Indie, short for independent, is not just limited to music, films and games. The community of indie authors is on a constant rise and it has started making the right kind of sounds. Independent publishing companies are incorporated companies, but they are anything but large businesses. These publishers face lots of challenges that big publishing companies typically don’t face. Hence, indie publishing is not straightforward, but it is not impossible to succeed in this form of publishing.
The good part about indie publishing is that it’s not completely different from self-publishing. Both these domains are still strugglers in terms of book publication and promotion and the challenges are more or less the same. Needless to say, the ways you can succeed in indie publication is not too different if you were a self-publisher.
1. Find a proper publisher
This is important because you need to reach out to a lot of indie authors and readers. These publishers have their own niche place in the publishing space. They have their dedicated band of writers and readers and hence, they are able to attract the kind of population you would be interested in. And if you go with the best, you stand to get that more attention.
2. Community again
Joining an indie authors’ community is the least you can do to succeed in indie publication. You simply have to connect with these people because they are your kind. And simply joining a community is not going to help you. You have to contribute in the form of your writings and comment on the community dashboard. Make sure you get a lot of visibility.
3. Create your profile
Your author profile should clearly show that you are an indie author. It has to be dynamic and contain all the bells and whistles that resonate all over the place. A nice profile pic and some witty comments should do your profile a world of good. And why not videos? They should be eye catching. And the moment your profile is done, all your books are linked to your profile.
4. Book reviews
The more you contribute to the indie community, the more you are going to get back in the form of positives. Read books and review them and see how other indie authors start reciprocating. We know authors who have benefited from this action and so should you.
5. Use your website cleverly
You should have your own website with your own domain name. Initially, you may not opt for a paid domain name, but ultimately you should. And once your website is in place, makes sure you use all those widgets and all those crazy things that make their websites popular.
These are not expensive tasks and all you need to spend is your time. Your website will take some money to build, but that’s about it. On top of everything you must remember that patience pays. Indie authors are not celeb authors and they have their own band of followers. Work towards creating your band and success should follow you.
Image credit: Monica Arellano-Ongpin on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Profile_Pic_Moumita.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Moumita Goswami is a full-time homemaker and a passionate writer. She stays in Pune with her husband and daughter. After giving up working, she started writing about five years ago and can now be seen using her computer keyboard almost all the time. An MA in Psychology from Calcutta University, Moumita has spent time in Kolkata, Delhi and now Pune. For Moumita, writing started as a sudden chance but she soon discovered her likeness for it. And now she has developed a passion for writing and hardly any day passes without her scribbling a few lines. She dreams of publishing her own book one day and is working towards it.
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