Photo: Carnoodles | Flickr
Contrary to what your imaginations (and ours) might have been conjuring up for the last few months, Toni and I haven’t shirked our Duolit responsibilities to spend more time at the beach. We are just as pale as ever and believe it or not, we really miss you guys. Lately, we’ve just been spread thin (yes, we know it’s not the first time we’ve used that excuse).
But this time is going to be different because we have analyzed the two biggest problems for our Duolit community as a whole and come up with a mutually beneficial solution: Indie Ninjas.
Problem #1: The self-publishing industry is esoteric at best, frustrating at worst.
We created Duolit to provide indie authors worldwide with guidance, advice and an assortment of services to make the self-publishing process an easier and more successful experience. Since the company’s inception, we’ve been awed by the sheer size of the indie writing community and thankful for the appreciation its members have shown us.
We love sharing our knowledge with you guys and the thing is, we have so much more to give. These lapses in new content are unacceptable to us. We want to be a consistent and steady source of support while also providing a growing resource of tools, tips and tricks for finding indie success.
So why can’t we just suck it up and do that for you guys?
Problem #2: We forgot to water the money tree.
Photo: Shutter Operator
Just like you guys, we work regular full-time jobs in addition to everything we do for Duolit. And just like you guys, we have difficulty finding time between work, family, eating and sleeping to put together informative blog posts, keep up with our social media accounts and create innovative new tools for our writer friends.
We hoped that our services and publishing packages would keep the money tree watered and fertilized while we provided information and tools for free. But in this economy, everyone’s money trees are getting a little thin. We completely understand that, which is why we’ve come with up a plan to use all of our individual leaves to grow a bigger, better tree for everyone.
Solution: Be a ninja—more specifically, an Indie Ninja.
Photo: R'eyes | Flickr
Throughout July, we’ll be unveiling a grassroots Duolit and indie writer support group we call the Indie Ninjas. If you can help us out, we’ll help you out with even more information and services about self-publishing, all for very discounted rates or just completely free.
Here are some of the services we’re going to add to Duolit in the coming months:
- Ninja Talk: Share your self-publishing experiences, ask questions and connect with your fellow indie authors through our new Duolit Indie Ninja forum.
- Ninja School: Get your learn on with six week eCourses and workshops on the topics important to you—writing, publishing and marketing. Interactive and detailed, these courses will offer in-depth knowledge you can use for self-publishing success.
- Duolit Scholarships & Giveaways: From Moleskine notebooks and Cross pens to financial scholarships to put toward your self-publishing costs, you’ll have the chance to enter and win some great prizes from Duolit.
- Writer’s eRetreat: Come together for a weekend dedicated to all things self-publishing with scheduled workshops, live discussions and more from the Duolit team and a few special guests.
The above services are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the plans we have to add more resources to our weekly blogs, podcasts and other writing tools. Over the next few weeks we’re going to give you more details on all the benefits you can receive as an Indie Ninja.
In the meantime, just know that we missed you guys and we promise we’re back for good!
– Shannon and Toni
What do you think about the Indie Ninja program (well, this little taste of it)? Does it sound like something you’d like to be a part of? What could we include that would make it irresistible to you? Let us know in the comments!
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