Be Your Own Boss as an Independent Author

By Ann Omasta

Do you want to write a book? Have you written a book, but aren't sure what to do next? Would you like to sell your book to readers online––even while you sleep? 

 

If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, this guidebook will unlock hot tip secrets, reveal common pitfalls, and lead you on your path to success.

 

We live in unprecedented times with incredible opportunities for writers––anyone can write a book and post it for sale on the internet. Easy-peasy, right? It can be… with the right help.

 

This book will guide you through the process of making your precious book baby available for sale to the world via the major online vendors. Once your book is published, the marketing fun begins. 

 

In this book, you'll benefit from the author's 5+ years of experience in this business, during which she has published over 30 books, hit the USA Today bestseller list multiple times, and made nearly every mistake imaginable. She openly shares exactly what to do (and what NOTto do) in order to thrive in the independent author business.

 

Becoming an indie author is one of the most challenging, rewarding, demanding, life-changing, and fulfilling dreams imaginable. There will likely be mind-boggling highs and devastating lows. Let this book be there to help guide you, answer your questions, and build your confidence along the way. YOU CAN DO THIS.

 

Your dream awaits… Download this book and jump-start your goal of becoming an indie author right now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Love Publishing House
• Release date: Mar 4, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386355892

Ann Omasta

Ann Omasta is a USA Today bestselling author.  Ann’s Top Ten list of likes, dislikes, and oddities: I despise whipped cream. There, I admitted it in writing. Let the ridiculing begin. Even though I have lived as far south as Key Largo, Florida, and as far north as Maine, I landed in the middle. If I don't make a conscious effort not to, I will drink nothing but tea morning, noon, and night. Hot tea, sweet tea, green tea––I love it all. There doesn't seem to be much in life that is better than coming home to a couple of big dogs who are overjoyed to see me. My other family members usually show significantly less enthusiasm about my return. Singing in my bestest, loudest voice does not make my family put on their happy faces. This includes the big, loving dogs referenced above. Yes, I am aware that bestest is not a word. Dorothy was right. There's no place like home. All of the numerous bottles in my shower must be lined up with their labels facing out. It makes me feel a little like Julia Roberts' mean husband from the movie Sleeping with the Enemy, but I can't seem to control this particular quirk. I love, love, love finding a great bargain! Did I mention that I hate whipped cream? It makes my stomach churn to look at it, touch it, smell it, or even think about it. Great––now I'm thinking about it. Ick! ** I would LOVE to send you a free copy of my novella, Aloha, Baby! Visit annomasta.com for details. ** Stay up-to-date on new releases and insider info by liking / following Ann: - Facebook: facebook.com/annomasta - Goodreads: goodreads.com/annomasta - Bookbub: bookbub.com/authors/ann-omasta - Website: annomasta.com

Book preview

1

A Super-Short Introduction

Why should you listen to me? Do I have all the answers? Absolutely not. Have I been around this business for several years, studied everything I could get my hands on, made loads of mistakes, and learned from them? You bet. Am I going to share that knowledge with you in this book? Yep.

This book is loaded with the helpful tidbits, massive pitfalls to avoid, and useful tips that I wish I had known when I was starting out. I learned all of this the hard way, but you don’t have to because it’s all right here in an easy-to-digest format.

Still doubting me? Here are the boring credibility statistics… I have over 30 books published, I make a living from my books, and my name has hit the USA Today bestseller list on more than one occasion. Blah, blah, blah.

But you’re not here to get to know me. (That’s just an added perk of reading this book. Haha!) You are here because you want to learn about becoming an independent author, so let’s dive straight in to the good stuff…

2

WRITE Your Book Right Now!

Are you ready for a HUGE publishing secret? We might as well jump right in with the juicy goodness, right? The one thing that will set you apart as an author is actually sitting down (or standing, if you have a TreadDesk) and getting the words into a document.

It sounds so simple… write the book. But of the hordes of people who have told me they would like to write a book ‘someday,’ very few have. Take that novel from a partially formed idea floating aimlessly around inside your head and put it on paper (or computer file or audio recording). That simple task will put you leaps and bounds ahead of the ‘someday’ folks.

Does your first draft need to be perfect? Absolutely not. Any issues can be fixed later, but before any problems can be addressed, there needs to be a physical draft. It can be a beginning document that needs nearly every sentence to be rewritten or reconfigured. Your draft can be so rough that it would cut through glass. It’s still a starting point, which is precisely what you need to move forward.

Write that first draft however you prefer… longhand, laptop, typewriter, crayon, audio recording, etched tablet. It doesn’t matter how you do it, just do it (as our friends at Nike would advise).

There are two main categories of writers. In the biz, we lovingly refer to them as plotters and pantsers. The plotters––as their name suggests––plot out the entire story. They often use a detailed outline, which then leads them along as they write––like a step-by-step guidebook––from their riveting opening scene to the satisfying grand finale. Pantsers, however, prefer to wing it. They might have a general idea of the basic storyline, but they prefer to wait and see how the characters choose to get from point A to point B, rather than dictating it for them in advance.

Which type of writer are you? You might be a mixture of the two, like me. I prefer to have some key plot points that I want to cover, and I usually have a basic one or two-page outline of where the story is going. From there, I start writing and see where the characters want to take me. They often have surprises in store for me along the way.

Hot Tip: A super-helpful plotting resource that I’ve been using lately is the book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. I don’t know the author or get anything for plugging her book. I’ve just found it to be an incredible guide to make sure I’m hitting essential plot points, especially when I get lost in the middle.

Should you plot, fly by the seat of your pants, or combine the two? That is completely up to you. There isn’t a right or wrong way. Rather, whatever feels right to you is what is right for that story. You might even find that a particular story calls for you to veer away from your normal pattern, and that’s perfectly fine.

Experiment with both plotting and pantsing to see what works best for you. The beauty of being an independent author is that this story is your book baby, so you can write it any way you see fit. No one else in the world could write this story exactly like you can, so embrace your unique life experiences and have fun honing your talent. You might surprise yourself!

Stop simply dreaming, thinking, and talking about your book. Go write it. Right now. Oh, wait! I’m changing that to: ‘Start writing as soon as you finish reading this book.’

3

What Exactly Am I Writing?

If you already have your perfectly grand book idea, good for you! Start writing. If you have more than one fabulous book idea and aren’t sure which one to start with, or if you’re simply not sure what you want to write, I’m here to help.

One of your first decisions should be whether you want your book writing to be a hobby or a business. If writing is a hobby that you enjoy, and you truly don’t care if you make any money at it, then write whatever you want. Enjoy your license to pure creative freedom. Whether you never sell a book or end up selling truckloads, you will have fun creating the exact book you want. Writing purely for fun is a productive stress reliever that will leave you feeling like you accomplished something marvelous. Kudos.

Making money from your books is a perk that I’m assuming almost anyone would enjoy. If you would prefer to write books that provide a greater chance that other people will want to buy and read them, then your best bet is to find that sweet spot between what you want to write and what readers will purchase. This will take some research, but have no fear… it’s the fun kind of research.

Presumably, if you want to be a writer, you are already an avid reader. Use your mad reader skillz (with a z) to peruse the competition. Look up the Top 100 books on Amazon in the sub-genre you are considering writing in and discover what appeals to you.

It’s a good idea to be very familiar with books in your genre. Read similar books to yours. Not only is it fun, but it is also research to make sure you are in line with genre expectations. Everyone needs reviews on their books, so pay it forward on any books you read by leaving a review.

I always write books that I would enjoy reading, and I think that authenticity rings true in the work itself. If you love reading thrillers, but decide to write a romance, even though you don’t enjoy romances , because you think a romance will sell better, readers will sense your insincerity about the genre. Readers are very astute, especially voracious ‘whale’ readers, who read multiple books a week. They can spot a fake from miles away.

By looking at the Top 100 books in your selected sub-genre, you are discovering what is selling right now. The goal is to find that optimal cross-section where what you want to write overlaps with what is selling.

Do you want to copy exactly what someone else is doing? No way. Ideally, you want to put your own spin on something that is already doing well in the market––something that readers are desperately craving more of that is in short supply.

Am I saying that you can’t be a trailblazer and lead the market where you want it to go? Absolutely not. In fact, I hope you do exactly that. But if you can find a trope or storyline that you are passionate about writing that already has a ravenous reader market, the results are likely to be magical!

As you are writing, keep the reader in mind. You might think 3 pages of backstory and description are needed in order to get into the meat of the story, but by then, you will have lost many readers.

Make sure your opening sentence and paragraph are intriguing. You want the reader to be compelled to continue. Ideally, each paragraph and chapter will hook them into the next.

The online book vendors will give customers a sample of the beginning of your book. That sample needs to be so riveting that they immediately click to purchase your title so they can finish reading the book. If that sneak peek is filled with loads of details and backstory, readers are liable to yawn and move on.

Am I saying that every word of your story needs to be enthralling? Nope. To be believable, a story can’t be all action, adventure, and intrigue. In order to keep it real, there needs to be some normality.

Maybe your character chomps gum, wears purple tennis shoes every day, or drinks Diet Coke 24/7. These types of unique traits will humanize your characters and make them more relatable. Humans have quirks and flaws. Let your characters’ freak flags fly