The indie publishing industry is changing.
Of course, it’s always changing, but there’s a seismic shift happening in the indie publishing community right now. Many authors are pulling back from public engagement (with other authors), retreating to smaller groups for more intimate connections. The industry is maturing. The scammers are multiplying like rabbits, and there’s a turn toward more and more shady tactics… as if respectable commerce isn’t enough any more for success (hint: it is — you don’t have to be a scammer to succeed).
Writing FICTION has always been my business, with this advice-giving aspect a secondary For Love piece. I love seeing people embrace their art and grow their business. But in this new climate, there are plenty of information sources on how to successfully publish a book–one simply has to look (and work hard to avoid the scams).
There’s less about how to live a creative life successfully.
So my focus is turning there. I’ll continue to blog about the intersection of life and art and business as the inspiration strikes me. As I told one fellow author who asked when my next indie-publishing book was coming out, I’m living the book right now. So I’ll continue to share that journey with you. But the books I have out are quickly aging–as advice in this business tends to do–so I’m going to unpublish them as of February 1st.
IN BOLD SO YOU DON’T MISS IT
BOOT CAMP and FOR LOVE OR MONEY will unpublish on February 1st.
If you want them, grab them now.
CHANGES IN THE BLOG
I’m reorganizing the blog as well to be more of a true blog–an ongoing repository of my thoughts on the intersection of life, art, and business. Some of the older information that’s out of date will be purged.
If you want those updates, you should subscribe to the blog. I won’t be sending out newsletters as often, so subscribing to the blog is the best way to get those posts – see the sidebar to subscribe.
CHANGES IN THE NEWSLETTER
The newsletter will be reserved for things of a timely nature–ie something that I think everyone should know about RIGHT NOW. But it won’t be a duplication of the blog posts, so see above about subscribing to the blog.
Rest in Peace, Ursula
MY PERSONAL JOURNEY
While I’m jumping into the cave with both feet, withdrawing a bit from the public sphere (although definitely not entirely), my personal journey is only accelerating. 2018 is the year I’m investing a lot in my art–both time and money–growing my skills, seeing how far I can go, where my potential can reach.
The loss of Ursula K. Le Guin–a giant among SF authors who personally affected me greatly–has hit me hard. And made me double down on thinking about where I’m going with this writerly thing. What kind of writer I want to be. What kind of impact I want to have.
Staying centered in the joy of the art, the fullness of living, is critical for me. If I’m doing that, I’m doing well. And I fully believe that when you live life like that, the effects are manifold. It’s the tugboat vs. lighthouse analogy I used once to describe how you can be a force for good in this indie publishing world.
I’m going to be a lighthouse for a while and see how bright I can shine.
Peace and Love,
Sue
You always inspire me, Susan. Excited to watch where this next step in the journey takes you.
Sounds like big changes and an exciting chance to re-focus! Thank you for all the help and advice you’ve shared. Your contributions will live on in a thousand different ways, I’m sure.
Thank you for your thoughts and inspiration. Shine on 🙂
Holding my face toward the light and believing! Thank you. I needed to hear this today *reflecting love and light*
When you unpublish your books, will it affect the eBook copies I bought through Amazon? Do I need to do anything to make sure your books don’t disappear from my Kindle? Thanks!
No, any purchased kindle books will stay with you. You just won’t be able to buy new copies, if you don’t already own them.
Your generous sharing of information help launch me off of dead center. I will always be grateful for you wisdom and insight into the industry. I’ll remain challenged to continue to improve my craft to the level which you have taken yours. Blessings.
Thank you for all of your generous giving and sharing of insights Susan. A true gift. I wish you all the best in the next leg of your Journey. Love and light, Ron
I understand why you might not want to publish additional books on writing/publishing advice or feel compelled to update the material you’ve written, but why remove them? Or why not just put them out there for cheap or free? Sorry to ask if this was covered elsewhere, but I only discovered your blog a few days ago, and now I’m surprised the books are gone.
Because the information ages and then I’m essentially giving you BAD advice. Which is not productive. If you’re super determined, you can probably find copies of the paperbacks on ebay or distributors or somewhere. But you’re probably better served to seek out other more current resources on the mechanics of publishing and marketing.
That said, I’m open to the idea of repackaging some of this content in the future, extracting out the bits that are evergreen advice. Or perhaps writing something entirely different. We’ll see.
Thanks for all the sharing you’ve done over the years. I’m confident your future will be bright! (Christy, from Erica and Christy… years ago.) You’ve helped me a lot along the way and I’ll always be grateful.