Being an indie author is hard. Self-publishing a book requires much more than just writing skills. You must know how to price your book, how to market your book, which services you should invest in and much more.
The good news is that many indie authors have found success and have mastered these skills.
The even better news is that these indie authors are willing to share what they have learned with you! That means you can learn and find success in a fraction of the time.
In this post we will discuss 17 great websites for indie authors. If you want to successfully launch a self published book, improve your writing skill set or simply find motivation to get started, these website are a great place to start.
Note: These indie author websites are in no specific order.
1. Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman is a veteran of the book industry and has a proven track record. Her blog attracts over ten thousand views per month, most of which are from authors.
Her blog is targeted at both traditionally published authors and self-published authors. In fact, Jane does a wonderful job remaining neutral about which publishing route is best. Instead she focuses on teaching best practices and strategies that will benefit all authors.
2. The Creative Penn
Indie authors know who Joanna Penn is. If for some reason you do not, she found success as an indie author herself and now runs one of the best indie author websites in the world.
With over 70,000 Twitter followers and several New York Times and USA Today best-selling books, Penn has a proven track record that speaks for itself.
One of the best things about her website is the diversity of content. Oh and how much content there is! You will find blog posts, podcasts, interviews and much more. Take a second and bookmark The Creative Penn website before you continue reading.
3. DIY Author
DIY Author states that their website: “educates and empowers writers — from the curious to the committed — with tools and resources to successfully develop, publish, and market their work with confidence.” Sounds like a dream come true, right?4. The Savvy Book Marketer
Book marketing is the number one problem we have seen when it comes to self-publishing. Indie authors are capable of writing amazing books, but their marketing efforts often fall short. The Savvy Book Marketer, run by marketing expert Dana Lynn Smith is the perfect resource to help indie authors become better marketers. We can almost guarantee that you will sell more books if you follow Smith’s advice.5. EditionGuard Blog
The purpose of the EditionGuard blog is simple: help self-published authors find success, regardless how they define success for themselves. You will find blog posts covering a multitude of subjects, including: book marketing, writing tips, how to find the right professional services and much more.
6. Wise Ink Blog
Launched in 2011 by co-founders Amy Quale and Dara Beevas, Wise Ink Blog is dedicated to helping authors. With 2-4 new posts every week covering several different topics, Wise Ink Blog is definitely worth subscribing to. Quale and Beevas bring a fun perspective to the book publishing process and are very up to date with the nuances of publishing and marketing a book.7. Goins Writer
Jeff Goin’s started his blog in 2010 and has spent the last six years covering topics related to the writing process, being more creative and how to make a living as an author. If you are just getting started and are wondering how to turn your passion into a profession, Goin’s blog is for you. You will find motivation and tips to help you find the success you desire.8. Now Novel
Co-founders Bridget and Brendan McNulty focus exclusively on helping fiction writing indie authors find success. Based out of South Africa, Now Novel is supported by a dedicated and knowledgeable team. Though Now Novel covers a plethora of topics, their actionable writing advice is invaluable. Learn how to improve your writing by making your characters more believable and much more.9. Indies Unlimited
Run by K.S. Brooks, Indies Unlimited is a must visit website for all Indie Authors. One piece of advice that Brooks has for all Indie Authors is:
“Don’t publish until you have a polished product. Hire professionals to provide editing. Authors are now capable of doing their own cover design and formatting, and IU provides a lot of the resources to assist them with those. But, if authors don’t want to tackle those on their own, there are now plenty of companies out there which offer those services. That’s a big advantage indie authors have now that wasn’t there five years ago.”
We must also mention Indies Unlimited’s Thrifty Thursday deal, which allows authors to list their books for free or $0.99. If you are looking for some exposure for your books, definitely give this a try.
10. Author Marketing Experts
Run by Founder and CEO, Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts sets out to solve a very common problem that indie authors face: how can you successfully market your book without a large budget or a big team. One of the best things about this website is how current their advice is. Book marketing tactics are constantly changing and you can trust that Author Marketing Experts will make sure you know the most recent tactics you can take advantage of to find success.11. BookWorks
BookWorks is so much more than just a blog, it is a community as well. Made up of aspiring authors, first time authors and 20 year veterans, the BookWorks community and blog is guaranteed to have helpful advice for any level of author.
Some of the contributors to their blog include:
- Betty Kelly Sargent
- Penny C. Sansevieri
- Joel Friedlander
12. Anne R. Allen
Anne Allen and Ruth Harris, the creators of this website, make it very clear that their purpose is to help authors avoid pitfalls and make money. They know the unfortunate truth that a lot of people in this industry are making money from authors instead of for authors. Their about page proudly states: “We have made the mistakes so you do not have to.” I don’t know about you, but I like the sound of that.13. Social Media Just For Writers
A major component of book marketing is social media. Building an audience long before your book is launched is crucial for success. The hard part for most indie authors is figuring out which social networks to use and how to build a targeted audience that will be willing to buy and recommend your books. Frances Caballo created a website dedicated to helping authors understand social media so they can leverage it for success. All authors know the importance of social media. Start improving your skills with Caballo’s free blog.14. Build Book Buzz
Build Book Buzz’s tagline says it all:
Do-it yourself book marketing tips, tools and tactics
Run by Sandra Beckwith, a national award-winning former publicist, this website teaches authors how to publicize, promote, and market your books. If you want to get your books the attention they deserve, you have found the right website.
