Last updated on 14 April 2024
Last June, I was asked by the organizers of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference to set up a Q&A opportunity for folks with questions about the Indy Publishing world. I met with a couple of dozen folks. Questions ranged from the very intro, what is Indy Publishing, to how does it differ from traditional, to some very nuts and bolts questions on software and platform building. It was a blast.
They got enough positive feedback, and continued interest, that I’ve been asked to come back again this year to do the same. So I’ll have a table in the main room, with a signup sheet, for 15-minute sessions. I’ll block out whole mornings and afternoons to provide opportunity for folks But, because I’m also a working writer, I’ll want to attend some workshops myself. Thus I won’t be there 100% of the time. Check-in at the table for availability; there will be a limited number of sessions, no more than a ten per day.
This year, drum roll, please, in addition to the one-on-one sessions, one of the conference’s long-time workshop facilitators, Marla Miller, who has for years conducted workshops on platform and self-promotion, has asked me to co-lead her session on Wednesday, June 12th. Topic, Navigating the Indy Publishing world. I’ll do an intro, speaking in general terms to what Indy Pub is, Where you can start navigating it yourself. And highlight some of the more common paths for folks to follow. I’m hoping, however, the majority of the two hour session will be question and answer. You know better than I what you want to know.
The Indy world is an ever changing landscape. One of the big new pushes is direct sales. It’s not as daunting as you might think. There are solutions, including print-on-demand services, that allow a small press – and yes as an Indy Author you are a small press – to successfully sell direct to your readers.
Please bring your questions.
On the business side of things….
I’m experimenting with something typically called a reader magnet. Offer a free book or short story in exchange for folks joining your newsletter’s list. In 2019, Bayonet Books published a short story in the Genesis Renewed universe as part of the From the Ashes Anthology. #IceteroidSurvivors is an alternate starting point. I’ve polished up the story a bit, put a cover on it, and posted it in epub format with a service called BookFunnel.
I have not and will never share your information with a vendor. BookFunnel facilitates the delivery of digital formats, such as ebooks and audiobooks. It also provides a platform for authors to collaborate on promos to build their newsletter’s readership.
I’ve joined a promo that starts April 15th, and goes for a month.I will be among twenty or more authors who have joined the Apocalypse in April promo, offering a free electronic story. Some of these covers intrigued me.
To take a look, click here, (NOTE LINKS WILL NOT BE LIVE UNTIL 4/15) If you find something of interest, share your email address with that author, and expand their mailing list. If the book or the author’s newsletter isn’t to your taste, you can unsubscribe with a click. Because you were here first, if you would like a copy of this short story, send me a note, and I’ll forward a link to download it to your Kindle reader. Or you can click the link, and enter your email address to download – don’t sweat it, I’ll de-duplicate so you don’t get multiple copies of this newsletter.
On behalf of the authors in this promo, thank you in advance for your support.
If you want to keep up with my writing world, click here, join my newsletter list, and get an update monthly direct to your inbox.