Goodreads blog recently posted some tips from three Indie Authors they’ve identified as “successful.”
The article cites self-publishing statistics from a recent Bowker report that shows that self-publishing has grown by 375% in the first half of this decade. 2015 alone had over 3-quarters of a million ISBNs assigned to self-published titles. (727,125 to be exact.) Remember, not all indie authors attain an ISBN when releasing their new book; maybe you’re one of those authors without an ISBN. So it’s highly probable that the number of self-published titles released in 2015 exceeds 1 Million.
These are scary numbers for anyone looking to make a living as a self-published author. It’s not all bad news, though. There are some people, however, that believe more self-published authors are making a living than traditionally published authors. There is hope.
The three Indie Authors Goodreads highlights are David Estes, Shannon Mayer, and Chanda Hahn. Feel free to read the entire article, but here are a couple of points that I found to be particularly interesting.
Three successful Indie Authors identified by Goodreads.
The first point the article makes is a founding maxim of Nothing Any Good, primarily that writing should not be performed in a vacuum. All three indie authors agree that “it takes a village” to write and release a self-published book. If you’re struggling to make it yourself, remember to reach out and not do everything on your own.
The second point I want to call out is a wonderful quote from the article’s author, who just goes by Cynthia:
[clickToTweet tweet= “Selfpublished authors: It’s a marathon, not a sprint! 1st book won’t be your greatest. -Goodreads” quote=”Self-published authors need to realize that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s usually not the first book that will be your greatest hit. -Goodreads”]
This is so true. This harkens back to discussions we have often here at the site—Remember why you’re writing in the first place. If you really wanted to publish a novel, then worry less about the marketing end of things. However, if you want to make a living as an author, keep on keeping on. You’re unlikely to be an instant success with one book. Keep writing and striving for that goal.
The article ends with 5 tips from the three Indie Authors: (1) Get as many reviews as possible; (2) Choose your team wisely; (3) Share your work; (4) Make your book available; and (5) Let your writing breathe.
There are many tips for self-publishing, but these are good thoughts from authors that are finding some success.
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
