The starting point is defining success. I began writing fiction full-time in 2020, as the pandemic shifted other elements of my world. While before then I’d been doing regular writing, making it my full-time vocation had not quite been achieved. Because I made this shift, I’ve completed and self-published 10 books since 2020. One is…
I’m sharing many thoughts on many topics. Perhaps, with this being the end of the year, I’m feeling introspective. Or maybe there’s just been a lot happening and I’m working to make sense of it. Either way, I’m going to reflect on a lot of different things here. For me, 2023 has been a crazy…
Being an indie-author requires being a brand and business, too. Not so long ago, the only way to publish a book and make money was via traditional publishing. To get there, the main path was to get a literary agent, who would then get you past the gatekeepers and through the doors to the publishers….
My writing is always evolving, and change is always occurring. I started my Source Chronicles fantasy series in 1998. As of this writing, that’s 25 years ago. While I began the series then, it remains unfinished. Yes, Book 3 – Harbinger – is ready to go to the editor. In fact, it has been for…
I can’t see why not. But what does that mean? Once upon a time, stunningly not so long ago, there were exactly 2 ways to publish a book. You could do it via a major publishing house or vanity press for self-publishing. The former came with marketing and distribution. The latter didn’t. The latter also…
I think it should always be shameless to promote your good work. As a self-published, indie-author authorpreneur, writing is the second and most involved step of the story and the business. The second step, you might question? Of course. That’s because the first step is conceiving the idea. Human beings have thousands, if not tens…
Indie-author self-promotion is utterly necessary. As I’m writing this, I have multiple things happening in my indie-author world. This is the result of a lot of work on a lot of different levels over the past couple of months. Let’s start with the immediate, most time-sensitive element: My standalone fantasy/Steampunk, rise of the villain novel,…
This is perfectly normal, and something I think all creatives encounter. I’ve never met another artist, writer, painter, woodworker, or any other type of creative who hasn’t been “blocked”, uncertain, or otherwise lost. You take a look at the blank page or screen, blank canvas, raw wood or clay, and nothing is coming. The ideas…
Even in a crowded market, we’re not competing with each other. In trying to learn how many authors are self-published, no search I’ve run on Google can give me a number. Between Amazon and other services making self-publishing increasingly easier, it’s safe to presume that there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of self-published,…
Sharing my experience using Generative AI for writing. Does AI scare you? Why wouldn’t it? Lots of fiction over the years has painted AI as the thing that will end humanity (see the Terminator and Matrix movies). Then, it inevitably raises several ethical and moral questions. Can/will AI steal copyrighted material in what’s created? Will…
