Indie Writer Resolutions for 2013

Happy New Year everyone. Here's wishing you the best in 2013!  

As 2012 comes to an end, I find myself thinking about the coming year. I don't know about you, but I expect great things from myself and my characters in 2013. To reach my personal goals, I've developed these top ten writing-life resolutions. 

10. I will write every day. (And editing does NOT count as writing)

9. I will not obsess over shiny new ideas before completing tried and true, almost finished novels.

8. I will not check sales figures more than once a day for any reason.

7. I will believe in myself and my writing.

6. I will allow myself time to read for pleasure.

5. I will give myself permission to write a crappy first draft and then further permission to rewrite that story as many times as needed. 

4. I will not be pressured to release a book before I believe it to be perfect and worthy of my fans.

3. I will continue to be thankful, every day, for every fan.

2. I will back up every version of my documents early and often in an organized way that makes them easy to recover.

1. I will try something new and stretch out of my comfort zone.

How will you turbo charge your Indie writing life in the new year? What are your resolutions?  

__________________

G.P. Ching is the author of The Soulkeepers Series, The Grounded Trilogy, and a variety of short fiction. She specializes in cross-genre paranormal stories, loves old cemeteries, and enjoys a good ghost tour. She lives in central Illinois with her husband, two children, a brittany spaniel named Riptide Jack and a very demanding guinea pig. 

Writing for Teens But Pleasing Adult YA Readers Too?

This is a struggle that many writers of Middle Grade and Young Adult literature must have. We see it in the movies all the time. You take your kid to see a Disney Movie like, TANGLED or SNOW WHITE and find that there is entertainment value for both adults and kids.

Is YOUNG ADULT and MIDDLE GRADE WRITING FOR KIDS?

Considering that most authors have to go through a vetting process of getting their manuscript to a Literary Agent who then reads and re-pitches it to an editor at a Publishing house. The editor at the publishing house reads it and then re-pitches it to the publisher to purchase.

All of these adults are reading your book that you meant for a Young Adult or Middle Grade kid to enjoy. And trust me kids and adults have very different reading perspectives.

KIDS like it but ADULTS don't

There are many cases where my kids love a book or a movie that I dislike because doesn't have the same type of substance that I'd want. There are also certain types of things I enjoy in which they read because it has a little something in it for my adult self also. Whether it's the adventure, the action, the young romance or the intelligence of the character.

THE TRUE MARKET of YA and MG

In order to meet that TRANSITION status of super love from both your audiences - because as a YA and MG author I've realized now that I have two audiences - I have the adult audience that reads YA and MG. Then there is the actual audience of Middle graders (11yrs-14yrs) and Young Adult (14yrs-17yrs) to focus on.

How does one author find that same mix?

DO IT LIKE DISNEY?

Should we? Put a lot for our kid audience in there -and consider a bit for our adult gatekeepers? Adult readers that want to relive their youth in books? What is the proper mix?

Honestly, I can't say I've figured it out yet. My teen beta readers (of which I'm lucky to have a good number) want action, adventure, a smudge of romance and more action. My adult readers want a slower pace in order to catch on to the story, figure out where they are and to savor the moments.

WHAT ARE YOUR ADULT EXPECTATIONS OF MG? or YA? and HOW DOES YOUR TASTE DIFFER from the intended audience of the genre of books you read?

Just remember while writing you will never make every reader happy, but as an artist of words we authors do try :-D

by: LM Preston, Young Adult & Middle Grade author, www.phenomenalonepress.com

http://www.amazon.com/Flutter-Of-Luv-ebook/dp/B0088ELXE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356245413&sr=8-1&keywords=flutter+of+luv

New Ereader? Try These Amazing YA Books for FREE!

Have a new Kindle, Nook, or iPad? These fabulous Indelibles books are FREE for the holidays.  Get yours!  

(Click on the cover for details!)

  

Indelible Authors Earn Amazon Top 100

Please join us in congratulating the THREE Indelible authors whose books have earned a place on Amazon's Top 100 Kids & Teens Kindle Books of 2012! To make this list, these authors kindle books had to be in the top 100 of kindle sales for the year.

 Chanda Hahn, RaShelle Workman, and C.K. Bryant, you've left an indelible mark on your readers.

Congratulations!  (And if you haven't read these three, what are you waiting for? )

Publishing Hearts Connecticut: List of Auction Items!

Publishing Hearts Connecticut auction. Created to benefit those families affected in the abhorrent events last week. Whether it's counseling or funeral arrangements.

Indelibles with items to bid on are: Magan Vernon, RaShelle Workman, Elle/Lee Strauss, Susan Kaye Quinn, Christine Fonseca, Ali Cross, Heather McCorkle, and Chelsea Cameron.

Thank you, in advance, for your kind, giving hearts. =)

Click on the link to see the entire auction list. There's a lot of great items to bid on.

Publishing Hearts Connecticut: List of Auction Items!:

NEW FEATURE: Indie Life

What is Indie Life?
Starting in the New Year, the Indelibles will host a monthly feature called INDIE LIFE. Modeled after Alex Cavanaugh's awesome Insecure Writer's Group, this will be a chance for indie authors to post about indie life, find each other, offer support, encouragement, news, helpful hints, and anything else that makes life as an indie author a little easier.

Sample Indie Life Post

You Don't Write, You Create Intellectual Property
by Susan Kaye Quinn

Recently, I realized that I'm making the transition from debut author to career author: I'm checking sales less often and making a production schedule. I'm not just treating my first book as a business, I'm embarking on a career. That career includes indie publishing for sure, possibly leveraging film, audio, and foreign rights, and maybe even a traditional deal along the way. 

Being indie means that it's easy to get distracted by all those things - the business side - to the exclusion of the creative side. But I know the most important thing I do with my time is create Intellectual Property. More than just a novel or a series, when I create a fictional world, I'm creating something that can be morphed into many different forms. Creating this Intellectual Property is hard work: it takes time to invent airships and crazy mind powers and post-singularity androids. Not to mention the characters that live in that fictional space and the adventures they embark on. But that creative work is doing something real, and done well, it adds value to the world through entertainment, inspiration, and diversion. 

A reader recently told me she was sick and having a miserable Monday. She picked up my book and started reading and was lost in the world of Kira and her life as a zero who couldn't read minds in a mindreading world. She thanked me for making her day a little better. 

As an author, I live for feedback like that - more than the sales count for the month or a new channel to sell through. Having that kind of impact on someone's life inspires me to go back to the keyboard and make sure I'm spending the bulk of my day creating the Intellectual Property that makes that impact possible. It keeps me focused on the most important part, and not coincidentally, the part I love most: the writing.

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Series, which includes three novels (Free Souls releases 12.14.12), three novellas, and a trailer. She's currently writing a steampunk fantasy romance, just for kicks. When that's out of her system, she has ambitious plans to embark on a series about the Singularity (the time when computers become more intelligent than humans) that should appeal to fans of the Mindjack novels. Or possibly play on Facebook all day. Could go either way.

How Do I Join Indie Life?
How: Sign up on the Linky at the end of this post
When: Post on the second Wednesday of the month (starting 1/9/2013)
What: Write anything indie related: something that will inspire or help a fellow indie; something that celebrates a release or a milestone; something that talks about the ups and downs, joys and heartaches of Being Indie.
Grab: The banner above to include in your posts!
Include: A bio of yourself at the end of your posts, so we can get to know you.

Because being Indie doesn't have to mean going it alone.

JOIN US FOR INDIE LIFE!

INDIE-ReCon - an online conference for self publishing!

Hi guys!

Do I have a surprise for you! :)

A small group of indie writers has pulled together and is hosting a FREE online conference on everything INDIE in Feb 2013!

Welcome to the first INDIE ReCon - Make Indie Publishing a Mission Possible

Are you curious about Indie publishing, but don't know where to start?  Or, are you already a published Indie author looking to boost your sales or expand your reach?  Then you'll want to attend a new exciting online conference happening in 2013 - INDIE Revolution Conference.  Or as we like to call it, INDIE ReCon.

INDIE ReCon is happening online from February 12-14, 2013.

INDIE ReCon is a FREE, ONLINE conference that is modeled after the awesome annual WriteOnCon. It is designed to help any writer or author who is curious about the ins and outs of Indie publishing. 

However any author or writer can attend because we cover topics all of you may want to know more about (marketing etc)

Everything from the pros and cons of Indie publishing, essential aspects in creating a high-quality book, successful online marketing, and expanding into International markets. 

We will feature over 30 guests that include industry experts as well as some of the bestselling adult and young adult authors in the publishing industry today including: Bob Mayer, Hugh Howey, M. Leighton, and Samantha Young (just to name a few).  

For three days, INDIE ReCon will highlight new topics every hour (sometimes every half hour) for 8 hours a day which will include interviews, blog posts, vlogs, and live online chats.  You'll receive advice from authors, bloggers, marketing partners, cover designers, editors, and more.  You can check out our line up of topics and guests on our website.

Did we mention it's FREE and ONLINE? Well, there's more. Tons of Giveaways! There will be awesome giveaways from each and every speaker and partner. This will include books as well as services like free book designs, free editing, book development services, marketing prizes, and more. 

So mark your calendars for Feb 12-14th!

But, more importantly, sign up now with your email and we'll be sure to send you updates, news, and reminders as the conference gets closer so you won't forget. 

You won't find this much information (or excitement) about Indie publishing anywhere else. The hosts, partners, and presenters are all giving their time and knowledge for free for one simple reason: they're excited about being Indie and they want to help you decide if it's right for you too.  

You can already sign up on the home page to receive updates and news.

We hope you join us at INDIE ReCon - where we'll help you make Indie publishing a mission possible!

See you there!

Founders/Hosts:

S.R. Johannes

Ali Cross

Laura Pauling

Jessie Harrell

Heather McCorkle

Cheri Lasota

Special thanks to our partners:

ALLi

Bibliocrunch

IndieReader

Kindle Fire Department

World Literary Cafe

Deadline, feels like I'm going to lose my mind

I haven't written a FIRST book since 2005. That's when I finished the first draft of Glimpse - it was 30K, a family saga, and nowhere near being an actual novel. I didn't know that, though - my background is in monologue and play writing -I was just stoked I'd told the story I'd set out to tell.

Fast forward to now, almost exactly seven years later, and I'm trying like hell to finish Found, another novel set in the Zellie Wells world. (I've written other firsts in between, but nothing novel length.)

I can't shake the feeling that all the experience I've gained in the last seven years, all the time I've put into becoming a full-fledged AUTHOR, is keeping me from finishing Found.

Sometimes it sucks to know too much. To be aware of all the mistakes you're making while you're making them and not be able to stop yourself from correcting them right then and there.

Found is a cool, interesting story that I want to write - only I can't get away from comparing it to Glimpse and trying to not do all the things I did wrong with that book all over again.

I thought if I approached the writing of Found in a completely different way - if I made a more detailed outline than I ever had before, if I used a beat sheet, if I set a timer and wrote without self-editing - that I could get over myself.

Instead, I've lost myself. There's not as much of me in Found as there is in Glimpse.

Glimpse has around one thousand written reviews across all platforms, with an average of 4 stars. It came out in 2010. When I read my reviews on Amazon (I stopped reading them everywhere else) I pay most attention to the 3 star, middle-of-the-road ones.

From these I've learned that my pacing isn't great, my use of slang is annoying, and that I don't describe things as fully as readers would like. And everyone hates Zellie's mom. :)

So, I thought that by working on making these things better, in addition to having other books under my belt and knowing what I was doing this time around, that I could bust Found out in two months.

My first self-imposed deadline was August. Then October...November...now it's hopefullybyChristmasfirstweekofJanuaryatthelatest.

Some of my heel-dragging stems from life stuff - I didn't have any kids in 2005, my dad had a heart attack and my parents who usually help me out a ton now need my help ( which I'm more than happy to give!), I signed my kids up for way too many activities, and I've committed to working out at least four times a week.

Therefore, when I get a chance to sit down and write, keeping in mind all of my new rules, following my beat sheet, trying not to self-edit...it's about as fun as getting a colonoscopy.

I read this post by my friend, and probably yours, Megg Jensen and it did make me feel a little better.

What I'd like to hear from you all is: How do you get better technically without losing the joy?

I'm stumped. I'm bummed. And I'd really like to have a new book out in time for all those new e-readers! (Psst. I'm at 40K and have an editor that will read it anytime, so all is not lost.)

                                                                                                                                                                  

Even though she can't finish her latest novel, Stacey Wallace Benefiel can push press 55 lbs. forty-eight times. So, there's that.

Coming full circle as a self-pubber

(Magan circa her first pregnancy 2010 with authors Claudia Gray, Kiersten White, and Sophie Jordan)

 

 

 

When I decided to go the indie route I was completely delusional. No joke I thought I'd put up my first alien book and be the next Amanda Hocking. It didn't exactly go that way and I went through some stages of grieft.

 

1.)  I suck

That's the first thing that went through my head. No wonder my books wont sell, I'm a terrible writer, blah blah blah. But I had a supporter group of writer friends that pushed me to keep going.

 

2.) Everyone else sucks

 

This is where it got really sticky. I put out a ton of money for ads, new covers, all this other stuff and my books didn't sell. So I started attacking other others. "How does her book sell so well? IT SUCKS!" It wasn't one of my finest moments and it just made me angry and not fun to be around.

 

3.) Maybe I'll try something else?

 

I think this was my turning point. This was the moment I decided to put out My Paper Heart on a wing and a prayer. I thought maybe it would be nice to at least have another book on my shelf and then the sales blew me out of the water. The fans of the original alien books weren't as excited about a New Adult contemporary, but from it I found a whole new crop of fans.

 

4.)  OMG this other Indie author is awesome, buy her books!

 

I'm going to have to give it up to Chelsea Cameron on this one. I approached her about being critique partners and that was when I got a sneak peak of My Favorite Mistake. I was blown away by her writing and wanted everyone and their mom to read her book. She probably just made the NY times best seller list because I wouldn't shut up about her.  (Actually she wrote an awesome book that's how she made it).

 

Yeah, it looks that simple when I write it in these four steps, but there was a lot of heartache before I came full circle. There are still days that I wonder if it's worth it to keep writing. Those are the days that I go to my Twitter or check my fan emails from people that say they love my series. I may not be one of the self-pubbers with a six figure deal or hitting the New York Times best seller list, but at this point I'm super exciting for those that have.

 

Maybe someday I'll get there, but for now I'm going to keep writing and keep being a cheerleader for all my self-pub brothers and sisters. We can only hold on to so many grudges for so long and there is no reason to be angry at someone for doing well. If I fall back down, I know my fans are there to help me back up again.

 

Have you come full circle as a writer or an author? What are your set backs?

 

 

******************************************************************************

Magan Vernon is a Young Adult and New Adult writer who lives with her family in the insurance capital of the world. She is in a very serious, fake relationship with Adam Lambert and constantly asks her husband to wear guyliner. He still refuses. She also believes her husband is secretly an alien, disguised as a southern gentleman. You can find her online on her blog or purchase her books through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. She also blogs and talks about randomness here.