THE INDY AUTHOR
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  • Podcast
    • 171 - Outside-the-Box Content
    • 170 - Creating a Winning Workbook
    • 169 - The Do's and Don'ts of Working with Book Bloggers
    • 168 - How to Write from Trauma
    • 167 - Good Habits and Accountability Groups
    • 166 - Plotting with an Unreliable Narrator
    • 165 - Strengthening Your Fiction with a Premise
    • 164 - What Writers Can Learn from Short Fiction
    • 163 - Year End: The Writing Craft And The Publishing Voyage
    • 162 - Book Marketing Lessons from Beyond the Book World
    • 161 - Choosing Your Publishing Path
    • 160 - Mistakes Writers Make about Police Roles
    • 159 - Backstory: Mountaintop or Valley
    • 158 - What Writers Can Learn from Remote Workers
    • 157 - Literary Citizenship
    • 156 - Character Development Through the Pain and Promise of Life
    • 155 - The Benefits (and Costs) of Membership
    • 154 - From Screenplay to Novel and Back
    • 153 - The Importance of a Professional Photo and Video Presence
    • 152 - The Three Stages of Story
    • 151 - Setting Your Creative Horizons
    • 150 - Hands-off Merchandising for Authors
    • 149 - Using Vulnerability to Feed your Creativity
    • 148 - Making the Most of In-person Events
    • 147 - Writing for Audio
    • 146 - Managing Writing with a Full-time Career
    • 145 - Speech to Text and Back Again
    • 144 - Reaching the Right Readers through Email
    • 143 - Getting into the Mind of Your Audience
    • 142 - A New Era for Novellas
    • 141 - The Value of Collaboration
    • 140 - Troping Your Way to a Stronger Story
    • 139 - Mistakes Writers Make about Forensic Psychiatry
    • 138 - ROI for Authors
    • 137 - Using Podcasts to Support Your Book Launch
    • 136 - Looking Forward in Indy Publishing
    • 135 - The Importance of Specificity
    • 134 - How Horror is the Genre of Hope
    • 133 - Creating an AI-narrated Audiobook
    • 132 - From Big Idea to Book
    • 131 - The Color Wheel of Characterization
    • 130 - Outsourcing Your Content Creation
    • 129 - Moving for Creativity
    • 128 - Lessons from Filmmaking
    • 127 - Mistakes Writers Make about PIs
    • 126 - Estate Planning for Authors
    • 125 - The Seven Most Common Mistakes of Non-Fiction Authors
    • 124 - The Rise of Subscription Models
    • 123 - Building Engaging Worlds
    • 122 - Using Data to Guide Your Craft
    • 121 - Story Structure and Character Motivation
    • 120 - Draft2Digital Updates: Smashwords and Print
    • 119 - Metadata Is Your Brand
    • 118 - The Martial Art of Writing
    • 117 - Tracking Sales Data and How ScribeCount Can Help
    • 116 - Creating Community, Content, and Creative Energy
    • 115 - Exploring Kindle Vella
    • 114 - Making Smart Decisions about Your Distribution Strategy
    • 113 - What Authors Can Learn from Theater
    • 112 - Being the Captain of Your Author Voyage
    • 111 - Using Engines, Anchors, and Hazards to Define Character Voice
    • 110 - Making Meaningful Connections through Powerful Language
    • 109 - Wide Retailers and Aggregators
    • 108 - Writing Non-fiction from the Inside
    • 107 - Publishing Process #7: Selective Rights Licensing
    • 106 - Publishing Process #6: Promotion
    • 105 - Publishing Process #5: Marketing
    • 104 - Publishing Process #4: Distribution
    • 103 - Publishing Process #3: Production
    • 102 - Publishing Process #2: Design
    • 101 - Publishing Process #1: Editorial
    • 100 - Becoming a Relaxed Author
    • 099 - Connecting with Fans through Merchandising
    • 098 - Redefining Indy Success through Short Fiction
    • 097 - Taking the Long View
    • 096 - Emerging Tech for the Writing Craft
    • 095 - Finding and Being a Ghostwriter
    • 094 - Debunking Writing Myths
    • 093 - Valuing the Creative Process
    • 092 - Finding a Crew for Your Creative Voyage
    • 091 - Creating Stellar Side Characters
    • 090 - Bringing a Creative Endeavor to an End
    • 089 - The Both-ness of Compelling Characters
    • 088 - How to Receive and Give Critique
    • 087 - Looking Back and Forward at Indy Publishing
    • 086 - Overhauling Keywords
    • 085 - Optimizing Your Keywords
    • 084 - Using Content Legally
    • 083 - Six Rs of Maximizing the Value of Your Content
    • 082 - Perspectives on Writer's Block
    • 081 - Human-Centered Marketing
    • 080 - The Force of a Brand
    • 079 - Making the Most of Your Short Fiction
    • 078 - Living Your Best Creative Life
    • 077 - Behind the Scenes of My Book Launch
    • 076 - BookFunnel
    • 075 - Key Book Publishing Paths
    • 074 - Perspectives on Personal Branding
    • 073 - Author Websites
    • 072 - Mentoring and Collaborating with Interns
    • 071 - Provider Side of Author Services
    • 070 - Copyright for Authors
    • 069 - Writing Memoir
    • 068 - Handling Difficult Topics in YA Fiction
    • 067 - Mistakes Writers Make about the FBI
    • 066 - From Indy to Traditional
    • 065 - X-raying Your Plot
    • 064 - Children's Books
    • 063 - Wide for the Win
    • 062 - Point of View
    • 061 - Google Play
    • 060 - Mastering Action Sequences
    • 059 - Newsletter Swaps and StoryOrigin
    • 058 - Author Newsletters
    • 057 - The Pros and Cons of Pre-orders
    • 056 - Crowdfunding for Authors
    • 055 - Costs of Self-publishing a Book
    • 054 - Futurist Trends We Can Prepare for Now
    • 053 - Learn from TV and Movies
    • 052 - Building a Resilient Indy Business
    • 051 - Podcasting as Content Marketing
    • 050 - First Responders
    • 049 - Ruminations on Book Launches
    • 048 - Protagonist and Antagonist Voices
    • 047 - Backstory and Flashbacks
    • 046 - Writing Coroners
    • 045 - Exercise
    • 044 - Using Aggregators versus Direct
    • 043 - Killing Suspense
    • 042 - The Importance of Metadata
    • 041 - Writing Convincing Villains
    • 040 - Storytelling Lessons from Investigative Reporting
    • 039 Building a Writer Community
    • 038 - Graphic Novels
    • 037 - How Cozy is Cozy?
    • 036 - Frugal Tips for Writers
    • 035 - Police Procedures
    • 034 - Connecting through Video
    • 033 - Barriers to Creativity
    • 032 - Hybrid Publishing
    • 031 - ebook Pricing
    • 030 - Common Writer Wisdom: Is it Right for You?
    • 029 - Fostering Creativity through Digital Minimalism
    • 028 - Writing the Killer Query
    • 027 - Why to Stop Blogging
    • 026 - Weaving Your Day Job into Your Books
    • 025 - Mastering Book Descriptions
    • 024 - Three Hard Truths
    • 023 - Reaching New Readers through Translations
    • 022 - SEO for Authors
    • 021 - Building Communities in Podcasts and In Person
    • 020 - Working with Libraries & Bookstores
    • 019 - Judging a Book by Its Cover
    • 018 - The Importance of Masterworks
    • 017 - Story a Day
    • 016 - Drawing Back the Publishing Curtain
    • 015 - Five Things I Wish I Knew Before I Was Published
    • 014 - Collaborating on "Taking the Short Tack"
    • 013 - Writing in Time
    • 012 - Top Firearms Mistakes Writers Make ...
    • 011 - Making the Move to Full-Time Writer
    • 010 - Update from The Indy Author
    • 009 - Craft and Business of Short Fiction
    • 008 - Screenwriting
    • 007 - Faster Fiction
    • 006 - Importance of Storytelling
    • 005 - Image-intensive Books
    • 004 - Using Media Outlets
    • 003 - Small Press Publishing
    • 002 - Creativity Tips
    • 001 - Introducing The Indy Author
    • For Guests of The Indy Author Podcast
    • Podcast Guest and Topic Proposals
  • Services
    • Services - Author Consulting
    • Services - Podcasting for Authors
  • Podcasting for Authors
  • Short Fiction
  • Creating a Story Frame
  • Resources
  • Tools
  • Affiliates
  • The Craft
    • Getting Past the Fear of (First Draft) Commitment
    • Scalability
    • Professionalism
    • From Dead in the Water to Favorable Winds
  • The Voyage
    • Reading Your Work Aloud
    • Preparing to Request an Author Blurb
    • Navigating Indy
  • For the Armchair Sailor
  • Events
  • For Libraries
  • Blog
  • William Kingsfield Publishers
  • Patrons of The Indy Author
  • Press Kit
  • Enter

Consulting Services - Navigating Your Author Voyage

For more information on me and my own publishing voyage, click here.
Are you writing your first book and wondering, “What's next?”

Have you finished your first book and are asking, “What now?”

Are you a traditionally published author thinking of exploring independent publishing, and wondering, “Should I?”

You might try to answer these questions on your own and end up spending more time trying to understand the environment, the opportunities, and even the terminology than you did creating the work you want to get into the world! You might follow the paths taken by other authors, with the risk they might lead to a different destination than the one you want to reach. Worse, you might find you’ve followed the path of authors who are unclear about their own destination.
​

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Or you can spend an hour with me getting clear about your goals and constructing a plan to reach them. Or, to use the nautical metaphors I love to apply to the writing craft and the publishing voyage, you can spend an hour with me understanding your desired destination and plotting the course that will take you there.

Determine your destination and plot the course for your author career with a 1-hour consult with The Indy Author.

"My meeting with Matty provided insight about where I currently stand and as well as suggestions on how to get to where I want to be. She provided concrete examples from her own career. Professional and friendly, I do not hesitate to recommend her if you need consulting on your author business." —Author Sheryl Hayes
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​There are no intrinsically good or bad goals for an author career, but there are goals that are easier or harder to achieve, and courses that are more or less appropriate for achieving those goals. It’s best to understand these before embarking—let me help you sort through them.

Think of me as a pilot who can help you steer clear of the rocky shoals that can founder an author career and help you accommodate and even capitalize on the ever-shifting winds of change in the publishing world.

Simply book a session and complete the downloadable questionnaire below, and send it to me at least 48 hours before our session.
I’ll record our session so that you can focus on the conversation—not on note-taking—and can return to it later for reminders of our discussion, as a checkpoint in time, and as inform and inspire you as you continue to assess and adjust your course.
Topics of discussion might include:
  • What are the pros and cons of indie and traditional?
  • What are the must-do activities before hitting Publish?
  • What does it mean to be “exclusive” or “wide,” and what are the pros and cons of each?
  • Should I start with digital-only and move to multi-media (e.g., print, audio) or offer all formats from the start?
  • How do I establish a brand for my work?
  • How do I find the readers who will love my books?
  • What is the core set of tools that will best support my creative and publishing work?
  • How can I best organize the work that I need to do as part of my author business?
  • How can I capitalize on multiple streams of income in my author business?​​
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What can I expect?

Our session will be a conversation about your goals, not a lecture about the truisms of independent publishing.

Our session will be consulting, not coaching--i.e., you will leave our session with clear and actionable plans that you can execute on your own. 
Of course, you can always book another session if you feel the need for a course correction, but you will get value from a single session.

These sessions are best spent focused on goal-setting and the accompanying strategies and tactics, NOT the mechanics of independent publishing (e.g., how to load interior files to KDP for publishing to Amazon). 
​

For those questions related to the details of the mechanics of indie publishing, I highly recommend the YouTube channels of two of my go-to resources:
Michael La Ronn of Author Level Up: 
https://www.youtube.com/@AuthorLevelUp
M.K. Williams of Author Your Ambition: https://www.youtube.com/@1MKWilliams

Are you ready to chart your course?

Choose the type of session below--either initial (1st) meeting or subsequent (2+) meeting. If you're not sure if a consulting session is right for you, or if you just want to get to know me a little better one-on-one before signing up, you can schedule a FREE 15-minute get acquainted call! 
Please complete this questionnaire to provide a basis for our conversation and send it to matty@mattydalrymple.com at least 48 hours before our session.
the_indy_authors_consulting_session_questionnaire.docx
File Size: 26 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

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Have you gotten value from The Indy Author? Please consider supporting my work by becoming a patron via Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee. 
Become a Patron!

Are you a writer, author, or publisher with an indy mindset? Sign up for my email newsletter for insights into the writing craft and the publishing voyage.
Alliance of Independent Authors
© 2013-2023 William Kingsfield Publishers
  • Home
  • About & Contact
  • Podcast
    • 171 - Outside-the-Box Content
    • 170 - Creating a Winning Workbook
    • 169 - The Do's and Don'ts of Working with Book Bloggers
    • 168 - How to Write from Trauma
    • 167 - Good Habits and Accountability Groups
    • 166 - Plotting with an Unreliable Narrator
    • 165 - Strengthening Your Fiction with a Premise
    • 164 - What Writers Can Learn from Short Fiction
    • 163 - Year End: The Writing Craft And The Publishing Voyage
    • 162 - Book Marketing Lessons from Beyond the Book World
    • 161 - Choosing Your Publishing Path
    • 160 - Mistakes Writers Make about Police Roles
    • 159 - Backstory: Mountaintop or Valley
    • 158 - What Writers Can Learn from Remote Workers
    • 157 - Literary Citizenship
    • 156 - Character Development Through the Pain and Promise of Life
    • 155 - The Benefits (and Costs) of Membership
    • 154 - From Screenplay to Novel and Back
    • 153 - The Importance of a Professional Photo and Video Presence
    • 152 - The Three Stages of Story
    • 151 - Setting Your Creative Horizons
    • 150 - Hands-off Merchandising for Authors
    • 149 - Using Vulnerability to Feed your Creativity
    • 148 - Making the Most of In-person Events
    • 147 - Writing for Audio
    • 146 - Managing Writing with a Full-time Career
    • 145 - Speech to Text and Back Again
    • 144 - Reaching the Right Readers through Email
    • 143 - Getting into the Mind of Your Audience
    • 142 - A New Era for Novellas
    • 141 - The Value of Collaboration
    • 140 - Troping Your Way to a Stronger Story
    • 139 - Mistakes Writers Make about Forensic Psychiatry
    • 138 - ROI for Authors
    • 137 - Using Podcasts to Support Your Book Launch
    • 136 - Looking Forward in Indy Publishing
    • 135 - The Importance of Specificity
    • 134 - How Horror is the Genre of Hope
    • 133 - Creating an AI-narrated Audiobook
    • 132 - From Big Idea to Book
    • 131 - The Color Wheel of Characterization
    • 130 - Outsourcing Your Content Creation
    • 129 - Moving for Creativity
    • 128 - Lessons from Filmmaking
    • 127 - Mistakes Writers Make about PIs
    • 126 - Estate Planning for Authors
    • 125 - The Seven Most Common Mistakes of Non-Fiction Authors
    • 124 - The Rise of Subscription Models
    • 123 - Building Engaging Worlds
    • 122 - Using Data to Guide Your Craft
    • 121 - Story Structure and Character Motivation
    • 120 - Draft2Digital Updates: Smashwords and Print
    • 119 - Metadata Is Your Brand
    • 118 - The Martial Art of Writing
    • 117 - Tracking Sales Data and How ScribeCount Can Help
    • 116 - Creating Community, Content, and Creative Energy
    • 115 - Exploring Kindle Vella
    • 114 - Making Smart Decisions about Your Distribution Strategy
    • 113 - What Authors Can Learn from Theater
    • 112 - Being the Captain of Your Author Voyage
    • 111 - Using Engines, Anchors, and Hazards to Define Character Voice
    • 110 - Making Meaningful Connections through Powerful Language
    • 109 - Wide Retailers and Aggregators
    • 108 - Writing Non-fiction from the Inside
    • 107 - Publishing Process #7: Selective Rights Licensing
    • 106 - Publishing Process #6: Promotion
    • 105 - Publishing Process #5: Marketing
    • 104 - Publishing Process #4: Distribution
    • 103 - Publishing Process #3: Production
    • 102 - Publishing Process #2: Design
    • 101 - Publishing Process #1: Editorial
    • 100 - Becoming a Relaxed Author
    • 099 - Connecting with Fans through Merchandising
    • 098 - Redefining Indy Success through Short Fiction
    • 097 - Taking the Long View
    • 096 - Emerging Tech for the Writing Craft
    • 095 - Finding and Being a Ghostwriter
    • 094 - Debunking Writing Myths
    • 093 - Valuing the Creative Process
    • 092 - Finding a Crew for Your Creative Voyage
    • 091 - Creating Stellar Side Characters
    • 090 - Bringing a Creative Endeavor to an End
    • 089 - The Both-ness of Compelling Characters
    • 088 - How to Receive and Give Critique
    • 087 - Looking Back and Forward at Indy Publishing
    • 086 - Overhauling Keywords
    • 085 - Optimizing Your Keywords
    • 084 - Using Content Legally
    • 083 - Six Rs of Maximizing the Value of Your Content
    • 082 - Perspectives on Writer's Block
    • 081 - Human-Centered Marketing
    • 080 - The Force of a Brand
    • 079 - Making the Most of Your Short Fiction
    • 078 - Living Your Best Creative Life
    • 077 - Behind the Scenes of My Book Launch
    • 076 - BookFunnel
    • 075 - Key Book Publishing Paths
    • 074 - Perspectives on Personal Branding
    • 073 - Author Websites
    • 072 - Mentoring and Collaborating with Interns
    • 071 - Provider Side of Author Services
    • 070 - Copyright for Authors
    • 069 - Writing Memoir
    • 068 - Handling Difficult Topics in YA Fiction
    • 067 - Mistakes Writers Make about the FBI
    • 066 - From Indy to Traditional
    • 065 - X-raying Your Plot
    • 064 - Children's Books
    • 063 - Wide for the Win
    • 062 - Point of View
    • 061 - Google Play
    • 060 - Mastering Action Sequences
    • 059 - Newsletter Swaps and StoryOrigin
    • 058 - Author Newsletters
    • 057 - The Pros and Cons of Pre-orders
    • 056 - Crowdfunding for Authors
    • 055 - Costs of Self-publishing a Book
    • 054 - Futurist Trends We Can Prepare for Now
    • 053 - Learn from TV and Movies
    • 052 - Building a Resilient Indy Business
    • 051 - Podcasting as Content Marketing
    • 050 - First Responders
    • 049 - Ruminations on Book Launches
    • 048 - Protagonist and Antagonist Voices
    • 047 - Backstory and Flashbacks
    • 046 - Writing Coroners
    • 045 - Exercise
    • 044 - Using Aggregators versus Direct
    • 043 - Killing Suspense
    • 042 - The Importance of Metadata
    • 041 - Writing Convincing Villains
    • 040 - Storytelling Lessons from Investigative Reporting
    • 039 Building a Writer Community
    • 038 - Graphic Novels
    • 037 - How Cozy is Cozy?
    • 036 - Frugal Tips for Writers
    • 035 - Police Procedures
    • 034 - Connecting through Video
    • 033 - Barriers to Creativity
    • 032 - Hybrid Publishing
    • 031 - ebook Pricing
    • 030 - Common Writer Wisdom: Is it Right for You?
    • 029 - Fostering Creativity through Digital Minimalism
    • 028 - Writing the Killer Query
    • 027 - Why to Stop Blogging
    • 026 - Weaving Your Day Job into Your Books
    • 025 - Mastering Book Descriptions
    • 024 - Three Hard Truths
    • 023 - Reaching New Readers through Translations
    • 022 - SEO for Authors
    • 021 - Building Communities in Podcasts and In Person
    • 020 - Working with Libraries & Bookstores
    • 019 - Judging a Book by Its Cover
    • 018 - The Importance of Masterworks
    • 017 - Story a Day
    • 016 - Drawing Back the Publishing Curtain
    • 015 - Five Things I Wish I Knew Before I Was Published
    • 014 - Collaborating on "Taking the Short Tack"
    • 013 - Writing in Time
    • 012 - Top Firearms Mistakes Writers Make ...
    • 011 - Making the Move to Full-Time Writer
    • 010 - Update from The Indy Author
    • 009 - Craft and Business of Short Fiction
    • 008 - Screenwriting
    • 007 - Faster Fiction
    • 006 - Importance of Storytelling
    • 005 - Image-intensive Books
    • 004 - Using Media Outlets
    • 003 - Small Press Publishing
    • 002 - Creativity Tips
    • 001 - Introducing The Indy Author
    • For Guests of The Indy Author Podcast
    • Podcast Guest and Topic Proposals
  • Services
    • Services - Author Consulting
    • Services - Podcasting for Authors
  • Podcasting for Authors
  • Short Fiction
  • Creating a Story Frame
  • Resources
  • Tools
  • Affiliates
  • The Craft
    • Getting Past the Fear of (First Draft) Commitment
    • Scalability
    • Professionalism
    • From Dead in the Water to Favorable Winds
  • The Voyage
    • Reading Your Work Aloud
    • Preparing to Request an Author Blurb
    • Navigating Indy
  • For the Armchair Sailor
  • Events
  • For Libraries
  • Blog
  • William Kingsfield Publishers
  • Patrons of The Indy Author
  • Press Kit
  • Enter