Indie Author Survival Guide: Not Just for Indie Authors

I rarely write book reviews or even rate books on Amazon, in part because unless I can give an unabashed two-thumbs-up recommendation, I don’t enjoy putting into words what I don’t like about a book. It feels too much like gossiping about a friend whose flaws I recognize but nonetheless find endearing.

With Susan Kaye Quinn’s recently published Indie Author Survival Guide, I feel no such qualms. I love this book and am happy to recommend it not only for anyone who has or is thinking of going down the road of indie publishing, but also for all writers—regardless of whether indie publishing is in their future—who need a dose of courage or a new perspective on their vocation and readers who want to understand better the brave new world of self-publishing.

What’s so good about Indie Author Survival Guide?

• Superb writing, organization, and formatting. This is a clean, great looking ebook that is easy to read, even on my phone’s Kindle app.
• Up-to-date, practical information and links. There are enough resources—from bloggers and indie authors to industry experts and examples of book trailers—to keep you happy for several weeks.
• An empowering perspective. Susan offers a rare combination of feet-on-the-ground common sense and go-for-it courage.

Perhaps most important, Indie Author Survival Guide is much more than a how-to book (although it is that). It also offers a big picture perspective on writing in general and indie publishing in particular that came at just the right time for me. My single foray into indie authorship, Oscar’s Gift: Planting Words with Oscar Micheaux, has been, hands down, the most enjoyable writing project I have ever done. What Susan has helped me to see is that the pleasure I got from writing and publishing Oscar is something I can have again. And again. And again. The missing ingredient, for me, has been confidence, as she explains:

“At some level, you must have faith in yourself as a writer…. This is fundamental, and something I expressed to the teens in my Writing While Teen workshop this weekend: You are unique. Your take on the world is invaluable. Bringing your stories into the world is worthwhile.“

We had this faith as children when we scribbled stories to share with anyone who would read or listen. Getting it back as adults means owning our creativity and, yes, our fears. It’s time for me to take my foot off the brake and proceed full speed ahead.

I am proud to say that I have survived indie publishing… and, thanks to Susan, will again, with pleasure.

Indie Author Survival Guide is available for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Connect with Susan Kaye Quinn through her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

“This book is for every author who’s thinking about indie publishing, or has already taken the leap, and wonders why no one told them about the sharks, the life-sucking social media quicksand, or the best way to avoid sales-checking, yellow-spotted fever. This is a guide for the heart as much as the head. And because I promised myself that I wouldn’t write a book about how I made a gazillion dollars publishing ebooks, I would write about the fear: owning it, overcoming it, facing it. From a person who didn’t pursue a creative life for a long time, and then discovered creativity can set you free.” ~ Susan Kay Quinn