“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” — Warren Buffett Once your book is written, formatted, covered, and uploaded, the next question becomes obvious: how much will you actually earn? For many new indie authors, KDP royalties can feel confusing. You may see royalty percentages, delivery costs, printing costs, page reads, Kindle…
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci For many new indie authors, publishing an ebook feels manageable. Digital books are flexible. The text can reflow. Readers can adjust font size, margins, and display settings. If you need to update the file later, the process usually feels less intimidating. A paperback feels different. Once…
“A tool is only as good as the person who uses it. But a great tool gets out of the way and lets you do your best work.” — David Heinemeier Hansson Once your book is written and formatted, a new concern takes center stage: how the book looks to potential readers. For many indie…
“The hardest thing is to keep a close watch on your thoughts; the next hardest is to keep a close watch on your words.” — Eckhart Tolle Most self-publishing mistakes are not dramatic. They usually do not come from laziness, lack of talent, or some fatal flaw in your author dream. More often, they come…
“The way we measure productivity is flawed. Productivity shouldn’t be about doing more; it should be about creating systems that allow you to do what matters.” — Ali Abdaal Once your book is written, edited, and formatted, your role begins to shift. You are still the author, of course. But now you also become the…
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” — Warren Buffett Book formatting is one of the first places new indie authors worry they might make a costly mistake. You finish the manuscript, or at least get close enough to see publication on the horizon. Then a new set of questions appears. How…
“A tool is only as good as the person who uses it. But a great tool gets out of the way and lets you do your best work.” — David Heinemeier Hansson, Creator of Ruby on Rails and Basecamp Choosing from the 12 best writing tools for indie authors can still feel overwhelming if you…
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” — Mark Twain Most new indie authors enter Amazon KDP with excitement, hope, and a whole lot of confusion. At first, self-publishing sounds simple. Write the…
“AI gives writers the ability to break out of old patterns and routines, offering fresh perspectives and novel approaches to creative challenges.” — David Ryan Polgar, Tech Ethicist and Writer As an indie author, it is easy to focus on what is right in front of you. Finish the draft. Revise the book. Publish the…
“AI is the new electricity.” — Andrew Ng, computer scientist and entrepreneur Most indie authors spend their time trying to finish, publish, and promote the book. That makes sense. There is always something urgent to do. What often gets overlooked is a bigger question. “If your tools changed tomorrow, if you had to step away…