The Life of an Indie Author - Tales from the Writing Trenches

Back in 2013, when I completed my first novel: PERFECT PAWN, I remember sitting there smiling or a moment and then the realization hit me: Now What? It seems funny to me now, as I look back on those dark times, but for me that was the moment when the creative rubber truly hit the literary road.

As I sit here formatting the print version for my soon to be released COLD CASE anthology, I realize a lot of you might be in the same ballpark I was in 2013. Despair not, you've got this. 

When your book is complete (it really isn't) you're left with two choices: Pursue a traditional publishing course or opt for the indie road. If you choose indie, you have a helluva road in front of you, because you will have to embrace the roles normally filled by the staff at publishing houses. So what does this mean? Well, here is what you can expect to do: 

1. Write Book

2. Edit Book (Then edit it again, and edit it again after you get reader feedback)

3. Format Interior Book (At least 2 versions: Print & eBook)

4. Design Cover Graphic (Both full-size and thumbnail)

5. Secure ISBN numbers

6. Submit to Publishing Platforms

7. Design Social Media Engagement

8. Advertising

Still want to be an author? Good. 

These might seem like monumental hurdles to overcome, but I assure you they are not. Having just released my fifteenth book I can tell you that you can learn these skills. Are they easy? No. You might master one area and feel like you are slogging through quicksand for the others. But each book will become easier if you commit yourself to listening and learning. I think every indie author owes it to their craft to help others. I’m a firm believer in the old adage: A rising tide raises all boats.

Of the eight things I listed above (you might have more), the most important are 1-4 and 8. To me the first four are crucial, because if you do not have a solid book, nothing else matters. Obviously your writing is paramount, but without an attractive cover most books will get passed over. Too many authors take a pass on this, opting to use templates and are left wondering why their books get no traction. You only get one chance to pull a reader in and the cover does it. If your book uses a stock template cover, readers may be less inclined to take a risk.

Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, and you have piqued the curiosity of the potential reader, you have another one to consider. When a reader looks inside the book, they expect yours to look EXACTLY like every other book they read, meaning it should be formatted like existing books. Open a book from a well-published author and copy that interior. You might think that edgy font looks cool, but have you ever considered that some readers have reading issues. Clear fonts should be the standard. It’s a book and should not be as difficult to read as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.  

The other important thing is advertising, and I cannot stress this enough. It sounds counterintuitive, but if you want to make money, you have to spend money. I know that is hard for someone on a limited budget, but it is the truth. Don’t believe me? Here is a graph for my debut novel. I think you can figure out exactly when I started aggressively advertising. This is also the part where I humbly admit my wife was right when she advised me to advertise sooner.

Now, should you do this right away? I don’t know. Personally, I would save this one until you have 2 or even 3 books under your belt, because advertising will correlate to sales over your entire span of works. Readers are much more eager to try a new author if they have several books they can read after the first one hooks them. 

I hope this helps you to understand where to go next. These are the areas that I have identified, but you might have others. The important thing is to keep writing and embrace your craft.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2021

I just wanted to take a moment to extend my sincere best wishes to my faithful readers for a very Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and happy New Year 2021.

This year has been incredibly challenging for most and the best we can do is hope that 2021 will bring calm to the chaos that has plagued us (no pun intended) over the last year.

I think this is an appropriate time to read the words of this very poignant Christmas song and remember the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.

“O Holy Night" is originally a French poem titled "Minuit Chrétiens" and was written in 1843 by Placide Cappeau in Roquemaure, France to celebrate the renovation of a local church.

O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the Wise Men from Orient land
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim

The world truly is weary, but we can rejoice and find hope in He that has come to save us all. Do not despair, but put your trust in Him that has conquered the world.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2: 28-32)

Corona Virus Quarantine – Day:……. Who Knows?

Well, I got up today and realized it’s the 67th day of Femarpril, or whatever the hell month we are in right now, and it has been about two months since I posted my last blog entry.  I figured now was as good a time as any to let you know that I am alive and well, having survived the great toilet paper skirmish of 2020.

These last few weeks have proved to be an eye opening experience for me, as I have learned that my lifestyle apparently has a name: Self Quarantining. Who knew? I also realize that with the number of people posting photos of their alcohol supply, and having gone through just about every Netflix show in existence, I have a feeling that the wild nights of quarantine are going to be replaced with the raucous sound of babies crying in December. Introducing the next defined baby group: Coronials!!

One benefit of being an author is that we create our own little worlds, so if the one we are living in isn’t working for us, then we just move on. I’ve spent the last few months re-editing & re-publishing some previous novels: Perfect Pawn, Queen’s Gambit, Small Town Secrets (which also got a new cover re-design), Bishop’s Gate, Cold Case: The Katherine White Murder, and have Little Boy Lost in final review. I’m gradually making my way through my old backlist to polish up my prior books.  My goal is to give the reader the best possible product for them to enjoy.

Along the way, I’ve written a new novel which I hope to get out this summer. I’d hoped to release it in winter 2019, but there was just something missing and I didn’t want to force it. I’ve also penned an outline for a new Angelo Antonucci Cold Case novella and the outline for the next Alex Taylor novel.

So that’s what has been happening on my home front. I truly wish you all the best during this chaotic and uncertain time. Just remember, nothing lasts forever and each day is one day closer to the end of this nightmare. Until then, sit back, grab something to drink, and enjoy a good book. Chances are it will be a better world than the one we are living in right now.

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Best wishes, Stay Safe, & God Bless.

Andrew

Dealing with the Issue of Cliffhangers

Being an author means you risk being rebuked for your writing. It is like the old adage says, ‘If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.’

Recently one of my books, Bishop’s Gate, received a 2-star review after the reader took exception to my use of cliffhangers.

“Two stars because after reading two books, Queen Gambit and Bishops Gate, I realize the stories are never finished but continued on in a ploy to sell more books. Too bad, I really like the writing style but I hate and detest carry on stories. Won’t buy anymore by this author.”

I felt bad for two reasons. First, I apparently lost a reader, and second, it was obvious that the reader enjoyed my writing. To be fair, all authors want to sell more books. After all, it is a profession, albeit one that pays rather poorly for the vast majority of us. But it caused me to question my writing style and whether I should change it.

Long before I ever became an author, I was an avid reader and viewer. I enjoyed being transported from reality. One thing I took away was the fact that, just as in life, events are rarely stagnant. One of the pivotal moments in my appreciation of the uncertainty of life occurred when I went to see Star Wars in the summer of 1977. While there was a certain resolution to the storyline, spoiler: the rebels won, there was also a degree of ambiguity, since the antagonist, Darth Vader, is observed in retreat.

In 1980, this point was driven home with the release of The Empire Strikes Back. At the end of TESB, I was left with more questions than answers and a sense of how could something so good, go so wrong, so fast? The rebellion was bloodied, Luke lost a hand and learned a terrible secret, and Han was in the clutches of Boba Fett. Movies weren’t supposed to end this way and I wasn’t alone in my feelings. Judith Martin of The Washington Post criticized the film's middle-of-the-story plot, which she claimed had no particular beginning or end.

But, that’s exactly what George Lucas had envisioned.

To say that TESB had a profound impact on me would be a gross understatement. It caused me to re-think the whole premise behind storytelling. I began looking at the television series’ I habitually watched and came to understand that almost all of them had cliffhangers. I realized that life was not so cut and dry; that good didn’t always triumph over evil. It also made me understand that life, even literary ones, were constant. Not that I don’t appreciate a good standalone book, that literally ends with, The End, it’s just that I know there is more.

When I sat down to write my debut novel, Perfect Pawn, I had the idea of a story, but as the book progressed I realized that, 1) I like the characters, and 2) I wanted to write more. Perfect Pawn went beyond the traditional word count in my genre, but I knew there was much more to the story. So, while there was a certain level of resolution, I was already looking ahead to book two, in order to advance the plot.

Readers must understand that, like George Lucas, I have a vision in my head. This is the story of James Maguire and the cliffhangers serve a purpose. In the beginning, we learn that Maguire is a former Navy SEAL and a retired NYPD detective, but that changes in book two, and there are more changes as the storyline progresses. I know where the series is going and my wish is that you will stay for the ride. This is a series, and there are things touched on in one book, that will seem insignificant, but will make much more sense later on. There are a lot more twists and turns ahead.

To quote Commander Richard Marcinko, U.S. Navy SEAL (Retired), ‘Pay attention, you will see this material again.’

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RE-RELEASE: NEW EDITION OF PERFECT PAWN - FREE: 10/18-10/20

As an author, one of the inevitable questions you face from readers is, ‘When is your next book coming out?’

While it is a welcome question, because it indicates interest in your work, it places a burden on you to continue to look forward and generate new material.  That being said, sometimes you have to take a pause and look backward.

In 2012, when I wrote my debut novel, Perfect Pawn, I was a neophyte author. As I have told many of you, the book was written for my wife and I had never given any thought to publishing it, but that all changed in 2013. Over the course of the last several years, I have written and published eleven books and two novellas.

Like anyone who continues in their tradecraft, I would like to believe that my writing style has improved with each new release. This past summer, I had some critical reviews that caused me to take a break and revisit my past work. I’d like to say that the criticism was unwarranted, but it wasn’t.

There is a school of thought among many writers that you don’t re-write novels. Authors live to tell stories, but they also want the reader to enjoy the experience. As I re-read my book, I had to face the harsh reality that I had failed in certain areas.

American writer and Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner famously said, ‘in writing you must kill all your darlings.’

With that acceptance, I sat down and took a long hard look at Perfect Pawn and decided to do my best to smooth the edges.

I started out with the idea of being a surgeon, using a scalpel to dissect specific areas, but I ended up chopping away at the book like Jason Voorhees’ machete at summer camp. It was brutal, but it was necessary.

I did my utmost to protect the integrity of the story, while culling out unnecessary parts and streamlining the rest. In the end, I believe the book is tighter than it originally was. It might not please every literary critic, most books don’t, but I believe that the majority will enjoy it much more than the original.  

To mark the 6th anniversary of the original release date, and s my way of saying thanks for your continued support, I am making the revised edition of Perfect Pawn available for FREE on Amazon Kindle from Friday, October 18, 2019, 12:00 AM (PDT) through Sunday, October 20, 2019, 11:59 PM (PDT).

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