3 Key Elements That Help an Indie Author Career

Networking locally and online in addition to conducting research and planning a publishing timeline are the key elements that help authors’ careers

Indie Authors are still fighting to be seen in a crowded marketplace and to be taken seriously by readers who are still skeptical of self-publishing.

So planning, determination, and networking are areas that Indie Authors should be working to improve to make their names known.

What some authors don’t realize is that three key elements bring these Indie Authors to the forefront.

Networking Locally and Online

When the word networking is put out there, many people picture handing out business cards and meeting business owners for future events.

While this is true to an extent, there are two components to networking that people don’t think about. Mainly because it’s easier to set their focus on one over the other for the majority of their time.

So let’s look at these separately:

Networking Locally

This is the time to figure out what your community and the communities around you have to offer you and them in return.

For example, if your book is a children’s picture book about flowers, you may look into:

• Holding a book signing at a flower shop

• Signing up to be a vendor at a nature festival

• Focusing on booking reading your book and facilitating activities based on the book at schools and libraries in Spring and Summer when it works into lessons and learning time

• Create learning kits about flower life cycles, coloring sheets, branch-off lessons, and more for families to print off and use with your book

Or, what if your book is a zombie apocalypse-style book set to release around Halloween time:

• Could you be a vendor at a Halloween attraction in your area?

• Could you be a vendor at a local fair?

• If your book fits certain criteria, could it pair well with a book club?

• Are you able to place copies in Free Little Libraries around your area?

Considering what is happening in the communities around you and seeing how your book fits into that is a great way to network locally and possibly create some connections for future events and opportunities.

Networking Online

Networking online takes just as much effort as doing so locally.

This could look like:

• Starting conversations with other authors, readers, publications, magazines, and more on social media

• Creating a connection with an online news outlet that may post about your book in the future in terms of release or reviews

• Researching, following on social media, and building connections with book bloggers/ reviewers

• Building a following on social media platforms

• Building a newsletter subscriber list

When you take the time to connect with other people online and maintain this over time, there are endless possibilities that could pop up for you.

Researching the Market

It is wild how many authors publish a book and are disappointed when it doesn’t do well because they didn’t take the time to:

• Research other popular titles in their genre

• Create a list of keywords to add to their marketing and book description to help readers find their book

• Create and test covers with readers to see what does well and what doesn’t

• Seeing what topics are trending in your genre and how you can market your book for them

In addition to researching the reader market, you are going to want to research the numerous publishing platforms available to authors.

If you haven’t published before, you will need to learn the ins and outs of publishing for the first time and what platform will be the best for you. But if you have published before, it could be the time to see what else is out there because things could have changed since the last time you published.

Planning a Publishing Timeline

As ready as authors usually are to send their books out to readers, there are a ton of steps that need to be put into place for that book to get into their hands.

One of the best things that you can do for yourself is create a timeline for your book. This timeline can include:

• The ideal date you want to finish your first draft, second, and third drafts by

• The ideal date you want to send it to the editor

• The ideal date you want to publish your book

• Dates for location, character, description, and cover reveals

• When you want to have your cover created

• Dates you want to begin contacting potential ARC readers and Book bloggers/ reviewers

• Or even a date you want to reach a particular word count

Because, when you create this timeline, you give yourself goals to reach. But the beautiful thing about this timeline is that it can be flexible…it can be changed if needed down the road.

I want you to keep in mind when creating this timeline that there is no pressure. Because we need to keep in mind that there will be times when you become stuck on a plot problem, or that life throws us a curve ball throwing a wrench in that timeline.

When you put this publishing timeline in place, you keep track of all the little boxes you need to check to ensure you are releasing a polished product.

Indie Authors want to make a name for themselves, which is wonderful.

However, remember this:

• It’s a marathon, not a sprint

• Network locally and online to create connections for yourself

• Research your genre, the market, and publishing platforms

• Plan out your publishing timeline to ensure you are releasing a polished product that has an audience you built