Helpful Tips for Authors Stressed by Indie Publishing

Having written my first novel during a break from paid employment,
I then wrote and published two more alongside a day job.

The juggling of work, hobbies, family, writing, and book promotion left me fatigued and frazzled, and certainly not in a place where I was truly enjoying my author activities.

I took a deliberate pause to assess why I felt so overwhelmed and to test out techniques to mitigate that. I sensed I wasn’t alone in experiencing stress from my bookish efforts, both through talking to friends and attending writing conferences. I met many authors who were like deer trapped in headlights, not knowing which way to turn next.

I Wish I’d Outlined My Non-Fiction Book More Carefully

This was my first non-fiction book so to some extent I used the project as a learning experience. I wrote a rough first draft, simply pouring out what felt important to me.

Later, I wished I’d outlined more carefully, as I had to do a lot of restructuring of the content so it made logical sense and wasn’t repetitive.

Early on, I identified my main aim with Indie With Ease was to give back to the author community, not to try to make money. So I didn’t experience much in the way of self-doubt. I sensed that I wasn’t alone in feeling overwhelmed and stressed by independent publishing, and trusted that my message was worth sharing in order to help others.

Writers Need to Get Clear On Their Goals

Early in our writing careers, I think many of us are not especially clear on our goals and how we would define “success.” It’s easy to get pulled off track by someone else’s idea of what we should be striving for.

For example, some of us have the ultimate goal of seeing our book in a local bookstore. For others, just making our work for sale online is a triumph. Others have an income figure or New York Times bestseller status in mind.

Even if we’re not clear at the outset what we’re hoping to achieve, I think it’s helpful to revisit overall goals before getting distracted or demotivated.

You can craft a long-term, enjoyable author career when you set realistic goals which are meaningful to you personally. Then,work at a steady, sustainable pace towards them.

Get the Book Written, Then Take Small, Manageable Steps

Another pitfall is allowing the feeling of being overwhelmed to paralyze us, particularly in respect to building an audience for our work.

There is so much information available for authors on what we “could” and “should” be doing that we can’t possibly cover all that ground, or at least, not without significant paid help.

I see authors getting stuck and giving up because they don’t know where to put their energy. My advice boils down to getting the book written, then to take small, manageable steps as time and resources allow. Just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do something.

Overall, I believe the biggest pitfall by far for an indie author is giving up! Indie With Ease offers a range of tools for guarding against that.

Know Yourself and Your Unique Writing Style

Indies have to be especially self-reliant and dogged about bringing a book to publication. Good decision-making on what tasks to attempt ourselves, versus where we need to seek/hire help, is crucial. Some of us are technically quite nimble, whereas others need to delegate wisely.

Equally, with the actual writing, there is so much amazing advice available, but only a fraction of it works for each personality type. I truly believe it’s fine to ignore mantras like “write every day,” as long as you find some other approach that works for you and still moves your project forward.

Authors Who Are Succeeding are Pragmatic and Persistent

I was lucky to have 15 other wonderful indie authors contribute to the book, so even during the writing process, I was relieved to hear that these struggles resonate with other authors.

It’s been inspiring to confirm that the authors who are making a go of their writing careers are pragmatic and persistent, while being steadily—not necessarily startlingly—productive.

Early reviewers are using phrases like “friendly and encouraging” and “breath of fresh air,” which are exactly what I was aiming for.

Advice for Other Writers: If you Love to Write, Keep Going

Almost everyone (in any field) who’s ever been called an overnight success by the media can point to years of “backstory” of hard work, learning, and dogged determination. If you love to write, keep going. Be kind to yourself, and remember that time fragments add up.

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British by birth, Pauline Wiles is now a contented resident of California, although she admits to an occasional yearning for afternoon tea and historic homes. An author, speaker and productivity mentor, Pauline writes light-hearted women’s fiction as well as articles on time management and organizing for creatives.

Her debut novel, Saving Saffron Sweeting, reached the quarter final in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Recognizing that many self-published authors feel overwhelmed by their writing and publishing activities, Pauline offers resources and encouragement to other indie authors. Her newest release is Indie With Ease, offering practical ways to conquer stress, boost productivity and love your self-publishing career.

For more information on Pauline and her work, please see her website, or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Indie with Ease: Are you feeling overwhelmed by all that’s involved in self-publishing your book?

Being an indie author should be a delight, not a drudgery. Indie With Ease demonstrates how a blend of clear purpose and steady pragmatism will enable you to thrive as an independent publisher. Through simple self-care techniques and a few mindset secrets, you’ll maximize motivation and minimize author anxiety.

With a down-to-earth blend of inspiration and practical steps, you will find sections on knowing yourself, getting organized, nurturing your creativity, and staying inspired.

Indie with Ease is your essential guide to well-being, productivity and serenity as an indie author. Available at Amazon.