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Writers and self-published authors can often feel like they’re alone in the world, but they are anything but. There are hundreds of blogs, websites, forums, social media accounts and services available for authors to connect with to get their daily fix of advice and interaction.
Whether you’re dealing with rejection, writer’s block, searching for professional services – such as book cover designers, editors or eBook formatters – there are places to visit on the web that are trafficked by professional authors and people with vast experience in the publishing world. You should source them out online and bookmark their pages right away.
We have put together eight of the very best resources and forums for self-published authors to check out and sign up to. You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll soon have plenty of advice to read and new connections to converse with.
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1. Self-Publishing Review
With 1,868 members at the time of writing, Self-Publishing Review is a fantastic resource for authors of all ranges of experiences and genres in the self-publishing world. You can read an abundance of articles on the subject of self-publishing from people at varying stages of their career, and if you sign-up to become a member yourself, you can write your own blog posts and get your experiences in front of 170,000 monthly readers. Interaction is rife throughout the site in the comments sections, and there are also book editing and book review services available.
The book reviews come in three different services: Classic Review ($109) – which gives you a review of more than 500 words, an Amazon widget to place on your website and the review will be viewed by 7,000 newsletter subscribers and be permanently available on the websites review database. The Lead Story Review ($249) gets your review on the front page of the website for one month – guaranteeing your self-published novel grabs the attention of readers. You can also pay $595 and get the Lead Story Review and a Fast-Track Review from BlueInk (worth $495).
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2. The Book Designer
Joel Friedlander is one of the most popular figures in self-publishing, due to his website The Book Designer – an awesome resource on how to build great books – and the community he has built both on that site and on social media (over 33K followers on Twitter).
A self-published author and award-winning book designer, Joel’s website is a go-to place for great articles on self-publishing and is especially great if you are producing books on a budget, which of course so many self-publishing authors are.
Authors can pay $350 for a 60 minute consultation with Joel, where you can ask any questions on the process of creating, distributing and marketing your books. It’s a small price to pay for such a wealth of knowledge and experience.
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3. The Alliance of Independent Authors
The Alliance of Independent Authors (or ALLi) is a blog created by self-published authors for self-published authors, and features hundreds of articles on all aspects of writing and the publishing industry from established and successful authors to guys who are just starting out and learning from mistakes, failures and first-time successes. It makes for fascinating reading, and the Guidebooks section features eBooks written by the creators of ALLi (all established authors) all priced at $4.99 and covering choosing the right self-publishing platform and opening up to indie authors.
By signing up to ALLi, authors get access to an advice forum trafficked by established authors, access to an advisor team of teachers and experienced writers and the opportunity to sign up for online talks, seminars and workshops. All services are free to members and membership ranges from $60 a year (for Associate membership – including students and as-yet-unpublished authors) to $139 a year for Professional Membership.
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4. Chuck Wendig’s Website
Chuck Wendig is an author, screenwriter, comic book creator and a champion of self-publishing. He’s also incredibly popular with authors, mainly because he dishes out the kind of advice that is devoid of all BS, which is refreshing, honest and – at times – difficult to take for some people. Does he care? Nope. But it’s this attitude that has made his blog Terrible Minds a go-to destination for authors.
Chuck’s post 25 Things You Should Know About Self-Publishing was the first time I read an article on self-publishing and made me realise that it was legitimate and a lot of hard work. It’s the kind of advice that either makes you say I want to do that or will make you run for the hills. And that is the kind of advice people should want to hear.
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5. Digital Book World
Digital Book World covers every subject of the digital publishing industry – from news to event coverage (including their own DBW Conference which takes place every year) and advice from seasoned publishers to authors. DBW also features videos and webcasts, which are available for members to download at a 40% discount of what they would cost for non-members (approx. $40 each).
Individual membership costs $99 and entitles you to a range of services, but self-publishing fans can sign up to newsletters, comment on articles and follow DBW on social media and via the blog to keep informed with all updates and posts on the digital publishing world. It all depends on personal preference and budgets, but it is worth noting that for $99 you get access to unlimited on-demand access to white papers, Roundtable and Webcast archives, and a Free Downloadable Digital Publishing Resources, including an Ebook Formatting Checklist and SEO Best Practices One-Sheet, not to mention early bird rates for the Annual Digital Book World Conference.
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6. BookLife (previously PW Select)
Publishers Weekly is one of the best resources around for authors around the world, and the advice they dish out on that site is second to none. In recent years, due to the self-publishing boom, PW have focussed attention on SP and helped to make it more legitimate and give self-publishing authors a place to meet and converse with each other at a reputable source.
Now that self-publishing has become an industry all of its own, PW has launched BookLife, a spin-off site that focusses solely on self-publishing, and split into four sections of articles: Create, Publish, Market and Business. There are also a self-evaluation section that helps authors prepare their books for self-publishing. After all, it’s a big decision to make, and BookLife understand that it’s better to delay publishing than to publish an undercooked eBook riddled with errors.
The PW Select option still exists, which gives you a range of benefits for $149 – including a listing in PW’s special announcements database, a feature placement on BookLife, social media promotion and a subscription to Publishers Weekly. It is an opportunity to get your novel in front of thousands of potential readers.
Read more:
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My Self-Publishing Journey: On Becoming an Indie Author
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DIY: How to Understand Self-Publishing Acronyms
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7. LinkedIn Groups
Facebook, Twitter and co. are the cool kids in the social media family, but LinkedIn is the social media sibling that goes under the radar but achieves great success in its own field, which for LinkedIn is definitely in the groups.
Self-published authors – and writers in general – have hundreds of groups to choose from, but one of the best is Book Writing, Self-Publishing and Marketing for Business People. There are nearly 10,000 members and they all offer support, guidance and advice, with LinkedIn providing the platform. Some of these groups are on an invite-only basis, but the majority of them will accept anyone, as long as they adhere to the guidelines.
People who dismiss LinkedIn as an online CV and not much more are missing out on a golden opportunity to find readers, meet authors and share insights about their self-publishing journey. Get involved and make sure you change your notification settings so that any LinkedIn group you join will send you emails when new posts, replies and forums are updated.
Read more:
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How Smart Authors and Writers Use LinkedIn
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Social Media for Authors: 12 Ways to Leverage LinkedIn for Book Promotion
Do you have any resources or forums that you use as a self-publishing newbie or established author? Let us know in the comments below and give them (or you) a shout out…
The post 7 Great Resources and Forums for Self-Publishing Authors appeared first on Million Pens.