Many people are curious how I became an indie author. Some ask because they want to join in on the fun; others are simply curious why I chose to self-publish rather than go the traditional route.
Before I really begin, let me define what it means to be an indie author. There are two categories that people generally fall into. An indie author is someone 1. who publishes through an independent publisher (small publishing house as opposed to mainstream houses like Penguin or MacMillan), and 2. who self-publishes through services like Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) or Ingram Spark.
I fall into the second category where I have self-published through KDP. It is a very easy process and anyone can do it! (Caveat: due to the easy access, there are thousands upon thousands of books. If you think your book is quality level, then in order to stand out from the rest I recommend spending hours and hours on your cover if you can’t afford to pay someone. Obviously proofread and edit your manuscript with as many eyes as you can. I will post more on this aspect of my indie author journey in another post.)
I published my first title at the end of February of 2020. Besides the actual writing and preparing of documents, the whole process took less than 30 minutes. In the blink of an eye I went from aspiring author to a self-published one! It is still surreal that you can find me on Amazon or Google. It’s been an incredible first few months and will only continue to be so!
But how did I get here?
If you peruse this blog, you will find the evidence of that answer. My first serious plunge into this fantastic world of writing and publishing began when I took upon myself a challenge to write flash fiction derived from a prompt. Often the prompt was only a few words, but I had to craft a compelling tale that was limited to about 750 words. You can read many of my stories that were written through this prompt-delivery and see what it’s all about.
That’s where I want to bring you, my reader and author friend. Maybe you’ve been stuck in a rut creatively. Maybe you have published a book through these formats, but you have lost yourself in the sea of other writers. Maybe you have just hit writer’s block and need a new creative method to get your creativity juices pumping.
I have gone through Amazon and picked out a handful of books that present authors with a good selection of prompts and writing challenges. Every book will be less than $10, so it should be affordable on any budget. And if you take these ideas and create your own original content, then you could easily make back that money and some when you publish through KDP! So view these books as an investment in your future!
Disclaimer: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Price: $6.99
Why do I love it? -
First off, there are 5,000 prompts ranging from plot, blog ideas, poetry, mythology, journaling, and more! When I first started my prompts, I used a random blog that had about 100 prompts that inspired me to write. I made it through less than 25% before I realized I couldn’t write much more than that. I either didn’t feel a connection to the remaining prompts or I felt that weren’t original enough.
First off, there are 5,000 prompts ranging from plot, blog ideas, poetry, mythology, journaling, and more! When I first started my prompts, I used a random blog that had about 100 prompts that inspired me to write. I made it through less than 25% before I realized I couldn’t write much more than that. I either didn’t feel a connection to the remaining prompts or I felt that weren’t original enough.
With this book, if I stick with using only 25% of the prompts, that’s 1,250 ideas that I can still use! That would give me a little more than 40 additional anthologies that I can publish through KDP or Ingram Spark! With such a wide repertoire, readers will have a greater chance of finding something they love in your books and then recommend it to their friends. It’s a win-win all around!
Added bonus: When you buy this book, you will get Great on Kindle credit of $1.75--which means you can use this credit towards any other purchase labeled “Great on Kindle.” (Hint: There’s another one on this list!)
Price: $2.99
Why do I love it?-
Why do I love it?-
This book takes a slower approach to the creative process. Instead of bombarding you with a whole flood of prompts that you have to then sift through, this book gives you 365 prompts, ideally for a daily writing challenge.
Therefore, instead of working towards writing an anthology, these are more of ways to warm-up before you begin your writing. Every body needs practice, even authors! That’s why it’s important to dedicate yourself to practicing your art, even on something that may never be published. Which, I might add, might be better. Instead of starting a cold draft of your writing, you can craft a short story through these prompts, working out any creative kinks you may have, and then proceed onto your own book! That way there’s less of stagnant writing in your novel that needs to be edited and more “WOW” material to inspire the rest of your book!
3. 125 Romance Writing Prompts: Story ideas and Images to Inspire Fiction Writing by Milani Sloane.
Price: $2.99
(or $1.24 if you buy 5,000 Writing Prompts first.)
3. 125 Romance Writing Prompts: Story ideas and Images to Inspire Fiction Writing by Milani Sloane.
Price: $2.99
(or $1.24 if you buy 5,000 Writing Prompts first.)
Why do I like this book?-
As mentioned above, this is the other title that is on the “Great on Kindle” listing. While it does not advertise a credit when you purchase this book, if you purchased 5,000 Writing Prompts, then you will have $1.75 to use towards this book! That makes it only $1.24 for this amazing book!
If you are a romance author, then this is a good resource for you to have. Not only are there written prompts for you to craft your next romance story, but there are also images for you to pore over and withdraw the energy of the Muses for your own book.
4. 500 Fantasy Writing Prompts by Erica Blumenthal.
Price: $2.99
4. 500 Fantasy Writing Prompts by Erica Blumenthal.
Price: $2.99
Why do I love it?-
Being a fantasy writer myself, this is especially important to me. Even if it’s just to write something that leads to another completely different thing, I love writing flash fiction based on fantasy prompts. Gleaning from some of the examples, I can already come up with a short story on angry gods warring against each other, a linguist with the gift of communicating with flowers, and more!
This book is definitely worth a shot to see where the ideas can go! Whether you take the prompts at face value, or throw in your own curve ball for originality, these ideas are a great way to kickstart your writing life.
5. 1,000 Genre Fiction Writing Prompts by Kate M. Colby
Price: $3.99
5. 1,000 Genre Fiction Writing Prompts by Kate M. Colby
Price: $3.99
Why do I love it?-
This collection of prompts is a great addition to any writer’s library because it deals with 10 genres, delivering a bonus 100-question character worksheet to develop your characters! Whether you write Sci-Fi or romance, there are prompts in here for you! And since we have we confined ourselves to only one genre? So, dive right in and mix-and-match these prompts to craft your Fantasy-Thriller, Romance-Horror, and more!
Kindle Unlimited
One of the best ways to improve your writing is by reading! Whether you read exclusively indie or mainstream, there are ways to glean skills by immersing yourself in the world of literature. It is important not to copy or mimic, but explore how words are used to convey emotion or learn new words to improve the depth of your tale!
The number one, easiest place to read is your local library! With your free library card, you can dive into all sorts of worlds, whether they be genre fiction, nonfiction, or simply photographic essays. There is no limit to the wealth of knowledge you can amass!
The next best thing is using Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription which is sort of like a digital library where you can read almost anything you want (over a million titles) with only the subscription fee.
Almost every indie author I know publishes a book on Kindle Unlimited (I, too, have my books available through KU!), but so do authors like Suzanne Collins, John Grisham, Erik Larson, Ann Patchett, and more!
With your first two months free, you can read to your hearts content! After that, it’s only $9.99 per month. Think of all the money you’ll be saving on Kindle Unlimited books!
Know a booklover? You can also gift them with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. A perfect birthday gift or a “just-thinking-about-you!” surprise!
Happy reading!
-Kevin Barrick
You can read my book in paperback, ebook, or Kindle Unlimited!
Happy reading!
-Kevin Barrick
I'm pretty sure I already have a couple of those. Ultra cool reviewing!
ReplyDelete'Why do I love it?' looks like my type. These look like really good recommendations, thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDelete