Building Your Craft

THE STORY GRID BY SHAWN COYNE​

The authoritative source for information on the components of a story, and the structure that all great stories—whether it’s To Kill a Mockingbird or Silence of the Lambs—share, as well as clear guidance on how to achieve that structure in your own story. I especially recommend the early episodes of the very entertaining podcast Shawn does with Tim Grahl.

Guiding Your Publishing Journey

JOANNA PENN, THE CREATIVE PENN
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Joanna is the person who started me off on the indy voyage, and I’ve modeled much of my own career on Joanna’s lead. Her website is packed with useful information and I highly recommend her weekly podcast, The Creative Penn. If you support Joanna via Patreon (www.patreon.com), you will get access to her monthly Q&A episode.
Joanna has lots of great resources, but I personally benefited tremendously from Audio for Authors, in which she covers opportunities related to audiobooks, podcasting, and voice technologies. I agree with Joanna that audio is the wave of the future--one that indy authors are advised to capitalize on!
Alliance of Independent Authors /
ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS
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A non-profit membership organization in support of all things indy. They provide a range of resources, including podcasts oriented to varyings levels of indy publishing experience, blogs, contract reviews, writing and publishing service discounts and much more.
SELF PUBLISHING WITH DALE

​Dale L. Robert's YouTube video about how to publish books that sell are as entertaining as they are informative. You can also check out my conversation with Dale in Episode 034 of The Indy Author Podcast, Connecting through Video.
JANE FRIEDMAN'S THE HOT SHEET
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The Hot Sheet is a subscription newsletter that is worth every penny to anyone interested in staying up to date on the indy publishing industry.
WRITER'S DIGEST

Every issue of Writer’s Digest is devoted to helping writers develop their craft and offering expert advice on how to get published. This magazine is full of pertinent tips on writing queries, writers' rights, new markets, submission guidelines, and competitions.

I especially enjoy Elizabeth Sims' articles; click here for an interview I did with Elizabeth on The Indy Author Podcast on "Frugal Tips for Writers."
AUTHOR SUPPORT NETWORK FACEBOOK GROUP
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Popular indy romance author Marie Force founded this Facebook group: “For indie, traditional and hybrid authors to share information and ideas in a supportive, nurturing environment. It's tough out there, let's make it easier on each other!” Marie is a great force to have on your side!

Launching & Navigating

ESE LIBRARY MARKETING SERVICES

Sales to libraries is an opportunity that indy authors are better positioned than traditional authors to pursue, and Eric Simmons of ESE Library Marketing Services has made a study of how to approach libraries, and who the best contacts are. I've had great success expanding my library sales by using Eric's library contact database.
NICK STEPHENSON, YOUR FIRST 10K READERS​
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​Nick's online course takes an in-depth dive into how to attract your first 10,000 readers, with modules like Rule the Retailers, Drive Endless Traffic, Convert Traffic into Subscribers, and Engage Your Audience. Nick's advice is action-oriented and specific. What I especially appreciate about Nick is his willingness to share examples from his own business--he's a thriller writers as well--including sales statistics and income.
BRIAN MEEKS, MASTERING AMAZON ADS

Brian's book Mastering Amazon Ads will walk you though how to run ads, manage ads, analyze ads, optimize your description for improved conversions, and build a long-term plan.

As an added bonus, purchasing the book gives you access to Brian's private Mastering Amazon Ads Facebook group.

Cover Design

JUAN PADRON
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If you write in the thriller, suspense, paranormal, sci-fi, or horror genres, I can’t recommend Juan’s book cover design services highly enough. He designed the covers of Rock Paper Scissors, Snakes and Ladders, and The Iron Ring​, which I love, and he is extremely easy to work with. Click here to learn more.

Writers' Groups

The following are writers organizations I belong to. Some are genre-specific and some are geographically specific, but they give you a flavor of the many organizations that offer community and support to writers in many genres and in many locations.
SISTERS IN CRIME (NATIONAL AND LOCAL CHAPTERS)

I belong to the Delaware Valley and New England chapters of Sisters in Crime as well as the national organization. S in C DV, whose meetings I attend, manages to line up a stellar selection of speakers at their monthly meetings. If crime is your thing, this is a great group to join.
www.sistersincrime.org
MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA​

This won't apply to everyone, but membership in an organization of authors of similar genres and similar interests provides a support network and a source for ideas on the creative and business sides of indy publishing. Mystery Writers of America has been very supportive in helping me get the word out about my books to its membership. Look for similar organizations in your genre!
BRANDYWINE VALLEY WRITERS GROUP

If you don’t live in the Brandywine (or at least the Delaware) Valley, this specific writers group might not be a viable option for you, but I’m using this as one example of the many fine writers groups that are available—just go to meetup.com and search to find ones in your area. And if you are in the Brandywine or Delaware Valleys, stop on by! You’ll find a friendly, welcoming group of writers from all genres and all levels of experience.
www.bvwg.org

Conferences

INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS THRILLERFEST CONFERENCE

​International Thriller Writers organization is not going to meet the needs of every writer, but conferences like the annual ThrillerFest in New York City are an invaluable way to network with others in the industry. ThrillerFest especially enables attendees to meet and talk with some of the biggest names in the thriller genre, and encompasses Master Craft Fest, Craft Fest, Thriller Fest, and Pitch Fest.
www.thrillerwriters.org