AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF POETRY AND fiction
RESOURCES
SUPPORT GROUPS
My WordyNerdBird blog offers a number of articles written to help Indie Authors navigate the complex world of social media and marketing. My advice is given free of charge, and is based on my own experience of what has worked for me.
Whether on Twitter or Facebook, or any other social media where you can pin a post, you should. Frankly, I'm surprised at how many people don't. Here's why.
Is being a writer just a pipe dream? Can I legitimately call myself a writer if my writing is not my main source of income?
Being an Indie author is a huge learning curve.
There is one factor, more than any other, to which I attribute my survival and gradual success.
The question I hear most from aspiring authors is, "How do I write a bestseller?"
If I had a dollar for every time I have face-palmed over glaring errors of spelling, word choice or punctuation in someone else's social media posts, I would be considerably richer than I am today.
As people who promote ourselves as writers, it's crucial that we don't make those mistakes.
Many people still wonder how to use #hashtags properly.
Today I'm offering a few tips that I've picked up along the way, in the hope of clarifying when and how to use hashtags to your advantage.
My aim in this post is not to give you every hashtag that writers use, but to provide you with a functional list of the most common, and therefore the most valuable.
The choice between being either the low point or a bright spot in someone's day isn't so complicated.
These are by no means the only Indie author support groups on Facebook.
They are, in my opinion, the best for support, encouragement and co-promotion.
The Indie Writers' Cooperative
This group is not for book promotion. It is for writers to connect, share, discuss and encourage.
The group also hosts events in which members can promote their books.
Indie Authors and Book Lovers
This group is for book promotion, news, events, updates, cover reveals, discussions, and any other author interactions.
The group also hosts events in which members can promote their books.
Kindle Bookworms
This group is for book promotion, news, events, updates, cover reveals, discussions, and any other author interactions.
The group also hosts events in which members can promote their books.
Scribes and Bibliophiles
This group is for author support and discussions.
The group also has weekly posts where members are encouraged to follow one another's social media links and share each other's books.
Read Self Published
This group is for book promotion, news, events, updates, cover reveals, discussions, and any other author interactions.
The group also hosts events in which members can promote their books.
This group is for book promotion, news, events, updates, cover reveals, discussions, and any other author and reader interactions.
PODCASTS
Again, these are not the only Indie author podcasts available.
They are, in my opinion, those that I have found the best for support, success tips, and encouragement.
The White Room with E. Rachael Hardcastle.
This videocast has weekly episodes featuring Indie authors giving their writing, editing and marketing tips, and sharing insights into the writer's life.
You can follow by subscribing on Youtube.
Write On with Tom Falwell
This fortnightly podcast features Indie authors talking about their books and their experiences as writers, as well as book reading excerpts and book reviews.
You can subscribing at Podbean.
The All Indie Writers Podcast by Jennifer Mattern. This podcast explores a huge range of topics relevant to both freelance writers and Indie authors.
You can listen via the website or subscribe via your favourite podcast app.
The Self Publishing Podcast
This podcast offers practical tips and advice for writing, editing, publishing and marketing your book.
You can listen via the website or subscribe via your favourite podcast app.
What podcast app should I use?
There are probably hundreds of apps available for your device. How do you choose the best one?
Your device will probably come with a podcast app already loaded. That's a good place to start. Try them out and get a feel for how it works.
Then, if you want something that looks different or has more options, you can try another app.
The Voice of Experience:
I have used both Downcast and Podbean with great success.
My favourite is Downcast. However it's not available for Android at this point in time.