As an indie or self-published author, helping other indie authors is just par for the course!
Where would we all be without the help and support of other self-published authors helping indie authors is just paying it forward. Weirdly, we’re competitors, but at the same time, I feel we’re all part of this small community.
Being an indie author often feels like living in a small town. You know a lot of the people in the community around you. You help out when they need assistance and are always available for a chat. That’s what it means to be an indie author.
I like to think that we would have all figured it out eventually, but I know personally I have received a lot of help along the way. It’s probably why I’m more than happy to pay it forward and help out other new indie authors.
One of the first tips I learned as an indie author was the importance of using clean links when you’re sharing links to your book. You can read all about that in my article Why Stripping Your Amazon Book Link Makes Sense!
What It Means to Be an Indie Author
It’s hard to do anything without the right advice and help. Being an indie or self-published author is no different. Sure, you can search online, but ultimately, some of the best advice you’ll ever get is from other authors who have already been there and done that.
When I first started out down the long path of being a self-published author, I didn’t know about groups like Goodreads, forums, or anything else. So, I did what I did, and then I looked online to try and see if I was doing something wrong or could be doing it better. It wasn’t until I started joining groups on Goodreads and speaking to other authors that I realized that there was an entirely different world out there.
An entire community of indie and self-published authors that, in most cases, are more than happy to help.
Sure, some advice I got along the way wasn’t great, but some have been absolute pearls of wisdom! Seriously, fantastic advice and help from other authors that you just can’t find by searching blogs and articles online.
If I have one piece of advice for other indie authors just starting out, it would be ‘don’t be afraid to ask someone.’ Join groups, join forums, check out what other authors are doing, and look at what’s working for someone else and what isn’t.
Just Because it’s Self-Published, it Doesn’t mean you Can’t Invest in it!
Another essential thing to remember is that just because we’re indie or self-published authors, it doesn’t mean that we can’t make investments in our books. There are some seriously great indie books out there that would be fantastic if the authors had just invested a small amount of money into them.
While it’s great to try and ‘go it alone’ and get everything done for free, sometimes a small investment in professional formatting, cover design, or editing could make or break your book. There’s no rule anywhere that says self-published authors can’t invest in their work.
Don’t rush. Save your money if you have to until you have the budget to put the best version of your book out there. Make your book unforgettable instead of just okay.
- Pay a professional editor to edit your book if you need editing or proofreading.
- Pay someone to design your cover if you can’t get it to look amazing.
- Pay someone to format your book professionally so it’s easy to read and looks fantastic.
You don’t have to spend a fortune, but if you spend just a little bit in areas you’re not strong in and market your book well, you should quickly get your investment back!
Helping Indie Authors Doesn’t Have to Cost Anything!
Sure, we love to buy other indie authors’ books, but often, helping indie authors doesn’t cost you a cent and doesn’t need to.
Some of the ways that you can help support a new indie author include:
- Offering guidance, support, and answering questions.
- Sharing, liking, and commenting on social media posts.
- Commenting, liking, and sharing blog posts.
- Offering to read and review a book.
Self-Published Authors Supporting Other Authors – Conclusion
Remember, your book is an investment. It’s like a building. Each part of your book, including cover design, editing, formatting, and marketing, is like bricks in the foundation. These elements are the foundation the success of your book is built on.
Don’t be afraid to try to succeed. Seek opinions and advice. Good luck on your journey!
If you require any assistance with self-publishing, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us directly at Indie Publishing Group.
If you could give a new indie or self-published author one piece of advice, what would it be? Drop a comment below!
At Indie Publishing Group, we’re proud to assist Canadian and North American authors in self-publishing their work. If you are in the process of writing a book and need any assistance with paperback or ebook formatting, cover design, professional editing, or uploading to self-publishing sites such as Amazon KDP and Ingram Spark, please don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us.
Our experienced and professional self-publishing team is standing by to assist you with your self-publishing dreams.
