The indie publishing journey: Tips, tricks and tools

To close out this blog series, I wanted to share some of my top tips, tricks, and tools that haven’t been covered elsewhere. So if you’re after some general advice about indie publishing or want to know more about the range of author tools out there, check out this final post in the series!! →

SERIES CONTENTS

🤷‍♀️ What, why and how | 💰 Business mechanics | 📝 Editors and editing | 📚 Choosing a platform | 📜All things “legal” | 🎨 Designing the book | 📈 Marketing 101 | ⚙️ Tips, tricks and tools

Final tips and tricks

To close out this series of blog posts, I wanted to share some of my top tips and tricks for indie publishing that haven’t been covered elsewhere. These are key lessons I learned through my own experience and believe can be applied to any author at any stage of the indie publishing journey.

Have fun: This sounds like a bit of a throwaway line, but it’s important. Indie publishing is HARD WORK, and it’s completely normal to sometimes feel like tearing your hair out. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the experience, though. The journey is what you make of it, so even when you’re down in the trenches, try to enjoy the ride.

Weigh up advice: You’ll probably receive a lot of advice as you work towards publication. This might be through indie author acquaintances or through resources you find online, but remember to take all advice with a grain of salt and weigh up if it’s applicable to you. What suits one author might not suit you, and that’s okay.

Make a budget: How much you spend on publishing your book is entirely up to you. While there are some unavoidable expenses, there are so many different options to suit your budget for other parts of the process. Start by setting yourself a budget of how much you’re willing and able to spend, and make decisions accordingly.

Plan your timeline: As tempting as it might be, don’t set your release date until you’ve mapped out everything you need to do and how long it will take you. The last thing you want is to set a date that ends up being unachievable. Write yourself a plan, and remember to factor in wriggle room for when things don’t go as you expect—they always do!

Useful tools

There are countless useful tools out there that can assist you with various aspects of indie publishing your book. Take the time to look into which ones might suit your needs, but here are a few of the top tools that I often employ as an indie author.

TOOL	USAGE	PAID
	A widely used online book catalogue and reviewing site. You can create an author profile and an entry for your book, which readers can add to their virtual TBR and post reviews.	NO
	Even if you don’t publish through KDP, you can use this platform to set up and customise an author page that will be linked to any of your books sold through Amazon.	NO
	An ebook distribution tool, perfect for sending out ARCs or enabling newsletter subscribers to download a reader magnet. There are various plans available to meet your needs.	YES
	This great tool helps you create 3D mockups of your book. Just upload your cover and select a single or composite image of your book as an ebook and/or hardcopy book!	NO
	There are many free stock media sites around, and this is one of them. Photos, videos, vectors, music—Pixabay has it all. Be sure to turn the AI filter on if you don’t want AI content.	No
	A more advanced stock media site including vector, photoshop, and template/mockup files. Free and paid versions are available depending on the level of access and licensing arrangements you need.	YES

Do you have any tips and tricks about indie publishing? What tools have you found useful? And last questions about indie publishing a book?