Top Tips for Self-Publishing Authors in 2024 | Tips to be a successful indie author in 2024

I’ve been self-publishing since 2015 and a lot has changed. Here are my tips to help first-time or even second or third-time self-publishing authors in 2024:

Have a plan. Make a plan. This isn’t just a plug for my books or my videos, it is a genuine plea. Have a plan. The most painful questions I get or conversations I have with authors usually start with “Well I just started an account and hit upload” or “One person told me they did this, so I did exactly that.”

Do not wait until the book is all done to say, “How do I get this online?” Start researching. Whether it is watching YouTube videos. Reading a book on self-publishing. Listening to a podcast. Start learning and make a plan. Where are you going to upload? When are you going to upload? What about preorders? All these questions will lead to more and more. You as the publisher need to have an answer. Make a plan. Do not rush to just get it up and cross your fingers for success. Have a plan. What do any of these words mean? Welcome to self-publishing. It is a whole new language and you should take ownership and learn this stuff. What works for one genre won’t work for another.

Budget for ISBNs, a cover, and editing. When I first started I wrote little freelance articles on the side and used that money to fund my ISBNs and a downpayment on my cover. I didn’t pay for editing. It showed. You need to invest. Yes, you can do it all for free. But, I see authors flame out when they do it all themselves, bootstrap, and drive themselves crazy learning formatting, and learning design, and then when sales are lackluster they give up. Don’t do that. Budget for your success.

Learn! Have a learner's mindset. Be curious. Listen to podcasts. Stay up to date on new platforms and requirements.

Make some author friends. I didn’t do this early on. I’m still really introverted so I only have a handful of author friends now. But I’m so so so grateful for them. They encourage me. They are trying new things that I learn about through them. They support me and we support each other.

Marketing. Learn how to market your book. Learn how to promote it. Watch videos on TikTok or reels from authors who are crushing it and ask “How could I use that same strategy with my book?” Try new things, try new channels, until you find your audience.

A lot of this advice comes back to Have a Plan and Stay Curious.
There are lots of niche questions you’ll have. Ask. Below in questions, on other author forums. Ask. Refine. You’ll do great!


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