Unsolicited Wisdom From My 5-Year Self-Publishing Experience

 “You can make a wish, but then you have to do the wish. It doesn’t just happen.” -some kid

September 8, 2022 is my fifth anniversary of my being a self-published author. I did not plan to release Amp Squad on the anniversary; it just sort of happened to be a convenient day based on when all the pieces came into alignment.

In my original 5-year plan (I had a snazzy spreadsheet), I had planned to release 9 books in these 5 years, which seemed do-able, since I had first drafts of all of them. To my surprise, the muse would not be silenced, and more novels cropped up in between. Amp Squad brings my total to 13!

I have learned a great deal about self-publishing in the past 5 years (6 years, actually, because I decided to head down this road in 2016, about a year before the first release). For any of you thinking about self-publishing, here’s my unsolicited wisdom.

1. Self-publishing is not the fallback plan for people who can’t find a publisher. A lot of people put out a few queries to traditional publishers, get frustrated, and expect to self-publish without realizing how massive an undertaking it is. I made a previous post about the many hats of a self-published author. It’s a lot. You are a publisher using a single person’s work (yours) to support your entire company! It’s not the easy road. It’s just another road.

2. You do not have to publish a book a month to be successful. A lot of us are supporting our self-published author careers with a day job, and one book a year is a perfectly acceptable rate. Now that I’ve finished my New Dawn series, I don’t have a queue of first drafts anymore, so producing multiple books per year is both a time commitment and a challenge. I love writing, but part of what keeps it fresh is that I do other things and absorb other art. 

3. Marketing is hard. By far, the best thing I’ve done is align myself with author communities where advice is freely exchanged, and there’s no shame in asking a question that has been answered a hundred times because now it applies to you. My favorites are: Author Ad School, /r/selfpublish, /r/scifiwriting, and Facebook Indie Cover Project. These people *know* things, because they’re on this journey, too! Also, whenever there’s a private author community associated with a book or tool, join it. Buy at least one K-lytics report for your target genre, just so you understand the breadth of what there is to know. 

4. Hiring editors, cover artists, or anyone else to help you in your journey is a process. Do not be afraid to interview, get quotes, and ask questions. You have to work with these people, and you are the project manager. Make sure everyone knows the schedule, budget, and expectations. 

5. Your friends and family are not your target audience. Obviously, those that are fans of your genre and buy multiple books like yours are your target audience, but generally speaking, most are just buying your book to be supportive of you as a human being. But don’t take it personally if they’re not blasting about you on social media, fanning about your characters, and pre-ordering every book you write. Market to readers, discuss writing with writer groups, and let your friends and family be the ones outside who fill you with conversation and ideas, and become fuel for your art. 

I love writing and look forward to many more years of creating art. Happy reading, and be sure to check out Amp Squad! It's currently available for pre-order.