Articles & Resources for Indie Authors
For Indie Authors
Welcome fellow writers! I'm the CEO of Frontlist and I'm excited to share these resources with you. If you have any requests, thoughts or recommendations, please feel free to reach out.
Welcome fellow writers! I'm the CEO of Frontlist and I'm excited to share these resources with you. Please feel free to reach out.
Build Your Own Launch Strategy
Answer 7 questions about your goals, get a detailed strategy
Book Launch Budget Calculator
Get a general sense of costs for book production and launch
Book Launch Timeline Calculator
Covers the key milestones from first draft to launch day
All The Ways to Get Your Book Published (And Some To Avoid)
All The Ways to Get Your Book Published (And Some To Avoid)
So you wrote a book, and now you need to know how to get it published? Traditional publishing? Hybrid or vanity publishing? Self-publishing? Below we’ll define each of these and see how they compare.
Self-Publishing Costs & Budget (2024)
Self-Publishing Costs & Budget (2024)
Everyone says “never pay someone to self-publish your book” but then… they also say “self-publishing is expensive.” What gives?! Both are true. Here's a comprehensive look at the costs of getting your self-published book to market.
I Wrote a Book, Now What?
I Wrote a Book, Now What?
Picture this: you've finally finished writing that book that's been consuming your every waking moment. You're ready to share it with the world, but hold up – what’s next? Don't worry, my fellow wordsmiths! Here’s a birds-eye view of the steps involved, with links to dive in more.
Should I Self-Publish My Book?
Should I Self-Publish My Book?
Whether you should self-publish your book or pursue traditional publishing depends on your goals, the nature of your book, your resources, and your willingness to take on various responsibilities. But first and foremost, you have to pass the money test. Here’s a decision flowchart…
Your Publish Date Is Not Your Launch Date. Change My Mind.
Your Publish Date Is Not Your Launch Date. Change My Mind.
Launching requires absolute certainty that your book is online and ready to be promoted on a specific date. Alas, there's a ton that can cause delays between when you hit publish, and when your book is ready to launch. Enter: Silent Publishing. Your new best friend.
Organize Your Book Launch Into Work Streams
Organize Your Book Launch Into Work Streams
If you’re struggling under the sheer amount of work to do for your book launch, if you’re jumping around from app to app to get things done, or even if just figuring out what to do in the first place has got you tied into knots, then work streams may be the solution for you.
Publishers, Printers and Distributors. Oh my.
Publishers, Printers and Distributors. Oh my.
From author to publisher to marketer, indie authors cover many roles. Yet we're each just one person tackling the world, book in hand and hope in the heart. It's not just us authors who wear many hats, though. Once you step foot into the Print-On-Demand world, you'll find everything seems a bit overlapped there, too.
Most Common New Author Questions And Their Answers
Most Common New Author Questions And Their Answers
It happens in writers' forums everywhere between here and Farfoodle. Folks are minding their own business, when in swoops someone with a question that makes everyone's heart go out to them a little. These are the newbie questions. They are VALID questions, just really hard to answer in a comment thread.
1. What You Can And Can't DIY When Launching Your Book: Editing
1. What You Can And Can't DIY When Launching Your Book: Editing
As an indie author, you’re basically DIY-ing the publishing process. But that doesn’t mean DIY-ing every single aspect of your book project. Editing, design, and illustration can be expensive – which of these can you reasonably do yourself, and which are better left for the pros? In this article, we'll dig into editing.
2. What You Can And Can't DIY When Launching Your Book: Design
2. What You Can And Can't DIY When Launching Your Book: Design
Part 2 in a 3-part series on what you can - and can’t - do yourself as an indie author. Part 1 covered DIY editing. This article goes over the two different types of design work that go into book production, and what that means for you as an indie author.
3. What You Can And Can't DIY When Launching Your Book: Illustration
3. What You Can And Can't DIY When Launching Your Book: Illustration
This is the last in a 3-part series on what you can - and can’t - do yourself as an indie author. Part 1 covered manuscript editing, part 2 covered book design, and this final article goes over how to approach illustration for the three main genres that use them.