides having been a great ride, it's also been an awesome learning experience.

So here's my list, in no particular order, detailing what I've learned since becoming an indie author:

1. I don't need validation from publishers or editors anymore. HALLELUJAH! Back in my newbie writer days, my opinion of my work and of myself as an writer highly depended on responses from publishing houses or editors. You sent me a rejection? I must be the. Worst. Writer. Ever! Oh, so, the book IS "right for your list?" Yes! My work has to be worth something, right?!?!

Not anymore. Full disclosure: I DO still work with a few publishers (mostly smaller ebook publishers) that I will continue to work with, but that's because I enjoy writing for them and we have a great professional relationship. But I don't need validation anymore, and that's freed me mentally to be able to concentrate on honing my craft as an author. Being an indie--taking the reins in all areas, from writing to editing to promo--has also increased my confidence in my abilities. That's a very liberating feeling. That means you spend less energy rebuilding your faith in your own work and more in areas where your energy is put to better use, i.e. working on your WIP.

2. My journey isn't someone else's journey. Neither should I allow anyone to dictate how I should measure my own success. Some of my books do better than others; I write each book as if it is my all-time favorite  project. I doubt I'll ever make it rich. Doesn't matter. I'm already a success because I am still here, still productive, and still getting paid for my work. Best of all, I can honestly say that I am writing the books that I have always wanted to write, under each of my pen names. If my work brings joy or encouragement or just entertainment to someone else, that's more than I could have ever asked for, and I give the Lord the glory for that.

3. Publisher lines have come and gone. Heck, publishers have come and gone. But we writers are still here.

4. Knowing a book is definitely going to be published (as opposed to hoping and wishing some editor finds it "right for our list") is great motivation to finish a book.

5. Knowing a book is definitely going be published (as opposed to hoping and wishing some editor finds it "right for our list") is motivation to start planning promotion and causing some kind of stir before it's even out there.

6. There's been a lot of talk in the past couple of years about how giving books for free is not the great promotional tool it once was. I have to agree with that, though I will continue to offer the occasional perma-free book, as well as special promotions. I still have readers who have read GREETINGS FROM MY SANDY DREAMS or UNCONDITIONAL for free, then decide they want to buy one or more of my other books. Simply put, that rocks. Ultimately, it's not about individual sales anyway, but about building a readership that enjoys your work and looks forward to the new titles coming out.

7. Even as an un-techy, 50ish grandmother, I CAN learn how to create an ebook, a book cover, a paperback version, and seek out promotional opportunities. If I can at this age, so can any writer with the passion to get his/her work out there.

8. I've learned I'm having more fun as an indie author, and I also have more opportunities open to me, than I ever did when I wrote for traditional publishers. The world has changed since the mid- 1990s, when I first began writing professionally. I was never a "favorite" of the traditional publishers, so I wasn't trusted with the types of projects that I now entrust myself to work on. Neither were certain promotional opportunities open to me; now, in the age of ebooks and technology in general, there are marketing opportunities that have leveled the playing field for authors. As a bonus, those opportunities have provided me with the chance to meet and befriend other authors.

9. It takes an adventurous spirit to become an indie author.

10. Indie publishing is NOT for the fainthearted, the lazy, or the impatient. I guarantee you: There WILL be disappointing days.You WILL be taking on more responsibility and work (including editing, unless you hire an indie editor). If you put out ONE book, only one, with the expectation of seeing it on the bestseller list, you may become discouraged. I'm a person who happens to believe that nothing is impossible, but this doesn't happen to everyone.

I've learned it's better to have the attitude that you are basically starting your own small business. How would it be to open up your own restaurant? Besides working on developing an enticing menu, hiring the best chefs and wait staff you can afford, and decorating the place so it's welcoming to the public, you'd be concerned with building up the restaurant's clientele. That takes time and patience unless you're already a big name chef.

That's not very different from becoming an indie author. These are YOUR babies you're writing and sending out into the world. Treat them with respect, be gentle with them, pour your whole heart into them. Remember that there's a reader--a human being--on the other end of it. Make it worth the hard-earned money they put out for it. Expect the occasional disappointment and the bad review, and soldier on with as much passion, curiosity and enthusiasm as the day you jumped into the indie pool headfirst.

and finally,

11. What doesn't kill you really DOES make you stronger. It's not just a song by Kelly Clarkson!

Book Recipe

You heard right.

Writers: Want an interesting "recipe" for writing a book? Here goes:

Ingredients

1 book
1 decade (give or take a year or two)
Twenty some-odd other books you've written over the course of that decade
10 years' worth of experience
A heaping of enthusiasm

1) Lose, deep-six, burn, leave on the New Jersey Path train (well, maybe you don't want to do that, but you get the picture) all traces of the original manuscript, leaving only the concept and a couple of memorable characters.

2) Combine the experience of that decade with what you've learned from writing the other books and pour it into a large heaping of enthusiasm.

3) Write and develop the new version of the original, bake well with love and generous doses of caffeine. As with any book, stir from Page 1 all the way to the words THE END.

4) Pray, pray, pray (to be done often during the whole process).

5) Edit, polish and publish.

Servings: Unknown, but it does go a long way. Absolutely no fat, cholesterol, carbs, or calories.

The result is a dish that is entirely new and uniquely different from the original. I haven't stressed about making it like the first book, which I don't remember as well except for certain events and, as I said, two VIP characters. One was a man in the original; she is now a female character and, in my opinion, readers will take to her even more.

It hasn't been easy. This has been a book like ONE SWEET DAY, which took longer to write, as well as more development because of the cast of characters. CRYSTAL WAVES has an even larger cast.

It's a journey that I never thought I would be taking again as a writer. I've enjoyed it and am really looking forward to sharing it with readers sometime next month.

So to the writers out there: If you've got a "lost" book like this somewhere, don't be afraid. Stock up on the coffee and jump in headfirst!

Half-Year Resolutions?

Why not?

Every year, it seems you can't find a parking space and you have to hunt down an available treadmill at the gym...but only after January 1st. By February, you have your pick of the litter as far as the machines are concerned, because people didn't lose 20 pounds in January and they gave up. There's something very sad about that.

As writers, I think a lot of us rummage through our workspace, realize our New Year's goals/resolutions are in there (and now the paper's all wrinkled and the ink is faded) and either chuck them or leave them there, saying, "Ah, well, maybe next year."

Listen, why not this year?

The good thing about a year is that it's 12 months/365 days long. Like Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." With the last week of June upon us, why not review your original goals or revise them?

Think of this as your "Half-Year Resolutions." Guess what? You still have 5 months to make it happen, whether we're talking about health/fitness goals or writing goals or whatever accomplishment you wanted to undertake.

Six months is also a long time. Maybe your situation has changed. Maybe you've moved and there's not a gym for miles around, so you have to improvise. Maybe you didn't get that book contract; maybe you're about to embark on the journey of indie publishing. Maybe your well for contemporary romance fiction is dry and you've always wanted to try your hand at an historical mainstream novel.

Get those original goals out--plus some white-out! If you have them in electronic form, it'll be that much simpler to change. Or if you tossed your goals/resolutions out in frustration, that's fine. Write some new ones and keep all of this in mind:

1. Be realistic. You have 5 months left to the year. You won't be writing 5 novels, especially if you're a busy stay-at-home mom or a grandmother who works full-time. Better to write one well written book that readers will love than 5 hastily written ones. By the same token, you might take longer to lose those 35 pounds. Be gentle with yourself and resolve to taking baby steps and being happy with the weight you do drop.

2. Keep in mind that you don't HAVE to be constricted by a time frame. You may not reach your writing goal or fitness goal by December 31, and that's all right. The important thing is that you begin, and that you work steadily, each day, towards that goal.

3. Think quality, not quantity, in whatever you do. You can lose 20 pounds on a fad diet and gain it back by Christmas, or you can resolve to treating yourself well and eating healthfully. You can take Zumba, yoga, kick boxing and feel like exercise is another full-time job, or you can start walking every day and enjoy that time so much that you will feel like you're missing something if you don't get that walk in by 7 PM each night.

4. Don't be hard on yourself. Approach your Half-Year Resolutions with enthusiasm and faith in yourself and your work. Today is a new day.

and

5. Your Half-Year Resolutions can be a secret. Nobody but you has to know about your resolutions and/or goals. But you can share and inspire others when you accomplish them!

Got all that? So you're off to a good start! May God bless you in all your endeavors.

Short & Sweet Writer Advice

Coming from the amazing poet, Robert Frost. These are words that I often hear whispered to my heart sometimes as I work on a new book, a gentle reminder that rings of truth:

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader."

Writing Words of Wisdom

Since my first short story was accepted for publication in 1995, I have been writing professionally now for 17 years. I believe that earns me the wonderful title of "Established Writer!" Also grateful I've made it this far.

When I saw the little graphic at the left--and you gotta love the typewriter face, for all of us old enough to have actually worked on one of those things you'll only find in an antique store--I thought about how many times over the course of those nearly two decades that I've written/typed out those words. As a writer, you also have to count the books that never made it past that first chapter, or even the ones that got to page 151 before you, as the author, realized it wasn't a book you loved enough to share with readers.

I consider it an accomplishment that I'm still here, all these years later, and I encourage other writers, especially those newer at this game, to hang in there. One of the best pieces of advice I received as a newly minted writer had to do with perseverance and success.

These are the things that I've learned over the years, the best advice and truths I've received, that have kept me going.

1. PROTECT THE WORK. During a particularly difficult time, a writer friend wrote these words to me in an email, just like that in all capitals, citing Jennie Crusie, who apparently had also received this bit of valuable advice. Here's the essay Ms. Crusie wrote, with a better explanation than I can give. It is one of the TOP words of wisdom that has helped me over the years.

2. WRITE EVERY DAY. This came from Stephen King's book, On Writing, which I think of as the best book on the subject that I've ever read. Since then, I give that advice to everyone. Too, I've learned that could mean as little as 500 words per day. This goes hand-in-hand with the next point...

3. SHOW UP AT THE PAGE. It doesn't matter if you feel inspired or not. The muse will come if you show up. Sometimes she's late. You be a faithful lover and show up for work. That's the way the writer's mind works, though I'm sure psychiatrists will never figure out what makes writers tick.

4. THE ONES WHO MAKE IT ARE THE ONES WHO STAY. This is not a word of advice; this is a truth. It is also incredibly, awesomely true. There are as many writers out there as there are stars in the sky. Here's a hint: The ones who want fame and fortune as their main goal aren't the ones who will be around in ten years. The ones who love to write, who do it because they can't imagine their lives without writing, who thrive on others reading and taking pleasure from their work, are the ones you can count on making it.

5. NEVER LET OTHERS TELL YOU WHAT SUCCESS MEANS. Success, I've learned, is subjective. To some, it's a seven-figure contract from one of the legacy publishers. To others, it's writing what you love and sharing it with others.

6. PUT YOUR DESK IN THE CORNER, AND EVERY TIME YOU SIT DOWN THERE TO WRITE, REMIND YOURSELF WHY IT ISN'T IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM. LIFE ISN'T A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ART. IT'S THE OTHER WAY AROUND." Self-explanatory and also credited to Mr. Stephen King. Go out and live. All of life is not writing. Life enhances and enriches your work. Go out for a walk on a gorgeous day, have a conversation with your beautiful and funny three-year-old granddaughter, have a romantic dinner with your husband. Your characters will be there when you get back. Guaranteed.

And, last but not least,

7. WRITE FOR YOUR OWN PLEASURE. This is last but not least, the top advice, which came from my Madrina, which means godmother in Spanish, my aunt Consuelo. (Yes, I was named after her!) I remember long before I was published, telling my aunt I was beginning to send out my work and feeling discouraged, how I was thinking about quitting. She said, "Yes, but you'll always write, because you write for the pleasure it gives you." Honestly, the worst thing has to be writing something you could care less about, but you're doing it for money's sake. Writing in someone else's voice, usually for the sake of money, is equally draining. Always write something that YOU love, that moves YOU, that makes YOU laugh or cry. That's the only way to know it will be a work that someone else will love, that moves them, and that will make them laugh or cry.

And there is a lot more advice that I've been blessed to receive over the year, by other Established (and Phenomenal) Writers, but these are my treasures! Keep them in your heart, too.