Indie Author Blog-The Self Publishing Show Live, London, 2023

I have just spent two days in London at the Self Publishing Show Live, surrounded by like-minded, inspirational, enthusiastic, independent authors, all of whom are eager to succeed in the world of self publishing. Just being in that environment is motivational in itself, let alone the thought-provoking sessions various speakers presented over the two days.

I am still digesting all the information I heard and there was a lot. It could be overwhelming but I think you have to digest everything for a while and then decide where you want to focus. What is it that I want achieve and what do I need to do to achieve it. From there you can choose which path to take and which options to follow.

Some of the main messages I took away for this conference:

There is no better time to be an independently published author.
- Independently published authors are growing their revenues – according to research performed by the Alliance of Independent Authors, available to ALLi members on their website (affiliate link) – whereas traditionally published authors are not. (See Society of Author’s (SoA) recent ALCS Report. You can find a comparison report on the SPS Facebook group)
To be successful you have to accept this is a long term project, and you need multiple books.
- The more the better! So focus on writing books.
It is hard work.
You need to treat writing as a business and wear your business hat. Being agreeable all the time won’t cut it.
Believe in yourself. Belief and positive thinking is a self fulfilling prophecy. It’s not down to luck.
- Having a positive attitude and believing you can hit your goals means you are more likely to achieve them
Marketing is a necessary evil. Focus on the platform you are most comfortable with. You don’t have to do everything. You choose what you want to do.

The opportunity to network, meet other authors and compare notes was invaluable. No matter how shy you are, the writing community is very welcoming and everyone wants everyone else to succeed.

Hearing what other authors did to be successful is inspiring, and every author’s path is different, so be inspired by other’s successes, see what they did and emulate it. Understanding the market, trends and opportunites is key for any business, and selling books is no different. Use the tools available and carve your own path to success. If you haven’t finished your book yet, then stop procrastinating and get writing. If you have finished, congratulations on an amazing achievement. You should be exceedingly proud of yourself. I hope you celebrated.

This is the time to be an independenty published author. It’s down to you to grab that opportunity with both hands. I know I will.

And don’t forget…

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. If you love Romance, then try my Fantasy Romance SoulMist series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

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International Women’s Day 2023

Another year has passed and we are celebrating the achievements of women worldwide. At a time like this I look back on what I, as a female independently published author in the competitive world of publishing fantasy books, have achieved.

When I stop and take stock, it’s amazing just how far I’ve progressed. Just a measly 30 month ago (two and a half years), I self-published my first epic fantasy novel. Two years after publishing my first book I achieved the USA Today Bestseller moniker.

To date, I have published six books and two novellas, been awarded multiple book awards and my first book has been listed in the Amazon Top 100 bestselling Epic Fantasy books for 2022. That is for all traditionally and self-published books on Amazon. That is quite mind blowing!

And the wonderful thing about it all, is that I love it. I love the whole process from ideation to writing to editing to publishing.

My brain does not stop coming up with ideas for new books, new worlds and new characters. I just don’t have enough hours in the day to think about them and write the story. I have a book ideas folder, where I capture ideas, thoughts and characters, where they simmer until I have time to take them out, air them a bit and really think about them.

I write scenes, sketch the skeleton, flesh out the characters and then store them safely away until I’ve finished editing the next Sentinal book. And there they stay until one of the characters become particularly insistent and invades my dreams, whole scenes unscrolling and demanding to be written in the middle of the night.

I started writing quite late in life. I never planned to be an author. It wasn’t a dream of mine, nor something I was determined to achieve since childhood. I enjoyed words, (a lot more than numbers!) I was always a voracious reader, fantasy being my go to books; Belgarion and his friends kept me company many an evening until I found Lois Bujold McMasters and Miller & Lee’s Liaden Universe.

It wasn’t until 2016, when my life changed quite significantly, and I found myself home alone with my cats and time on my hands. I began writing the Sentinals series and I haven’t stopped since. A creative dam has been breached, and a flood of stories have flowed ever since. Just shows you never know what’s around the corner.

If you are dreaming of becoming a writer, (or even if the thought never crossed your mind!) when the time is right for you, put that pen to paper and let the words flow. It is said there is a story in everyone. I hope you have the opportunity to tell yours. It truly is magical!

I hope you get to celebrate your personal achievements, no matter how big or small. It is those magical moments that inspire us to go on and achieve even more, and each one should be celebrated.

Happy International Women’s Day.

And don’t forget…

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

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Indie Author Post: Why do you need an Imprint?

Blog post for writers looking to understand the word of self-publishing.

Alliance of Independent Authors Podcast: Creating an imprint

Check out this podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Have you ever wondered what the purpose of an imprint is? and whether you should create one?

Let ALLi explain the importance of separating your author name from your publishing persona and why, along with demystfying the world of ISBN’s and barcodes.

Still have questions? Then please don’t hesitate to contact me via the contact link.

Great information for when you are just starting out, and want to make sure you create a good base for all your books.

Want to know more about the world of self publishing? Then join Alli as a member.

As an ALLi Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.

And don’t forget…

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To Dither or not to Dither?

It is more difficult than expected to know when to take the next step. Development editor – check! Copy editor – check! And now what?

Then the doubts start crowding in, is it good enough? Should I self-publish or find an agent? Should I try and format myself or pay someone to do it? How much is too much to spend on a getting a book published? Especially when the full time job takes up most of your energy and there is little enough left over for writing and editing – let alone marketing and building that author platform!

And then the doubts creep in again, dare I think my book is good enough to publish? My Number One fan Michael thinks so! Maybe I should listen to him, he even put down Game of Thrones to read my book, Sentinals Awaken – that’s saying something isn’t it?

Yes, thumbs up, even one fan is better than no fans.

Therefore next step.

Cover Design. Oooh – this should be fun, I’ve done my research, found a designer I like, scheduled time on his calendar, watch this space as the cover develops…

And then it’s formatting the inside, and what about a map and that glossary and…and…so much to do and it’s all exciting again and back to editing book number two – Sentinals Rising.

Oh yes, and back to the day job.