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February 13, 2012

How Do You Brainstorm? [Discussion]

A brainstorm is like this, but in your mind... (photo by powazny)

Whether you’re writing a novel, poem, short story or non-fiction title, your body of work has to begin with one, simple idea. One thought — be it a question, a fact, a character, or a word — is all it takes to launch a series of ideas that you plant, nurture and grow until your idea has blossomed into a full blown story. We all have different ways of finding these ideas (or sometimes they find us) and different ways of expanding on our ideas once we have them.

So our question this week is: How do you brainstorm?

We want to know how you go about brainstorming your work from the very beginning, including:

  • How do you clear your head before brainstorming?
  • Do you write down an idea as soon as you think of it, or let it simmer in your head for a while?
  • Where do you find inspiration the most?
  • Is there a specific brainstorming technique you use to get the creative juices flowing?
  • Do you ever struggle to come up with ideas or do they come to you constantly?

To join the discussion, please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input!

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. 

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January 30, 2012

How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book? [Discussion]

For a more in-depth look at self-publishing costs, check out How Much Does Self-Publishing Cost? The Ultimate Guide.

One of the most common questions we’re asked from authors looking into self-publishing is: how much does it cost? The truth is, the costs of self-publishing vary wildly and are highly dependent on which publishing route you take (eBook vs POD vs traditional printing), your personal skills and abilities (can you design your own cover or interior layout?) and a myriad of other factors that are as individual as the author herself.

So, we want to hear from our author friends: how much does it cost to self-publish a book? Tell us:

  • Approximately how much have you spent on all phases of publishing your book (editing, design, publishing, marketing, etc)?
  • What format was your book published in (eBook/print/both)?
  • Where did you spend the most money? Was it worth it?
  • Looking back, where do you wish you spent MORE?
  • What cost more than you originally anticipated? What cost less?
  • Time is money, too — how much total time do you think you’ve spent on your book? Include all phases of publishing, or break it down into phases.
  • Was your investment worth it (in terms of money, time or both)?

To join the discussion, please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input! Note: We know that money is a super-personal issue, so, of course, just share whatever insight and information you feel comfortable with.

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. 

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January 16, 2012

More Useful: Facebook or Twitter? [Discussion]

Without a doubt, Facebook and Twitter are king and queen of the social media world. As you dive in, however, it becomes apparent that their audience and use are supremely different!

While the general view is that Facebook is more personal and in-depth, whereas Twitter is more timely and broad, both can be useful in advancing your indie author career. This leads us to ask the question: which is more useful to you? Tell us:

  • Do you use both Twitter and Facebook? Or just one or the other? Or neither? Why?
  • In your view, how are the services similar? How are they different?
  • Does your social media strategy differ between the two services?
  • Do you have separate accounts for personal and “career” (author) use?
  • Does the amount of time you spend on the services differ dramatically?
  • If you could only choose one service (Twitter or Facebook) to continue using, which would it be? Why?
  • What advice would you give to other authors considering one or both services?

Please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input!

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. 

Also, if you have any favorite posts about Social Media, be sure to check back on Friday for our Self-Publishing Linkup on that topic!

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September 7, 2011

What’s Your Self-Publishing Endgame? [Discussion]

You can’t deny it — everywhere you look, love for indie authors is growing. Some authors get into self-publishing to give readers choices outside of traditional big publishing, while others self-publish to bide their time before receiving that elusive traditional publishing contract. So, we want to know: where do you stand? Tell us:

  • What’s your self-publishing endgame? Are you building a name for yourself through self-publishing while waiting for a traditional publishing deal, or are you sticking to the indie path permanently?
  • Has your view on self-publishing versus traditional publishing changed as your publishing experience has evolved?
  • How do you feel about self-pubbers who have gone on to receive traditional publishing contracts? Is this evidence of the relavence of self-publishing or are these authors “selling out?”
  • What advice would you give to other indie authors struggling to define their publishing path and goals?

Please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions and mention the discussion to your indie author friends — we’d love to get varied input!

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. 

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August 1, 2011

How Do You Support Your Fellow Indie Authors? [Discussion]

Heart in HandLet’s face it: self-publishing is a difficult path to take. Contrary to what we often hear, for those serious about sucess, the process is anything BUT easy. Getting involved with the online writing community helps make your journey easier, but you inevitably run into a situtation were you’re asked to support those in te community with you.

There are endless options for supporting fellow indie authors, whether it’s lending a friendly ear, offering advice, purchasing a book, offering a review or posting a comment on a blog post. We want to hear your ideas, though! Tell us:

  • How do you support your fellow indie authors?
  • Do you feel pressure to help out other indies, or does it come easily to you?
  • Have you found favorite authors through the online indie community?
  • Do you offer honest reviews/opinions of fellow indies’ work? Do you feel obligated to be positive?
  • What’s the most common way you find indie authors to connect with?

Please leave a comment below addressing any (or all) of the above questions. Also, please send the discussion along to your friends whether they’re authors or not — we’d love to get a varied input.

What do you think?

We LOVE hearing your thoughts via our discussion posts! To keep up with all future installments (in addition to the great content from the rest of the month), subscribe to our RSS feed. If you’d like to help support indie authors, consider becoming an Indie Ninja — support starts at only $4/mo (you could totally find that in  your couch cushions)!

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