My take on the Indie Author Project

It took three months for me to write BETWEEN WILL AND SURRENDER, the first book in my “Enter the Between” visionary fiction series.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that it took fourteen years to transform it from a first draft into an art form.

Fourteen years of studying and practicing the craft of writing.

Fourteen years of research, of fleshing out my story, of sharing it with beta readers and critique groups, of editing and revising, of formatting and establishing a publishing imprint.

In other words, I spent fourteen years turning a skill into an artistic pursuit.

And now it seems that maybe all that learning and all that work may have been the easy part.

What I know now

You’ve heard the expression, “If I had known then what I know now…”

Well, I know now that…

• 600,000 to 1 million books are published each year in the US alone and as many as half or more are self-published.
• on average, Indie authors sell less than 250 copies of their books each.
• there is only a one percent chance of a book being stocked in a bookstore.
• self-publishing, in many cases, is an exercise in futility and obscurity.
• and, no one, except me (and maybe my mother in heaven) cares about my book.

Celebrate each milestone event

In spite of this all, and maybe because of this, I plan to celebrate—even exploit—each of the milestone events in my life as a writer to the furthest possible extent.

In 2019, for instance, I celebrated—and plan to exploit to the furthest possible extent—

• the publication of the fourth and final book of my “Enter the Between” visionary fiction series.
• my 70^th birthday (Believe me, there are advantages to being a senior, and I’m not just talking grandchildren, Medicare, and social security).
• my discovery of the Indie Author Project.

Indie Author Project

In May of 2019, I read an article by Jane Friedman titled “Identifying the Best Self-Published Books by State: The Indie Author Project.”

At the end of her article, Jane included a link to The Indie Author Project website, and since I’ve come to trust Jane Friedman over the years, I figured it was safe to follow the link and check it out.

I skimmed over the information about the project, as well as their Select Ebook collections and Library Print editions. All looked good (plus, I trusted Jane not to steer me wrong), so given the opportunity to share my book with my library to help increase exposure and expand my readership, I opted in.

Then I checked out the Indie Author Project Contest and figured, since I was already committed, I might as well take the next step, so I submitted my book there as well.

I must admit, over the days ahead, I had second thoughts about the whole thing. Jeez, I had just sent off the PDF file of a book I had spent fourteen years writing and perfecting to a project I knew little about, a project that could turn out to be one giant rip off!

Then I reminded myself that Jane Friedman had sent me there and it was too late to turn back now, so, I put it out of my mind.

California Author Project

Four months later, I received an email from Emily Gooding, the contest coordinator for the 2019 California Author Project, that my book, BETWEEN WILL AND SURRENDER, had been chosen as a finalist in the adult fiction category.

Hey, maybe this project was legit after all.

One month later, I received another email from Emily, this time saying that Between Will and Surrender was chosen as WINNER in the adult fiction category. She said I would receive a winner’s badge, details on marketing and promotional opportunities, plus a prize of $500.

$500? Wow! I’d have to sell 250 books to earn that kind of money.

When the check arrived, I wanted to keep it as a souvenir, but I also wanted to cash it quickly to see if it was legit.

It was.

Which meant that this Indie Author Project was legit as well.

Thanks, Jane Friedman.

Awards reception

Then all winners were invited to the Indie Author Project awards reception during the 2020 Public Library Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville? Yikes. I’m an author, a home body, who rarely leaves my home town, let alone my home state. Going to Nashville was totally out of my comfort zone. Fortunately, I have a sister as a cheerleader. “This is a big deal,” she said. “You only live once.”

So, I booked a plane and a room at the lovely Omni Hotel in Nashville.

And, oh, I’m glad I did.

I met Emily Gooding (Community Engagement Manager, Indie Author Project), Mitchell Davis (Founder and CEO Biblioboard), Alissa Bankowski (Creative Director at BiblioLabs), Roy Serraro (Library Relations Manager, BiblioLabs), and at least twelve of the other Indie Author Project winners from all over the United States.

Nothing like meeting people face to face to see it they’re legit.

And they were.

Translate into sales?

Now, for the big question: Will all of this translate into sales?

Well, I figure that’s up to me.

That’s what I meant earlier about celebrating and exploiting each of the milestone events in my life as a writer to the fullest possible extent.

If the Indie Author Project is legit (which it is) and they chose my book as a winner, that makes me legit as an author.

Plus, at 70 years old, I don’t have much to lose. Take, for instance, the fact that I convinced Alissa Bankowski to let me snag the huge poster featuring the Indie Author Project winners, and then I convinced Southwest Airlines to let me take it on board during my flight home.

And you know what? I sold five books in the process. People were so relieved that I wasn’t petitioning them for something (with that big poster) that they asked all kinds of questions about my award-winning book.

Plus, after reading about my Nashville trip on Facebook, a local book club chose my book for their next month’s reading.

Thank you, Jane Friedman.

And thank you, Emily Gooding, Mitchell Davis, and everyone at the Indie Author Project.

You are not only legit, but I consider you my new friends as well.

Take care, dear readers, and thanks for stopping by,