Five Things I’ve Learned This Year

As an indie horror author.

1. A good cover goes a long way. If you don’t have a stand-out cover, then people aren’t as likely to choose your book. People DO judge books by their covers.

2. The book launch is so important. Take the time to plan it out. Get a decent number of ARC readers. Post cover reveals. Ask author friends to provide blurbs. Ideally, you’d have at least a couple of months between completing a book and it releasing.

3. With each book, your readership will grow. This is a huge one. If you are consistent, and readers know they can expect a good book from you, then your readership will snowball with each release.

4. Write the book you want to write, not the one you think readers want to read. The only thing worse than writing a book you don’t want to write, is reading a book the author didn’t want to write. You can tell when an author is truly invested in their project.

5. All reviews are good reviews, even the negative ones. All books have negative reviews and as your readership grows, you’ll likely gain more negative reviews – that’s just part of a wider range of people reading your book. You can’t please everyone, and negative reviews help your book to get in front of the RIGHT readers.

BONUS:
Surround yourself with good, supportive authors and readers. This year threw a curveball my way and I very quickly found who I could rely on and who I couldn’t. I’m very lucky to have a wonderful group of authors around me, as well as supportive readers. I’m so grateful for that. It makes a huge difference.