Today’s topic is focused on inspiring you as a self-published author.

As I’ve continued to write books over the last few years, I’ve realized that the self-publishing author journey calls for a long-term mindset.

I started writing and self-publishing back in 2013. And so my journey has evolved over the past nine years.

Watch the video or continue reading the blogpost below to be encouraged in your journey as a indie author…

My writing journey began by writing a historical romance series which took a ton of time to research in order to get the historical facts right. Not to mention this was my very first book, which for most authors, takes longer than usual to write. In my case, it took me quite awhile to write and self-publish those books.

After the first two books in that series were finished in 2016, I started writing the nonfiction books for writers — and I was podcasting and interviewing successful self-published authors — which I really enjoyed. It was so fun to chat with and get to know all these wonderfully inspiring indie authors from so many different places in the world.

In the meantime, I self-published another historical romance novel.

It wasn’t until 2018 that I had the idea for a contemporary sweet and clean romance series I wanted to write based on fairytale retellings. But I wanted to write these fiction books under a pen name.

With the first book in that series published in March 2019 and another 2 books in that series published by the end of that year, I was starting to earn my 1st 4 figure months by the end of 2019.

Since then I have continued to write and self-publish and am now consistently earning 4 figures a month with my pen name books alone.

Looking back, it realize it would have been great to figure out the strategy on how to be a successful self-published author much earlier… but that wasn’t part of my journey.

Instead, I learned these lessons after I had already been self-publishing for five years.

Which is why, I want to share with you what I’ve discovered, in hopes that it will shave years off of the time it takes you to be successful as a self-published author.

Here are my three tips to begin your successful journey as a self-published author:

1.Write books in a series and in the same genre.
2.Self-Publish consistently.
3.Learn to truly understand and engage with your readers and connect with them.

I’ve added more of my lessons learned below from my self-publishing journey.

Every choice you take affects you over the long term as a self-published author.

For example: With social media or if you listen to podcasts or watch YouTube, you can pay attention to what other self-published authors are doing.
You can see some authors who are making$5000 or $10,000 dollars a month with their first book.

Sometimes when we seeing other authors who are doing that, we begin to compare ourselves negatively to those authors and it can begin a downward spiral.

But, I want to encourage you to look at it in a different light.

Here are some possible reasons why authors earn more money with their first book:

1.They might have had a big launch that month — and that’s why they made a lot of money that month.
2.Or most of their money might have been spent on Ads… so their success isn’t quite as real as it seems. For instance, if they earned $10,000 that month but they spent $8,500 on Ads, they only earned $1,500 profit.
3. However, even if it is rare, once in a while it does happen where a self-published author is an overnight success.

That overnight success — isn’t what happens for most indie authors.

For most authors, it takes time to find your true voice – what you truly want to write — and it takes time to find your audience and readers who really love the books you write.

Here’s a Big Tip: Be patient with yourself.

This is something I’ve really had to learn as a writer.

There is lot of time put into writing and self-publishing your books.

Anything long-term, will be a Journey.

So it’s important to celebrate small wins.

Celebrate wins such as:

• I finished this chapter.
• I finished the novel.
• I edited my novel.
• I uploaded my first book on Amazon.
• I gained my 1st 10 readers
• I earned my first $100 dollars in book sales.

 

You are on your own Individual Journey as a writer and as a Self-Published Author.

It can take a couple of years of writing and and self-publishing before you really find your writing voice and understanding how to write a series — and how to get better at the craft of writing.

It is really rare for an author to have a one-hit-wonder where they make a lot of money with their first book.

I want to encourage you to give yourself grace — and don’t judge yourself for writing slower or self-publishing slower.

So many people say they want to write and publish a book — but the percentage of people who are actually doing it and pushing past doubts and fears to finish their book — is less than 20%.

Be patient. And really try to celebrate every step. You are getting close to the vision you see of your future as a writer and self-published author.

If you are in a negative loop – worrying about if your writing is good enough or worrying about what people think… stop.

Tell yourself — I am exactly where I am meant to be. I am working hard at learning the writing craft; and I am consistent and committed to writing this book.

The journey as a self-published author is a long-term and it’s more fun if you focus on your accomplishments and each step along the way — it helps you to feel more grateful.

Wherever you are in the journey as a writer right now, tell yourself you are doing well. You are committed to continue to learn writing, editing, self-publishing and to be consistent and committed as a writer.

Simply, by showing up everyday and writing your book, you’ve already won the day.

So stick with it. Don’t give up.

You can do this!

And remember… find your joy and passion as your write your stories!

Happy Writing! 🙂