The Bottom Line

We’re Shannon and Toni, two gals who help authors sell books by providing resources and services for all things related to publishing, author branding, book design, and marketing.

Why do these gals think they know everything?

Glad you asked! To be honest, we don’t know everything, but because of our educational backgrounds, experiences and innate curiosity, we do know quite a bit about the self-publishing process and helping you sell books.

All of our services, tools and advice are designed to make the self-publishing process easier and more successful. We offer a variety of ways to get the information you need, whether it’s through our free tools like the blog, podcasts and character generators or through our Indie Ninja forum and school (coming soon!) where we offer six-week eCourses on topics like social media and writing motivation. Visit our services page to learn more about what we have to offer!

About the “Duo” in Duolit

Shannon: Author, sports fan and fried pickle lover.

In a nutshell:

• Holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in sports administration from Florida State University.
• Wrote and self-published her first novel, I’ll Be Home for Peacemas in 2008.
• Has previous work experience with government and private sector employers working in public relations, graphic design and marketing capacities.
• Lives in St. Augustine, Fla. and is currently at work on her second novel.
• 2010 NaNoWriMo Participant

What Shannon can do:

• Sympathize with the highs and lows of the writing process.
• Help you plan a successful marketing campaign before you write a single word for your book.
• Beat the pants off of you in a game of Scrabble.

What Shannon can’t do:

• Walk away from a plate of fried pickles (She’s half Alabama-ian, it’s in her blood).
• Successfully execute even the most basic math equation without a calculator.
• Stop herself from correcting poor grammar (it’s “could NOT care less”).

Toni: Computer whiz, design guru and sci-fi nerd.

In a nutshell:

• Holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising and a master’s degree in information technology from Florida State University.
• Has work experience in graphic design and web development for several state and local entities including the Florida Department of Agriculture.
• Boasts an excellent knowledgebase of marketing and branding concepts.
• Lives in St. Augustine, Fla. and spends her spare time hanging with her hubby, dabbling in the garden and making all-natural soap.

What Toni can do:

• Develop author or book branding that allows you to stand out from the crowd.
• Create a professional website that will connect with and grow your reader base.
• Talk your ear off about the latest marketing strategies — and how they help you sell books.

What Toni can’t do:

• Drink an entire glass of water without spilling some on her shirt.
• Go a day without throwing a Frisbee to her puppies, Sadie and Sam.
• Put down a good dystopian novel for just about anything.

The Bottom Line

We love working with fresh, exciting authors who wish to take advantage of the opportunities new media affords them. If you’re excited about the self-publishing process but either 1) don’t know where to start or 2) want to leave it to the experts — let’s get started!