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I published my first fantasy novel in 2018. Now, I’m preparing to publish my fourth book in the award-winning series.

But long before the first book was released, I’d been getting consistent advice to prepare for querying literary agents and publishing books � build your platform; build your fan base; build your authority.

I knew going into the querying phase that the odds were against me because most literary agents overlook brand-new authors who don’t already have a strong online presence with a built-in base of followers. The publishing landscape is very different now than it was twenty years ago. Nowadays, the majority of the marketing falls on the author rather than the agent or publisher.

I ended up going in a different direction and publishing independently. This route was the , as self-publishing allowed me to maintain my full creative rights. But, whether you want to , the advice is still the same � you need to build your platform, fan base, and authority if you want to catch an agent’s attention or push your indie book to success.

Here are some of the biggest benefits of having a blog if you’re a fiction writer:

Table of Contents1. Online Presence

When you search your name on Google, what comes up?

When I search my name in an incognito window, the first results are my branded social media pages and my websites. But it took a long time to make that happen. It took years of consistently publishing posts and articles.

The same goes with photos. In 2018 when I was a brand-new author, if I googled my name, I was lucky to see my LinkedIn profile picture near the top of the mix. Now, my photos, book, and logo dominate eleven of the first fourteen photos that populate in the search. Not too shabby!

And look at the categories above the thumbnails! All but one of those related categories circle back to me: , Literary Titan (the ), (my first novel), Chronicles [of Avilésor], author photographer, (with a photo of my book), award, artist.

Again, that took a lot of work. A lot of publishing and using alt text so search engines could properly recognize and categorize my photos. The is right there in the second row. , one of my , is even there in the top row in a TikTok duet!

The point is, when a potential reader, literary agent, or publisher searches for me now, they’ll find a LOT of content because I’ve built up a strong online presence over the years. This is invaluable. It immediately builds a sense of confidence among readers and professionals when they can see that I’m a professional with a ton of content to back up my online authority.

(I haven’t googled my name in a long time until I started writing this post� so I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised by how much the search results have changed!)

2. Organic Traffic

Have you ever heard the term “content marketing�?

I started to understand and appreciate the value of this marketing practice back in 2021 when I started working as a freelancer for a writing agency and a ghostwriter for the company’s founder.

Content marketing is a deliberate marketing approach that strategically focuses on producing high-quality, engaging, relevant content designed to target a clearly defined audience with the ultimate goal of driving an action from the consumer.

Essentially, is the inverse of an upfront sales pitch or advertisement because you are offering something valuable instead of pushing someone to buy, subscribe, or commit to something. It’s more like having a casual conversation with an acquaintance as opposed to a pushy car salesman making someone uncomfortable.

This is what blogging can accomplish when you recognize your target audience and write valuable articles using strong keywords. You can see how much my website traffic grew in the last four years compared to the first four:

What happened to cause that growth? Well, in 2020, I joined an affiliate program and learned how to target a specific niche. The next year, I started working with the founder of the writing agency, who was a pioneer of content marketing before the practice even had a name. I refined my writing approach, and this blog, which had started as a , became a valuable resource for other writers and authors, not to mention a connection point for my fans.

Some of my content is centered around my book series to share updates with fans. Other posts discuss the of , and those are the posts that populate in organic searches as aspiring authors search for information to help them on their own journies. That, in turn, drives people to my website, where I have a chance to introduce myself and my work to them.

Even if that doesn’t translate directly into book sales, it does result in exposure (and I didn’t have to pay for a single ad).

There’s more to the equation than just book sales. Perhaps one of blog posts inspires a writer to where I regularly discuss entrepreneurial tips for authors and artists. Or a follower to get periodic updates. Or a fan decides to . Or my advice helped a new author so much that they to say thank you. Or I gain new followers.

Like I said, there are many ways to measure growth beyond simply focusing on book sales. Maybe I don’t get any new followers, subscribers, or donations, but my website traffic is so high that I earn money from ad revenue. Organic traffic comes with a ton of potential opportunities.

3. Authority

Aspiring and newly published authors both face the challenge of proving that they are capable writers. If there’s any doubt, why would a reader pick up your book? Why would an agent agree to represent you?

Regularly publishing on your blog is a way to build up your résumé and demonstrate your skills to potential customers, fans, and business partners.

What you have to say is just as important as how you say it. I know� it can be hard to sound confident when you’re just getting started and have a lot to learn. But think about the experience you do have under your belt already. Research relevant topics that interest you and compile that information into an article told in your own voice. Share the lessons you’ve learned so far.

Above all else, be AUTHENTICALLY YOU. That’s the most important part. “Fake it ’til you make it� will only get you so far. Build your authority, but do it genuinely by speaking from the heart.

4. Fandom Base

A lot of fandoms are built on social media, but remember that you don’t own those websites, which means you have no control over what happens to them. Imagine if you built your fandom on Myspace and concentrated all of your content on that single platform. Who would be reading that content now? Anyone?

What happens if your chosen social media site crashes and all of your content is gone? Or you’re locked out of your account? Or someone buys the platform and changes everything?

Having a blog means that you have control over your own website and domain (if you purchase a domain). You have your own space to develop a fandom, communicate with readers, share updates, encourage conversations with fans, get feedback, find beta readers, and so much more.

5. Content & Engagement

Writing, editing, and publishing a book takes time. Some people are rapid-release authors capable of publishing every two or three months, but most writers (myself included) need at least a year or two, sometimes even longer.

Don’t stay silent after your novel is published! You need to keep your audience engaged in between book releases. Having a blog is an excellent way to keep publishing content during your “down time� so your fans don’t forget about you.

Blog posts also open the door for behind-the-scenes content and exclusive updates that build hype around the next book as you get closer to its release. Pull back the curtain and let your fans have a glimpse into your creative process. Tell them what inspires you. Engaging with your audience on a personal, authentic level can turn casual readers into true fans.

I also recommend using your blog to post your event schedule and links to social media pages, book listings, editorial reviews, etc. so you can keep your fans updated and diversify your reach with outbound links to relevant articles and websites.

Conclusion

There are many benefits to blogging if you’re a writer, regardless of whether your focus is on fiction or nonfiction. Not only does it build your online presence, demonstrate your skills, bolster your authority as an author, expand your reach with organic web traffic, serve as a key building block for your fandom, engage your audience, and provide filler content between book releases, but it also helps you hone your writing skills and develop your voice.

You can write for more than one audience on your blog. Just make sure that each post has a clearly defined target reader. In my experience, I’ve found that my articles for writers, authors, and creative solopreneurs attract a lot of organic traffic to my website but generally perform poorly on social media, whereas articles written about my book series for fans tend to have higher social media engagement.

Remember, it’s okay to experiment! Over time, analytical data can shed light on which posts are performing well and which ones landed flat so you can adapt your strategy.

Blog away, dear writer�

The post first appeared on .

In 2021, I had the in the On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator program through the . In addition to providing me with a grant to partially fund , On-Ramp also included a three-day business course for creative entrepreneurs in Indiana.

Creative individuals across many disciplines � writing, painting, sculpting, dancing, songwriting, etc. � came together to learn, network, encourage each other, and discuss business strategies. Some of the artists strongly encouraged me to build a .

I had heard of Patreon before, but I’d never considered it a viable option for me. Subscription-based content was intriguing as a source of passive income� but would people actually pay to read my posts?

I’ve now been on Patreon for three years, and I recently started a as well. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons when it comes to publishing subscription-based content as part of your business model.

Table of ContentsWhat are Patreon & Substack?

Patreon and Substack perform similar functions. Both platforms give creatives the opportunity to publish their work online and have subscribers pay a monthly fee to access it.

Substack prioritizes written content with minimal design options. It can also host podcasts and videos, but it doesn’t have a lot of customization options. You can publish your content for free, which is how I share my monthly newsletter now that I’ve . You can also set up a monthly subscription for fans who pay for your premium content. Substack allows you to set prices for monthly/annual subscriptions, group subscriptions, or the “founding member� plan. You can also do a half-and-half option by inserting a paywall into your content that allows people to read for free up to a certain point, and then they have to upgrade if they want to continue reading.

Patreon supports text, audio, video, polls, livestreams, and more. For subscription plans, Patreon offers more versatility by allowing creators to set various membership tiers at different price points with different perks. You can also publish free posts for the general public.

I started Patreon for my fans by offering three membership tiers with perks ranging from a handwritten thank-you note, to timelapse videos to watch me sketch a new drawing every month, to sneak peeks and deleted scenes from , to having a place or minor character named after you in an upcoming book.

Substack was intended to host my and nothing more. However, a local artist reached out to me and suggested that I create a new Patreon tier for artists and other creatives who might be interested in my advice for finding and applying for events, being a successful vendor, marketing, branding, et cetera. I considered her proposal but decided that rather than expand Patreon to add a new demographic, I would create a separate Substack community that focused on business topics for creative solopreneurs.

Pros of Subscription ContentMonetized Publications

Subscriptions enable creators to monetize their work and earn compensation for their time, skills, expertise, and unique perspectives.

I publish a lot of free content on social media, my monthly newsletter, and this blog. Free content serves important roles in my business. It’s how I connect with new fans, reach new readers, communicate my schedule and important announcements, build hype around my book series, share my art, and more. Free is great� but it doesn’t pay the bills.

That’s where monetization comes in to fill the gap when I publish content that goes beyond my basic posts and articles. As you can imagine, in between events and book releases is critical to building my business so I can not only survive, but also invest money back into the business.

Recurring Revenue

The biggest advantage of having subscription-based content is knowing that I have a steady (albeit small) stream of income at the beginning of each month.

Most of my revenue comes from sales at events, but that’s not always consistent. Inclement weather, low foot traffic, illness, and other unforeseen circumstances can result in cancelations or poor sales, and one poorly timed bad event can completely mess up my financial stability.

The recurring monthly revenue that comes from subscription content is a little extra padding to help protect me from those mishaps. In an emergency, that income can help me cover bills. When everything is running smoothly, it goes straight back into the business by covering costs such as website hosting and domains, editing and publishing costs, liability insurance payments, inventory orders, vendor fees, and more.

Highly Engaged Niche Audience

When fans subscribe to your content, it’s safe to assume that they’re genuinely interested in what you’re publishing. In comparison, when I post on my blog or social media, I’m sending content out to a potentially wide range of readers on the internet. It’s hard to know how engaged those readers are or what type of content they prefer since I write for different audiences, depending on the topic and post.

But the casual readers aren’t the ones who are likely to pay for premium content. Subscribers open the door for much more interesting conversations and topics since they’re highly invested in the subject matter. On Patreon, I know these are fans of my books and/or art, so I can go into much more detail. On Substack, I’m dealing with creative professionals who are interested in the business side of art and writing. These highly engaged niche audiences enable me to tailor my publications and speak to them in depth on the subject matter.

Exclusive Content

Subscribers expect premium content, giving creators a prime opportunity to share exclusive information, sneak peeks at the creative process, glimpses behind the scenes, early access to releases before they’re made public, and more. Subscription content raises publications up to the next level, which is not only fun for the creator, but also for the fans who get to see behind the curtain.

I like to describe Patreon as getting a VIP pass at a concert. I’ll share my finished art for free online, but patrons get to go backstage and actually watch me draw it, which is an entirely different experience for true fans.

Support Individual Creators Instead of Corporations

From an integrity standpoint, it’s much more satisfying to know that your subscriptions are supporting a hardworking, creative individual whose work you appreciate rather than going to a big corporation that’s taking advantage of its customers while the CEO and stockholders pad their pockets.

There’s currently a grassroots push to support small local businesses, artists, authors, musicians, and other creatives who are struggling to stay afloat. I feel optimistic that in the wake of the pandemic, the public will continue to follow this trend as people become more and more frustrated by the corporate greed that’s been price-gouging us for a long time. That’s my hope, anyway.

Cons of Subscription ContentGetting Subscribers

My greatest challenge has been getting people to actually subscribe. For the On-Ramp artist who initially pushed me to join Patreon, attracting subscribers was easy. She had an incredibly supportive fan base that was eager to support her.

I didn’t have that. I also have a history of struggling to market myself, especially when it comes to seeking money for donations, fundraising, flash sales, or even general sales. My short list of subscribers has fluctuated over the few years I’ve had Patreon, and my growth has been slow and incredibly frustrating. Simply put, I’m not good at asking people for money, so I struggle to push my subscriptions.

Competition for Subscribers

Unfortunately, we live in a subscription world now. It seems like almost everything is a subscription. (I’m still mad at Adobe for eliminating the single-purchase option for their programs� I’ll continue using Photoshop CS6, which stopped receiving support in 2014, until the bugs make it unusable and I’m forced to start paying for the subscription.)

Netflix, Prime, Disney+, utilities, rent, apps, games, meal kits, Spotify, news publications, Microsoft, Adobe, internet, phone� So many subscriptions. I get it. I’m on a tight budget myself. It’s hard to compete with all of those big corporations sucking up everyone’s money every month. Why should people sign up for yet another subscription to add when many people are trying to cut back on their monthly spending?

Burnout

When subscribers are paying monthly, there’s constant pressure to publish, publish, publish. If you stop publishing, they’ll either stop paying, or you’ll feel guilty because they’re not getting what they paid for.

This nonstop pressure to create and publish new content on such a regular basis opens the door for creative burnout. What if you run out of topics? What if life gets hectic and you don’t have enough time to gather your own thoughts, let alone organize them and publish a post? What if you want to take a long vacation?

Fees

Patreon and Substack are both free to use. However, they have to make their money somehow, and they do that by taking out fees from the pledges your subscribers make. Patreon takes 8% plus processing fees, which altogether add up to just under 14%. Substack’s cut is even steeper at 10% plus Stripe’s processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Yes, you’re making money, but as your subscriber list grows, you end up losing a chunk of your revenue. However, you’re also using the platform, tools, domain, and host for free, so some fees are to be expected.

Some creators have become frustrated and opted to leave these platforms in favor of using their own websites instead. But, if you have a WordPress website like I do, you’d have to pay for a plugin to collect those monthly or annual fees. If you have a lot of subscribers, that avenue might be worth it. If you don’t, that option would be more expensive for you. It’s a growing pain you’ll have to consider if your following expands.

Conclusion

Is subscription content the right move for you as a content creator?

As long as you’re willing to stick with it, I say go for it! It doesn’t cost you anything except time if you’re using a platform like Patreon or Substack. They take a percentage of your revenue; they don’t charge you upfront for anything (unlike a WordPress plugin, which would charge you a monthly or annual fee).

Just remember that it can take a long time to get established and build your subscriber list, so try not to get too frustrated. Competition against other subscriptions is steep, and people are frugal about where they spend their money.

There’s also the risk of burnout, so it might be beneficial to follow other creators, brainstorm a list of content ideas, establish a publication schedule, and take other measures to prepare.

The benefits are definitely worthwhile if you have exclusive content worth sharing with a select niche of engaged fans. Until you get established, subscriptions will most likely serve as a small supplemental source of revenue rather than your primary income, but it has the potential to grow into a much bigger stream over time. Some creators have successfully amplified their subscriptions enough to make up half or more of their total revenue. I’m not there yet, but I’ll continue to publish exclusive content for my biggest fans and followers as my business keeps growing.

The post first appeared on .

AI is everywhere now. Some people are excited about all of the new possibilities on the horizon for humanity. Others are a bit more skeptical.

I fall into the latter category. Does AI have the capability of being an incredible tool? Yes. But until laws catch up with technology, many artists across many mediums on edge, and for good reason.

AI has been “trained� using art, photographs, images, and written content created (and copyrighted) by human artists, photographers, and writers� in almost all cases, without their consent. Essentially, from an artistic perspective, AI was built upon a massive case of intellectual property theft that violated copyrights.

Now, one could argue that artists have been using the work of other artists throughout our entire history. Art inspires art. Nothing is truly original.

And to that, I would agree. I pulled inspiration from my favorite books, movies, and television shows when I wrote my fantasy novels and combined all of the elements I loved the most (found families, fugitives, supernatural powers, fight scenes, cat-and-mouse POV shifts, tortured characters that are morally gray and psychologically complex). I can tell you that my writing frequently utilizes em dashes thanks to the impact of reading Emily Dickinson when I was in high school, and my fondness for worldbuilding undoubtedly came from reading Tolkien in middle school. When I’m drawing a new art piece, the very first thing I do is scroll through Google images and screenshot relevant photos that I can study for proportions, shadows, textures, etc.

The difference is I am using these for reference and inspiration, then building my own unique style around the echoes of the pieces that touched my soul so deeply they became ingrained in me as artist.

AI essentially absorbs this content without permission and then dissects, combines, and regurgitates it. Despite the name “artificial intelligence,� it is not intelligent, and it cannot be inspired by existing works. It’s nothing more than a complex series of algorithms. There’s no thought or emotion behind it.

My thoughts about AI are not all doom and gloom. I’m excited about the prospect of harnessing AI as a powerful tool that can help automate menial tasks, improve analytics, and make our jobs faster and easier so we can spend less time working and more time enjoying life.

But sadly, capitalism requires laborers, and we’ve built a society that has linked self-worth with employment. AI should have freed us to spend less time working and more time making art, but it went in the wrong direction. Now, AI is encroaching on artists� livelihoods.

Table of ContentsAuthor’s Perspective

Am I worried about AI eliminating my job as an author? No. AI is improving at a rapid pace, but it’s nowhere near ready for that level of creative writing.

I’ve talked before about To some authors, it means identifying your target reader base and writing/marketing specifically to that niche. But to other authors, it means identifying bestsellers and essentially copying that exact same plot formula with all the usual tropes but tweaking it into a “new� story with slightly different characters. (The romance genre is especially notorious for that because readers like the familiarity and nostalgia, but romance isn’t the only one; there are culprits in every genre.)

Personally, I don’t support the second example, but I will acknowledge that it has proven to be lucrative and successful for many authors. It doesn’t require much thought or creativity. And that type of “write to market� style is a prime opportunity for AI because the algorithm essentially does exactly what those authors do.

Can I foresee lazy “authors� using AI to churn out unimaginative copy-and-paste formula novels? Absolutely. AI will just save them a lot of time. But I don’t think those unoriginal books will be successful. If a human couldn’t be bothered to write it, why should one be bothered to read it?

I’ll be perfectly honest � I didn’t write to market. I wrote the story that had been exploding in my imagination for many years before I finally felt compelled to get it out of my head and into a tangible form. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to find a niche that enjoyed my work after I published, even if I hadn’t written the story specifically for them. My novels are truly a heartfelt passion project. I just can’t see AI being able to successfully capture the emotions, human experiences, relatable characters with complex psychology, unexpected twists, and overall creativity with any kind of story that veers away from a boring and predictable plot formula.

I can, however, potentially see AI encroaching on ghost writers. I’ve never approved of ghost writing (even though, as a freelance writer, I was technically a ghost writer myself). Ghost writing is when a client hires someone to write content, but the credit for that content goes to the client, not the actual writer. Personally, I find ghost writing to be deceitful. You might think you’re reading a book or article written by a celebrity, world leader, or high-profile entrepreneur with decades of success and expertise when the real writer actually had NONE of those credentials.

When I became a freelance writer, I didn’t realize that freelance writing was really ghost writing at first. The articles I wrote for clients were published under someone else’s byline and professional credentials.

In my humble opinion, ghost writing is disrespectful not only for the writer, who did all of the work and receives zero credit, but also to the reader, who incorrectly attributes the work to someone who simply slapped their name on the content like the slacker who didn’t contribute to the group project in school and then gleefully claimed the good grade.

Ghost writers don’t just write blog posts and short articles. People also hire them to write entire books. I think the practice is essentially false advertising, but it’s legal, and it’s common. If people want to publish a book but don’t have the time or skills to write it themselves, then I can certainly see an open niche for AI to fill.

Writer’s Perspective

As far as AI eliminating jobs for writers� that is a much more pessimistic topic.

After I left my full-time office job in 2021, I went on to work as a freelance writer with a few different employers. The first one involved writing job-related articles such as interview and résumé tips. I later moved on to work with a writing agency that sent client-submitted projects out to their network of contracted writers. I wrote website content ranging from articles about backyard stone pizza ovens, to beverage innovations, to sales marketing software, to “About Us� pages for businesses.

I also ended up working for the founder of that writing agency and creating content that was featured on prominent entrepreneurship websites and her own blog. After my contract with the agency was terminated early in 2022, I stayed on with the original founder (who had sold the agency a few months prior to my departure) and continued working as a freelancer creating web content for clients who hired our small team to build their website for them.

Imagine my surprise (and alarm) when the founder sent an email campaign just a few weeks ago with the subject: “Why I quit before AI could take my job.�

This was coming from an industry-revolutionizing content marketer who built a six-figure writing agency that had seen tremendous growth and success for over a decade. She was an expert at reading the market and predicting trends, demands, and opportunities� and she chose to pivot away from human writers to prioritize AI content instead.

For the most part, I’ve kept quiet about AI. I’ve been watching, observing, waiting to see how everything plays out� feeling a pit in my stomach the whole time. But seeing that email subject in my inbox was an eye-opener. The writing world is evolving rapidly, and as much as it pains me to say this, the future of freelance writing has become bleak.

A year ago, AI was positioned to be a tool for writers rather than a replacement. It was helpful in generating suggestions for topics, but it was rife with awkward sentences, incorrect facts, and sometimes even plagiarized content that needed a human writer’s expertise for guidance and major revisions. The content that AI generated was not ready to publish right out of the gate.

But the technology has improved drastically. When a client submits a project request to a freelance writer, they have to provide us with information about their business so we know the services they offer, the desired tone of their brand, and relevant information necessary to accurately represent their business on their website. Now, why would a client pay a human writer to spend several hours researching and writing an article when they can simply input that exact same information they had to provide anyway into an AI prompt and get that content at a fraction of that time and cost?

Creative writing is my passion. Freelance writing was better for me than working in customer service or suffering through a 40-hour work week in an office, but I could never say that I was passionate about it. Even though it was a writing job, it was still mundane work at its core� and that’s exactly what AI was designed to do. I had to research topics, verify and cite sources, and put together articles or web pages with the information I’d compiled. AI can do all of that.

As much as it breaks my heart, I don’t see a future for freelance writers anymore. Not for the types of freelance roles that I’ve worked in, anyway. The people who don’t have the time or skills to write content themselves will look for the fastest, cheapest way to generate content. Outsourcing those needs to AI is a practical solution.

Artist’s Perspective

Most of the conversations I’ve seen online about AI are centered around the problem of AI-generated art. The primary root of this issue lies in the fact that AI algorithms were “trained� with art that was used in blatant copyright violation and without the permission of the original artists, who also received no compensation.

Artists do NOT have to register with the U.S. Copyright Office to protect their work. Technically speaking, artwork is as soon as the art is fixed in a tangible form. (This also applies to written works.) Basically, once you finish your art, it’s automatically copyrighted. The only reason an artist would need to register with the U.S. Copyright Office is if they want to be able to take legal action against infringers in court.

My heart goes out to digital artists because this is the primary style that AI is replicating. I dabble in digital art, but I mostly draw by hand using pencil or charcoal. From my perspective, it feels like digital artists are on the front lines combatting the ethics (or lack thereof) of AI while the artists still using hand-drawn methods watch from the sidelines with bated breath, waiting to see how the battle unfolds.

At the moment, I don’t personally feel the AI threat around my throat because my particular style of art is not in demand. Yet.

I think this is going to boil down to two types of consumers � the ones who have a true appreciation for art and respect the time, skills, practice, and training that real artists have vs. the ones who care more about being able to obtain cheap, mass-produced art.

This face-off is already a familiar one. I frequently encounter it when I set up a booth at events. Some customers love my art; they’re excited to meet and support a local artist. Some don’t buy art unless it’s an original or limited-edition print, so they move on when they see that I don’t have originals for sale at events. Some compliment me but make it clear that they think my work is overpriced (even if I’m charging only $25 for a piece that took me five days to draw) and they would rather buy cheaper wall art from Amazon.

Like I said, this is the same face-off, just with different technology. There will continue to be people who treasure real art in contrast to those who want something pretty and cheap, even if it’s mass-produced and/or made by an algorithm instead of a real person.

I also think this legal battle over copyright infringement is going to come down to monetization power rather than ethics and respect for artists. It’s the sad but true state of capitalism. People in a position to create AI regulations are going to care more about the businesses that are upset about the inability to copyright and properly monetize AI art (and therefore unable to penalize other people for “stealing� that “intellectual� property). The integrity of artists likely won’t be what drives regulatory change. It’s all about the money and the ways intellectual property can be claimed, monetized, and enforced.

On a slightly more positive note, I’m pleased to see that many conventions have updated their vendor rules and outright banned AI art. I haven’t seen that firm stance as much with smaller festivals and markets, but hopefully, event coordinators will start to recognize the issue of AI and amend their requirements to ensure they’re protecting real artists and maintaining the integrity of their vendors.

I really don’t know what the future holds for artists fighting against AI. Being a full-time artist is already an incredible challenge. Way too many people say they appreciate art but grossly underestimate the level of time, dedication, talent, patience, and practice artists have to endure to hone their skills. Artists are frequently underappreciated and undervalued. People want artists� skills but don’t want to pay for them� and that’s a prime opportunity for AI to undercut artists.

Digital art is on front line of that battle. I don’t know if my style of hand-drawn art will be next, but I’m uneasy about the direction AI is heading in the art space.

Photographer’s Perspective

As far as my business goes, photography has taken a backseat. My primary focus continues to be on my . When I started branching out with my inventory and display, I added prints of my artwork and photography on various products at events, but I quickly noticed that there was a much higher demand for the art than the photography, so I scaled back on the photos in favor of the art instead.

Once again, I think the debate about AI and photography is really just the latest rendition of a fight that’s been raging for quite a while when digital editing tools like Photoshop came onto the scene. AI is just stepping it up to a new level.

Where should the line be drawn? Does a photograph need to be “pure� and unedited? What about adjusting the exposure or contrast levels? Or manually manipulating elements, such as removing an unsightly telephone pole or a distracting shadow? Or making artistic edits like leaving one spot of color in an otherwise black-and-white photo? Are edits okay if a human makes them manually using digital tools?

I don’t know the answer here. We already live in a world where it’s hard to tell if images are fake. AI is blurring that line even more, but this isn’t a new conversation.

Photographers are facing similar intellectual property challenges as artists. AI developers used their copyrighted work without seeking permission or offering compensation. Obviously, people will still need photographers for special events like senior portraits, family photos, and weddings� but what will happen to the more artistic side of photography?

I only recently started offering my photography as stock images available for licensing through . I can’t help but think, Too late. You missed that window of opportunity. People aren’t going to need stock images now that they can create what they need with AI.

The big factor here again falls back on copyright issues. AI imagery cannot be copyrighted. Companies don’t like not being able to own the images they use to represent their brand. So, with that in mind, it’s possible that stock imagery licensing isn’t dead (yet). But until lawmakers catch up with technology and hammer out regulations, the future of art, photography, and writing is uncertain� and it’s making a lot of people, including me, very nervous on multiple fronts. AI was supposed to make life easier so humans could spend more time making art. Instead, it’s taking away opportunities for writers and artists. We seem to be speeding ahead on the wrong track.

The post first appeared on .

I produce a fair amount of content every month.

In addition to publishing a minimum of two , I also post exclusive content for my readers and fans on , put together a that goes out on the first Monday of each month, stay active on my , publish articles on a , and I recently added a new into the mix where I write posts about being a creative solopreneur.

And, of course, all of that gets piled on top of writing and editing the fourth book in my while also working on my first nonfiction book and an art/poetry/photography book. I also periodically participate in a local writing workshop.

Staying on top of all my writing projects can be a challenge, and I’m not immune to . While I was thinking about what my next blog post should be, I found myself turning to Google for topic ideas. But as I scrolled through the first few articles, I found myself getting frustrated by the generic lists of blogging ideas. Which, ironically, triggered the inspiration for this post.

I want to talk about why quality is so much more important than quantity.

Table of ContentsYour Blog Should Provide Value

When I saw unimaginative suggestions to write a post filled with gifs, compile a list of jokes, describe your dream vacation, list the foods you don’t like, talk about your favorite _____ (movie, season, celebrity, song, musician, etc.), I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. And yes, these were blog post suggestions specifically for fiction writers.

Readers expect (and deserve) value. We live in a society where attention spans are short, competition is high, and time is valuable. Gifs and jokes are fine for social media, but a blog post needs to be a step above. And while writing about aspects of your personal life can be interesting� most people aren’t going to care about your favorite food or dream vacation unless you’re famous or able to share abnormally unique experiences.

Churning out poor-quality content just for the sake of posting something is not going to boost your organic traffic, improve your website ranking with search engines, or entertain your readers. It’s just noise, and there’s already PLENTY of that on the internet.

Basically, if I’m going to spend my valuable time writing a blog post, it needs to be worth a reader’s time to consume that content.

Write for Your Audience

If you’re an author, artist, creative entrepreneur, or otherwise representing your brand, then your blog needs to be more than an online diary or collection of meaningless articles. That sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. It’s not about publishing just for the sake of filling your website with a lot of posts; it’s about creating genuinely valuable content that your audience actually wants to read.

So, who is your audience?

It’s okay to have more than one target audience. My blog posts are intended for:

Fans of my book series looking for news, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes contentFollowers getting updates about my writing, art, and photographyWriters who are interested in tips about writing, editing, and/or publishing a bookIndie authors searching for publishing and marketing adviceCreative entrepreneurs and solopreneurs seeking general business and vending tipsProfessional artists and authors looking for about relevant products, services, and companies

This blog originally started in 2016 as a . At the time, I hadn’t published any books, and I was feeling discouraged as a young writer and artist. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be published, so I wanted to share my work and make it accessible for those who might appreciate it rather than hoarding it where nobody would ever enjoy it.

But by the end of 2023, my website traffic had exploded compared to the number of visitors I had in the first four years.

Why? Because I changed my strategy. In 2020, I found and learned how to refine my content strategy to target micro-niches. Basically, I figured out that the “� advice given regularly to authors applies to website content too, not just novels. I had just released my second book, and after struggling through the by myself, I realized that I could share my experiences with other writers to help them navigate the challenges of publishing.

Shortly after joining Wealthy Affiliate, I quit my office job and ended up working for , an industry-leading content strategist and entrepreneur. Her methods doubled down on the importance of how high-quality content drives website traffic, builds authority, and converts organic visitors into loyal followers/customers (while Wealthy Affiliate’s lessons encouraged with ads and affiliate partnerships woven into the articles rather than becoming a sales pitch).

Benefits of Prioritizing High Value Over High Quantity

I realized there was immense value in publishing articles that targeted demographics that would find my posts interesting, entertaining, and/or informative. When the quality of my content increased, search engine algorithms took notice. My posts were populating on the first pages of relevant search results, making it easier for the right people to find my website. I started building my online authority.

This opened the door to not only help me get the word out about my books and reach new readers, but also to network with other creative professionals.

There are many reasons why driving organic traffic to your website is better than paying for advertisements to achieve the same goal:

The most obvious benefit: you aren’t wasting your money on paid ads. If you’re a solopreneur like me, you know that every penny counts when it comes to business finances.People who discover your website after searching a topic online are more likely to be interested in your article if you took the time to provide thorough, meaningful content that benefits the reader.High-quality content is a great way to establish your authority as a knowledgeable, trustworthy industry leader. You aren’t paying for ads to convince someone that you know what you’re talking about; you’re putting your money where your mouth is and demonstrating your worth firsthand.Genuine, organic traffic is more likely to take additional actions on your website if they like your content. Maybe they’ll explore other web pages, sign up for your newsletter, subscribe to a service you offer, make a purchase, donate to your business, or check out your book.You have a better chance of building up a base of followers who will be interested in your future blog posts.

On the other hand, if you’re half-heartedly pushing out drivel that nobody will be interested in reading simply for the sake of churning out posts to fill your blog, then what’s the point? Why waste your time creating and publishing something that has no value and is doomed to get lost in cyberspace? Regularly pumping out low-quality content at a high volume has a negative impact on your credibility when visitors browse your website.

I’m not saying that every single article you publish has to be and ranking on the first page of Google’s search results. The posts I write about my books aren’t going to appeal to entrepreneurs or even a general audience that isn’t already familiar with my series, nor are they likely to be discovered in a search engine. And my posts about marketing, publishing, and business topics probably won’t interest the fantasy fans who are more interested in details about my next book. I have different audiences who appreciate different types of content. But each post that I write is tailored to suit at least one of these niches and provide value in some way.

Ultimately, that is the lesson I hope will inspire bloggers. It’s better to write a few meaningful posts than a flood of low-quality content nobody wants to read, if they even find it.

The post first appeared on .

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t like paying for insurance. It sure feels like a scam, doesn’t it? Nonstop regular payments that add up to a LOT of money over time, just on the off chance that something bad MIGHT happen� and even then, it often feels like a battle to get reimbursed while you pray that your accident doesn’t fall into an obscure loophole that means you’re out of luck and insurance won’t pay.

Unfortunately, insurance is a necessary evil of today’s society.

I published my in 2018. Early in my career when I was setting up a table for book signings at local shops, sidewalk sales, libraries, and bookstores, having general liability insurance wasn’t even on my radar.

But as my business grew when I added into my event inventory and continued to publish books in , I found myself running into a consistent roadblock when I started targeting bigger and higher-quality events such as festivals, markets, and conventions � many of those venues required vendors to have business insurance if they wanted to apply.

Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Do Authors Need Business Liability Insurance?

I was exasperated about my dilemma at first due to the nature of my products. Was someone going to sue me for getting a papercut or dropping a book on their foot? Why did I need to tack on yet another business cost? I couldn’t afford to pay for business insurance, but that hurdle was preventing me from scaling up and reaching a lot of new customers.

Another vendor finally explained to me that setting up anywhere at anytime without insurance meant I was taking a gamble. The example they provided: If I had done everything right and secured my tent with weights, but another vendor nearby did not, and if the wind blew their tent into mine and people got hurt, I would be liable for those injuries because those people were inside my tent when it happened even though I wasn’t responsible for the negligence.

General liability insurance covers most accidents that can lead to lawsuits, including:

Bodily injuryProperty damageCourt and legal feesMedical paymentsAccusations of libel or slanderAdvertising harm

Finally, I reached a point where I knew I couldn’t put this task off any longer. My business had grown, but I was restricted to doing small events because the lack of insurance prevented me from applying to the bigger ones I wanted to do. I didn’t need extensive coverage; I just needed the bare minimum at a low cost to satisfy the application requirements.

Thus, my search for the best business insurance to cover an artist/author began. I contacted local agents and was frustrated to receive quotes ranging from $500 to $2,000 annual rates that didn’t have monthly payment options (and therefore were out of my budget).

My search shifted online, where I found ACT Insurance and signed on for their 90-day show policy. When that expired, I switched over to Next Insurance, which had been recommended to me by a different vendor.

In this article, I’ll explain why I made the change. I’ll also review the pros and cons of both ACT Insurance and Next Insurance from the perspective of an author, artist, solopreneur, and small business owner (who does not own a brick-and-mortar location).

Note: this is not a paid article. Neither of these companies commissioned this post to be written, and my opinions are my own. I’m simply sharing my experiences with the goal of helping other authors and artists who find themselves in a similar situation.

Pros & Cons of ACT Insurance for Authors & Artists

ACT is an acronym for Artists, Crafters, & Tradesmen. The insurance agency markets itself : Customizable coverage for creators: artist insurance for one day, one month, or one year (and everything in between).

ACT was recommended to me by a local artist who also owns a gallery, so he was using the business insurance in a different capacity than what I needed since he had a brick-and-mortar location in addition to setting up a booth at various venues. He highly recommended ACT and said that he’d never had a bad experience with them. After getting such high quotes from my local insurance agents who couldn’t offer me a monthly option, ACT seemed like the best choice for me in a pinch so I could apply for events that required general liability insurance.

Since I had my policy with ACT in April 2023, the website has gotten a refresh and their policies have been renamed, but the pricing tiers for art shows and festivals are still the same. As of May 2024, ACT’s prices range from short-term show policies at $49, $99, or $149 to annual policies at $24.25 or $33.42 per month with optional add-ons.

ACT Insurance met all of the requirements I needed to get into the markets and festivals that required proof of general liability insurance. I could download a certificate of insurance and, if needed, add an unlimited number of additional insureds for free.

All in all, ACT Insurance is not a bad option if you’re an artist, crafter, jeweler, potter, sculptor, woodcrafter, metal crafter, glassblower, candlemaker, or general artisan vendor.

However, if you’re an author, there’s a hidden caveat that isn’t clear at first glance.

I signed up for ACT’s 90-day show policy to start my event season. But ideally, I wanted a more affordable plan since paying for four 90-day policies to cover the whole year would add to up almost $600, whereas their annual policy at $24.25 per month would cost less than $300 annually.

Here’s the catch: to qualify for ACT Pro, you must hand-make at least 80% of your products. I hesitated when I reached that checkbox on the application, as it hadn’t been a condition I’d encountered when applying for the show policy.

I contacted ACT’s customer service team for clarification and explained that I’m a full-time author and part-time artist. I wrote and published the books, but I obviously didn’t make them by hand since they were manufactured in a factory and shipped to me.

Their team replied back and said that the annual policy wasn’t designed for authors, but their show policy did cover me. Essentially, they told me that I could apply for the annual policy just for the sake of getting into events, but if anything were to happen, I wouldn’t actually be covered.

I don’t know why ACT enforces the 80% handmade rule for their annual plan but not their show plan� but it meant that I needed to keep hunting for an alternative general liability insurance that would cover me as an author.

Pros & Cons of Next Insurance for Authors & Artists

As my ACT show policy neared its end and my search for affordable liability insurance resumed, a local candlemaker recommended for small businesses. This agency offers a much broader range of insurance options, including:

Business insuranceGeneral liability insuranceWorkers� compensation insuranceProfessional liability insuranceErrors and Omissions (E&O) insuranceCommercial auto insuranceCommercial property insuranceBusiness owner’s polity (BOP)Commercial umbrella insuranceCyber insuranceTools and equipment insuranceLiquor liability insuranceProduct liability insuranceContractor license bonds

Unlike ACT, which caters specifically to artists (but not authors), Next insures just about any small business� including artists. Their monthly rate for general liability insurance was comparable to ACT at only $26.99 per month (as of May 2024).

As a whole, I found Next’s website and app to be much user-friendly than ACT. Some events require vendors to not only have general liability insurance, but also to add the event host, city, and/or venue onto the certificate holder as an additional insured. Next makes that process SO EASY. In less than a minute, you can plug in the information, generate a new certificate of insurance, and download it. All you need is the requester’s name and address (screenshot below so you can see how simple the form is). All of your custom certificates are then saved in your dashboard.

As for the downside of Next Insurance� I honestly don’t have any negatives to list. Next Insurance is convenient, covers everything needed to meet event qualifications, user-friendly, and affordable. And they don’t care whether my products are handmade or not.

My Recommendation: Best General Liability Insurance for Authors & Artists

Paying for business insurance probably wasn’t at the top of your to-do list early in your publishing career. (It certainly wasn’t on mine!) But if you’re serious about growing your personal brand into a business, and if that business is growing as you set your sights on bigger and better events, then you will eventually need insurance. Not just because you’re taking on more financial risks by setting up a booth at crowded venues, but also because many events won’t even let you apply if you don’t have general liability insurance.

I’ve used both ACT Insurance and Next Insurance, and for me, there was a VERY clear winner.

**It’s worthwhile to note that I have not (knock on wood) had to file any claims, so I can’t weigh in on that aspect in this head-to-head comparison.

If you’re an artist who primarily sells handmade products, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with ACT. I like that they have different show policies (ACT Go) depending on whether you need to cover a single event, a few events, or several months. ACT’s annual policy (ACT Pro) is slightly cheaper than Next Insurance if you make less than $50k� but it’s a difference of less than $2.75 per month, so it’s a negligible amount.

Unfortunately, if you’re an author or an artist who outsources the production of your designs, art prints, and products, then ACT will most likely fall short of your needs unless you’re okay with paying a lot more to keep renewing their 90-day show policy instead of receiving annual coverage. Their business is designed to cater to certain types of artists, but unfortunately, that means they exclude other types that don’t fit into the handmade category.

Digital artists, for example, are completely hit or miss with ACT. If you’re a digital artist who has a high-end printer and produces your own prints at home, you qualify. If you’re a digital artist who does NOT have an expensive printer, so you outsource that production to ensure high-quality products, then you don’t. To me, that’s really splitting hairs.

Next Insurance picks up the slack and offers an affordable liability insurance plan for just about any small business owner regardless of your industry or products. Their app and website are so user-friendly that it’s incredibly easy to customize certificates on the fly and send them immediately.

There’s a reason I switched from ACT to Next and haven’t looked back. Next Insurance for small businesses is my recommendation for authors, hands down. And it also works just as well for artists since it’s designed for any kind of entrepreneur, including artists.

NEW! I’m excited to announce that I’ve recently created a new Substack subscription for authors, artists, and other creative entrepreneurs. If this article was valuable to you, then I encourage you to where I share even more in-depth posts on business topics related to publishing, marketing, and selling. Join my network for only $5 a month!

The post first appeared on .

This announcement was inevitable, but I’ve been putting it off for the last couple of months. Now, it’s finally time.

I admittedly have mixed feelings about relocating my newsletter to a new platform, but I’ve officially outgrown MailChimp and had no choice but to start searching for alternative options. Thanks to the recommendation of another author, I found Substack.

Here’s all you need to know about the change.

Table of ContentsWhy I’m Leaving MailChimp

I have nothing bad to say about MailChimp’s functionality. The platform was simple and straightforward. It gave me enough free customization options to keep me satisfied while locking some of their premium functions for their paid subscribers, and that was fine. I didn’t feel their free tier was lacking any of the tools I needed to create my newsletter and schedule it to go out on the first Monday of each month.

My came out in 2018 before my first novel, from the series, was even published. At the time, MailChimp came highly recommended to me as the ideal choice for a newsletter. Their free plan allowed up to 2,000 contacts in your audience. I knew that I would eventually have to either upgrade to their paid plan or switch to a different platform eventually, but I figured it would take me a long time to build up an audience that size.

But in March of 2023, MailChimp slashed their free plan from a max of 2,000 subscribers to only 500. Those of us who had been loyal account holders were not grandfathered in.

I wasn’t aware of the change, so I was surprised and alarmed to see an author colleague’s Instagram post explaining that she was scrambling to find a new provider after logging in to MailChimp and discovering that her account was frozen because she had exceeded 500 subscribers.

I came dangerously close to hitting that threshold last month, but I was able to clean some of my oldest nonengaged contacts and send out my newsletter. For the upcoming June newsletter, though, I knew I’d have to make the switch. I’m not in a position to add another business expense just to send out a newsletter once a month. If I were using MailChimp for more advanced ecommerce marketing campaigns, then the cost of upgrading to their paid tier would be more justifiable. But I want to keep my newsletter free for everyone.

Hence, the inevitable switch came sooner than I expected, but here we are.

Pros and Cons of Substack

I reached out to my author friend and asked her how the search was going for a new newsletter platform. Unfortunately, most of the free platforms have the same restrictions as MailChimp. Even those that allow more subscribers in the free tier will eventually start charging once you hit a certain number of contacts in your audience, so that “solution� is really just kicking the can a little farther down the road.

She told me about a couple of options she’d investigated before settling on Substack, which is a popular choice for authors. I’m still early in the process of diving into Substack’s features, but here are the pros and cons I’ve seen so far on the platform:

Substack ProsEasily import your existing audience from MailChimp and other platformsBuild your Substack website with an archive of your campaigns, posts, and relevant outbound links such as social media pages, online store, etc.Tools for videos and podcastingA simple, easy-to-use interfaceOpportunities to generate revenue from paid subscribersNo paywalls or locked functions (Substack only makes money if their users enable paid content, which I’ll discuss later)Substack ConsExtremely limited customization due to Substack’s push for a minimal design that emphasizes the writing, not the layoutNot idea for email marketing if you need landing pages, segmented audiences, personal customizations such as addressing the person by name in the email, automated messaging (beyond a simple welcome message), etc.

Ultimately, Substack is ideal for publishing, not email marketing. For my needs, that’s perfectly fine. In fact, that’s exactly what I need.

I’m a little disappointed in just HOW limited some of the customization features are. Substack has some neat new tools such as adding a paywall if you want part of your post to be accessible for free and part of it to be reserved for your paying subscribers. But as for the layout, my newsletters going forward will look a little different. I don’t even have the option to center-align text, which is a tad frustrating. But the trade-off, as of now, does seem to be worth the sacrifice.

My next newsletter will be going out soon, and I was running out of time to find an alternative after MailChimp backed me into a corner. As far as I can tell so far, Substack’s pros outweigh their cons.

How My Existing Subscribers Are Impacted

The good news is my existing subscribers don’t have to do anything! I already successfully exported my audience list from MailChimp and imported it to Substack.

I’m still in the process of updating my signup links to redirect new subscribers to Substack instead of MailChimp, but if you’re already subscribed to my newsletter, you don’t need to take any actions.

(If you notice my newsletters aren’t coming to your inbox anymore, be sure to check your spam folder just in case.)

FREE Monthly Newsletter + NEW Premium Posts for Creative Solopreneurs

On Substack, I will continue to post my newsletter on the first Monday of each month (unless it’s a holiday, in which case, the newsletter is usually delayed). The newsletter is free for all of my subscribers.

You can still find my here on my website to access ALL of the past newsletters, including the MailChimp ones. On Substack, you’ll be able to see all of those posts in a conveniently accessible archive, although I intend to continue maintaining my own archive on my site.

But Substack also offers a new premium feature that I’m excited to try! In addition to continuing my free monthly newsletter, I’m planning to expand Substack with paid content for subscribers who are creative solopreneurs interested in personal advice about book signings; finding and applying for events; vending at festivals, markets, and conventions; setting reasonable sales goals; understanding profit margins and base costs; and more. This content will be different than what I share with my , so I’ll go into more detail about that in the next section.

How My Substack Subscribers Differ from My Patreon Subscribers

Recently, a local artist I know contacted me and suggested that I create a new Patreon tier where I could share advice about how to be successful at festivals, markets, conventions, and other events.

She told me that when she was starting to book events, she tried to research how to be a vendor and found only the most basic information, so she felt that I could offer a lot of personal advice to other authors, artists, and creative solopreneurs trying to succeed at in-person events. Now that I have over 135 events under my belt, I’ve learned a lot that I can share.

I considered this idea, but my initial knee-jerk reaction was to say no. I already face a unique challenge with marketing because my business operates with two distinct facets ��� I’m both an artist AND an author, and I sell my art prints and fantasy novels at events. Sometimes, there’s crossover between fans who appreciate both of those creative outlets. But in other cases, I have followers who are much more interested in the art than the books, or vice versa.

I built my Patreon community around those fans. My lowest tier at $5 a month is my basic support level that includes updates, discounts, and acknowledgments in future books. It’s like buying me a bubble tea once a month to help me keep going! My middle $10 tier is for fans who want more behind-the-scenes content, including timelapse videos to watch me create new art from start to finish. My highest $15 tier is for my most dedicated CoA fans who want a more interactive experience; they have a place or minor character named after them in one (possibly more) book(s), can submit questions for me or a character to answer, have exclusive voting power in polls, and more.

I network with a lot of other authors, artists, and creative solopreneurs at events, but that’s an entirely different demographic that isn’t necessarily interested in reading worldbuilding details about my fantasy series or watching me draw. The type of content for those potential subscribers would be VERY different from what I publish for my fan base, and while I did see the value of that opportunity, I was hesitant to further complicate my marketing efforts by adding a third distinct type of subscriber into the mix in addition to fans of my book series and my art.

Here is where Substack comes into play. My premium Substack content will be geared toward authors, artists, and other creative solopreneurs who want to network on a professional level, get tips about booth displays, and book in-person events, while Patreon will remain a fan-based community. This allows me to establish a clear divide between the types of consumers and content I produce so everything isn’t muddled together on one platform.

Why My Substack is a Small Monthly Subscription, NOT an Expensive Masterclass

I’ve had a few people pressure me over the past year to create a masterclass-style teaching course and mentorship program that would help guide other artists and authors. Here are my thoughts on that topic:

I do actually have experience with that. I was training to be a coach for before the business and shifted its focus to AI. As part of my training, I went through the full course (which was worth thousands of dollars) to learn how to build an online brand that revolved around producing high-quality content, attracting clients who were willing to pay a lot of money for the program, and teaching those clients how to use that same model to develop their own online brands.Simply put: teaching doesn’t interest me. I have the utmost respect for teachers, but that’s never been a passion of mine. I’m happy to write about my experiences and provide guidance for those who are interested, but not in a teacher-student relationship that comes with guided exercises and regular meetings.I left my office job a few years ago because I wanted to spend most of my time doing what I love ��� writing, drawing, and developing my own creative business. I’m not keen on diverting my time and attention away from that to start a coaching business, which would be an entirely separate endeavor that would delay publication for Book IV and the other projects I’m currently juggling. As an introvert, engaging with people isn’t one of my strengths. Ultimately, splitting my focus to develop something I don’t overly enjoy would be counterproductive to my goal of pursuing my passions now that I have the freedom to do so.My time is too limited. Not only is it extremely time-consuming to create a full step-by-step course with branded resources and assets, but the accompanying one-on-one mentorship would demand even more of my time. If you’re charging clients thousands of dollars for your program, you need to be accessible to them, and I simply don’t have the capacity to commit to something like that.I maintain the firm belief that there isn’t one single path every artist or author should follow. What worked for me might not work for others depending on their niche, business goals, resources, finances, distribution model, etc. Everyone’s journey is different, and because of that, I prefer to candidly share what I’ve learned without promising guaranteed success to clients who would pay a lot of money for a masterclass intended to guide them every step of the way. I can’t promise that anyone will become a bestseller or successful entrepreneur just by following in my footsteps. (Heck� I still have a long way to go myself! I certainly won’t claim that I’ve unlocked all of the secrets.)I don’t want to restrict my insights and advice by catering only to the people who have enough disposable income to afford it. If I were to spend hundreds of hours building a masterclass course, I’d have to charge appropriately. But I know what it’s like to be an artist on a tight budget. That kind of resource would be out of reach for way too many talented people. I would much rather publish casual, periodic posts on Substack and charge only $5 a month so anyone who is interested can afford to access my content. There’s also an annual option at a discounted rate.

As you can see, I have a long list of reasons why I have no intention of starting any kind of masterclass program. A few decades down the road when my series is complete and I’m tired of setting up a booth at in-person events, then maybe the situation will change. But not anytime soon.

Substack is a step in a new direction as I start branching into a more casual mentorship role. It’s a fitting addition since I’m currently working on a short nonfiction book that will share advice and inspiration for aspiring authors, so I’m already tiptoeing into that territory.

But I very much prefer the blogging format versus a coaching program, not to mention my desire to keep it affordable. $5 a month isn’t much, and Substack does take a small percentage of that in exchange for hosting my premium content. But it will add up over time as I build an audience, and while that cost won’t break the bank for my subscribers, it will help me cover my own business costs and compensate me for the time it takes to write and publish those posts.

Substack also allows creators to comment, network, and recommend other Substack publications, so I’m excited to start connecting with professionals and build a new community around creative entrepreneurship!

Looking Ahead at Substack’s Potential

I’ll still continue to publish free blog posts here on my website that touch on general , marketing, and business topics for authors and artists, but Substack will allow me to dive much deeper and speak to a more specific audience of professionals who are serious about doing in-person events to market and sell their work.

Substack is setting up to become a unique blend of my blog, newsletter, and Patreon, and I’m excited about moving forward and exploring this new territory! My first is live, and there’s much more to come, although I’m still learning how to navigate the new layout and features since Substack is very different from MailChimp and features a public interface rather than being a strictly behind-the-scenes email service.

If you haven’t already subscribed to my newsletter, you can do so . Thank you for supporting me and following along on my journey!

The post first appeared on .

This announcement was inevitable, but I’ve been putting it off for the last couple of months. Now, it’s finally time.

I admittedly have mixed feelings about relocating my newsletter to a new platform, but I’ve officially outgrown MailChimp and had no choice but to start searching for alternative options. Thanks to the recommendation of another author, I found Substack.

Here’s all you need to know about the change.

Table of ContentsWhy I’m Leaving MailChimp

I have nothing bad to say about MailChimp’s functionality. The platform was simple and straightforward. It gave me enough free customization options to keep me satisfied while locking some of their premium functions for their paid subscribers, and that was fine. I didn’t feel their free tier was lacking any of the tools I needed to create my newsletter and schedule it to go out on the first Monday of each month.

My came out in 2018 before my first novel, from the series, was even published. At the time, MailChimp came highly recommended to me as the ideal choice for a newsletter. Their free plan allowed up to 2,000 contacts in your audience. I knew that I would eventually have to either upgrade to their paid plan or switch to a different platform eventually, but I figured it would take me a long time to build up an audience that size.

But in March of 2023, MailChimp slashed their free plan from a max of 2,000 subscribers to only 500. Those of us who had been loyal account holders were not grandfathered in.

I wasn’t aware of the change, so I was surprised and alarmed to see an author colleague’s Instagram post explaining that she was scrambling to find a new provider after logging in to MailChimp and discovering that her account was frozen because she had exceeded 500 subscribers.

I came dangerously close to hitting that threshold last month, but I was able to clean some of my oldest nonengaged contacts and send out my newsletter. For the upcoming June newsletter, though, I knew I’d have to make the switch. I’m not in a position to add another business expense just to send out a newsletter once a month. If I were using MailChimp for more advanced ecommerce marketing campaigns, then the cost of upgrading to their paid tier would be more justifiable. But I want to keep my newsletter free for everyone.

Hence, the inevitable switch came sooner than I expected, but here we are.

Pros and Cons of Substack

I reached out to my author friend and asked her how the search was going for a new newsletter platform. Unfortunately, most of the free platforms have the same restrictions as MailChimp. Even those that allow more subscribers in the free tier will eventually start charging once you hit a certain number of contacts in your audience, so that “solution� is really just kicking the can a little farther down the road.

She told me about a couple of options she’d investigated before settling on Substack, which is a popular choice for authors. I’m still early in the process of diving into Substack’s features, but here are the pros and cons I’ve seen so far on the platform:

Substack ProsEasily import your existing audience from MailChimp and other platformsBuild your Substack website with an archive of your campaigns, posts, and relevant outbound links such as social media pages, online store, etc.Tools for videos and podcastingA simple, easy-to-use interfaceOpportunities to generate revenue from paid subscribersNo paywalls or locked functions (Substack only makes money if their users enable paid content, which I’ll discuss later)Substack ConsExtremely limited customization due to Substack’s push for a minimal design that emphasizes the writing, not the layoutNot idea for email marketing if you need landing pages, segmented audiences, personal customizations such as addressing the person by name in the email, automated messaging (beyond a simple welcome message), etc.

Ultimately, Substack is ideal for publishing, not email marketing. For my needs, that’s perfectly fine. In fact, that’s exactly what I need.

I’m a little disappointed in just HOW limited some of the customization features are. Substack has some neat new tools such as adding a paywall if you want part of your post to be accessible for free and part of it to be reserved for your paying subscribers. But as for the layout, my newsletters going forward will look a little different. I don’t even have the option to center-align text, which is a tad frustrating. But the trade-off, as of now, does seem to be worth the sacrifice.

My next newsletter will be going out soon, and I was running out of time to find an alternative after MailChimp backed me into a corner. As far as I can tell so far, Substack’s pros outweigh their cons.

How My Existing Subscribers Are Impacted

The good news is my existing subscribers don’t have to do anything! I already successfully exported my audience list from MailChimp and imported it to Substack.

I’m still in the process of updating my signup links to redirect new subscribers to Substack instead of MailChimp, but if you’re already subscribed to my newsletter, you don’t need to take any actions.

(If you notice my newsletters aren’t coming to your inbox anymore, be sure to check your spam folder just in case.)

FREE Monthly Newsletter + NEW Premium Posts for Creative Solopreneurs

On Substack, I will continue to post my newsletter on the first Monday of each month (unless it’s a holiday, in which case, the newsletter is usually delayed). The newsletter is free for all of my subscribers.

You can still find my here on my website to access ALL of the past newsletters, including the MailChimp ones. On Substack, you’ll be able to see all of those posts in a conveniently accessible archive, although I intend to continue maintaining my own archive on my site.

But Substack also offers a new premium feature that I’m excited to try! In addition to continuing my free monthly newsletter, I’m planning to expand Substack with paid content for subscribers who are creative solopreneurs interested in personal advice about book signings; finding and applying for events; vending at festivals, markets, and conventions; setting reasonable sales goals; understanding profit margins and base costs; and more. This content will be different than what I share with my , so I’ll go into more detail about that in the next section.

How My Substack Subscribers Differ from My Patreon Subscribers

Recently, a local artist I know contacted me and suggested that I create a new Patreon tier where I could share advice about how to be successful at festivals, markets, conventions, and other events.

She told me that when she was starting to book events, she tried to research how to be a vendor and found only the most basic information, so she felt that I could offer a lot of personal advice to other authors, artists, and creative solopreneurs trying to succeed at in-person events. Now that I have over 135 events under my belt, I’ve learned a lot that I can share.

I considered this idea, but my initial knee-jerk reaction was to say no. I already face a unique challenge with marketing because my business operates with two distinct facets � I’m both an artist AND an author, and I sell my art prints and fantasy novels at events. Sometimes, there’s crossover between fans who appreciate both of those creative outlets. But in other cases, I have followers who are much more interested in the art than the books, or vice versa.

I built my Patreon community around those fans. My lowest tier at $5 a month is my basic support level that includes updates, discounts, and acknowledgments in future books. It’s like buying me a bubble tea once a month to help me keep going! My middle $10 tier is for fans who want more behind-the-scenes content, including timelapse videos to watch me create new art from start to finish. My highest $15 tier is for my most dedicated CoA fans who want a more interactive experience; they have a place or minor character named after them in one (possibly more) book(s), can submit questions for me or a character to answer, have exclusive voting power in polls, and more.

I network with a lot of other authors, artists, and creative solopreneurs at events, but that’s an entirely different demographic that isn’t necessarily interested in reading worldbuilding details about my fantasy series or watching me draw. The type of content for those potential subscribers would be VERY different from what I publish for my fan base, and while I did see the value of that opportunity, I was hesitant to further complicate my marketing efforts by adding a third distinct type of subscriber into the mix in addition to fans of my book series and my art.

Here is where Substack comes into play. My premium Substack content will be geared toward authors, artists, and other creative solopreneurs who want to network on a professional level, get tips about booth displays, and book in-person events, while Patreon will remain a fan-based community. This allows me to establish a clear divide between the types of consumers and content I produce so everything isn’t muddled together on one platform.

Why My Substack is a Small Monthly Subscription, NOT an Expensive Masterclass

I’ve had a few people pressure me over the past year to create a masterclass-style teaching course and mentorship program that would help guide other artists and authors. Here are my thoughts on that topic:

I do actually have experience with that. I was training to be a coach for before the business and shifted its focus to AI. As part of my training, I went through the full course (which was worth thousands of dollars) to learn how to build an online brand that revolved around producing high-quality content, attracting clients who were willing to pay a lot of money for the program, and teaching those clients how to use that same model to develop their own online brands.Simply put: teaching doesn’t interest me. I have the utmost respect for teachers, but that’s never been a passion of mine. I’m happy to write about my experiences and provide guidance for those who are interested, but not in a teacher-student relationship that comes with guided exercises and regular meetings.I left my office job a few years ago because I wanted to spend most of my time doing what I love � writing, drawing, and developing my own creative business. I’m not keen on diverting my time and attention away from that to start a coaching business, which would be an entirely separate endeavor that would delay publication for Book IV and the other projects I’m currently juggling. As an introvert, engaging with people isn’t one of my strengths. Ultimately, splitting my focus to develop something I don’t overly enjoy would be counterproductive to my goal of pursuing my passions now that I have the freedom to do so.My time is too limited. Not only is it extremely time-consuming to create a full step-by-step course with branded resources and assets, but the accompanying one-on-one mentorship would demand even more of my time. If you’re charging clients thousands of dollars for your program, you need to be accessible to them, and I simply don’t have the capacity to commit to something like that.I maintain the firm belief that there isn’t one single path every artist or author should follow. What worked for me might not work for others depending on their niche, business goals, resources, finances, distribution model, etc. Everyone’s journey is different, and because of that, I prefer to candidly share what I’ve learned without promising guaranteed success to clients who would pay a lot of money for a masterclass intended to guide them every step of the way. I can’t promise that anyone will become a bestseller or successful entrepreneur just by following in my footsteps. (Heck� I still have a long way to go myself! I certainly won’t claim that I’ve unlocked all of the secrets.)I don’t want to restrict my insights and advice by catering only to the people who have enough disposable income to afford it. If I were to spend hundreds of hours building a masterclass course, I’d have to charge appropriately. But I know what it’s like to be an artist on a tight budget. That kind of resource would be out of reach for way too many talented people. I would much rather publish casual, periodic posts on Substack and charge only $5 a month so anyone who is interested can afford to access my content. There’s also an annual option at a discounted rate.

As you can see, I have a long list of reasons why I have no intention of starting any kind of masterclass program. A few decades down the road when my series is complete and I’m tired of setting up a booth at in-person events, then maybe the situation will change. But not anytime soon.

Substack is a step in a new direction as I start branching into a more casual mentorship role. It’s a fitting addition since I’m currently working on a short nonfiction book that will share advice and inspiration for aspiring authors, so I’m already tiptoeing into that territory.

But I very much prefer the blogging format versus a coaching program, not to mention my desire to keep it affordable. $5 a month isn’t much, and Substack does take a small percentage of that in exchange for hosting my premium content. But it will add up over time as I build an audience, and while that cost won’t break the bank for my subscribers, it will help me cover my own business costs and compensate me for the time it takes to write and publish those posts.

Substack also allows creators to comment, network, and recommend other Substack publications, so I’m excited to start connecting with professionals and build a new community around creative entrepreneurship!

Looking Ahead at Substack’s Potential

I’ll still continue to publish free blog posts here on my website that touch on general , marketing, and business topics for authors and artists, but Substack will allow me to dive much deeper and speak to a more specific audience of professionals who are serious about doing in-person events to market and sell their work.

Substack is setting up to become a unique blend of my blog, newsletter, and Patreon, and I’m excited about moving forward and exploring this new territory! My first is live, and there’s much more to come, although I’m still learning how to navigate the new layout and features since Substack is very different from MailChimp and features a public interface rather than being a strictly behind-the-scenes email service.

If you haven’t already subscribed to my newsletter, you can do so . Thank you for supporting me and following along on my journey!

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This topic came up recently in a conversation, so I thought I would take an extra moment to write about it and share my thoughts from an . In this short post, I’ll give a quick overview about the legality of fanfiction and how it impacts authors.

Table of ContentsWhat is Fanfiction?

Fanfiction (fanfic), is unauthorized amateur writing that is based on an existing intellectual property. It features copyrighted characters, creatures, settings, et cetera and can range in size from a few sentences to a complete novel. The most common sources for fanfic include movies, comics, novels, television shows, cartoons, video games, anime, and manga.

Is Fanfic Legal?

That’s a gray area if you ask a lawyer. Technically speaking, if the copyright holder has not granted permission to use elements of their intellectual property OR if the work is not in the public domain, then no. Fanfiction is not legal and is considered copyright infringement.

I could, for example, write a story about the original version of Cinderella because it’s a . I could NOT use details from Disney’s version because they hold the copyright for their movie, including all elements that deviate from the original.

Under the , it’s possible to use copyrighted work if you are criticizing, commenting upon, or parodying the original. If you are directly quoting the source, you must cite the source material. But be advised that “fair use� is rather ambiguous and can be difficult (not to mention expensive) to prove in court.

When I published my first novel, , I used eight words from the lyrics of “You Are My Sunshine.� Prior to releasing the book, I had contacted the copyright holder and requested permission to use this small snippet since I was using it in the context of a character singing the song, not a review or parody that would have fallen under the fair use doctrine.

Most of the fanfic posted online is not legal and was written/published without the permission or knowledge of the original creator of the intellectual property. And yet, fanfiction is very popular. It’s a fun way for a fan base to engage with each other and keep the story alive while they wait for the next official installment from the author. As long as you aren’t selling it, copyright holders generally aren’t going to come after you.

(Let me note here that I am NOT a lawyer, I am NOT providing legal advice, and I am NOT guaranteeing that you can publish fanfic without consequences.)

A copyright holder would have to send you a warning and prior to pursuing legal action against you. If you fail to comply, then things might start getting messy.

Should Authors Read Fanfic of Their Own Work?

Here is where the conversation gets interesting for me. I’ve published three novels so far in my award-winning sci-fi/fantasy series, the , and I’m preparing to publish the fourth book soon.

I certainly can’t speak for all authors, but I was extremely flattered a couple of years ago when a reader sent me a short fanfic piece she’d written featuring one of my characters. I considered it a badge of honor to have reached a new level in my career where people enjoyed my work enough to continue imagining my world and characters beyond the constraints of what I’d written in the pages of the novel.

But, after I enthusiastically shared this landmark achievement, a fellow writer who went to college with me sent me a private message with a kindhearted warning� and I understood that reading fanfic as an author came with some major risks. After that incident, I decided to make it a formal policy that, while I still appreciate fanfic, I would not read any more.

Fanfiction comes with legal risks for the fan� but there’s a flip side that opens the door to potential liabilities for the author as well. As my colleague pointed out, there’s a possibility that one of my upcoming novels could contain plot points or other elements that share similarities with a story that was written by a fan. Even if the fan made a lucky prediction and I’d already been planning to steer my series in that direction, I’d have no way of proving that I hadn’t gotten the idea from the fanfic, potentially opening myself up to legal trouble if the fan accused me of stealing their idea.

Some authors do enjoy fanfiction but will wait until after their series has concluded before reading it. Other authors consider fanfic to be a theft of their intellectual property and want nothing to do with it. Regardless of preferences, it’s usually best to air on the safe side and NOT send a copy or link of your fanfic to an author, as there’s a good chance you could be inadvertently causing potential harm.

(I do enjoy seeing , though!)

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BIG NEWS!!

I’m excited to announce that my photography is now officially available on Shutterstock!

My subscribers were the first to hear the news that I had submitted a handful of photographs to Shutterstock in April (along with another new project that I’m still keeping under wraps for now). And I was ecstatic to recently learn that my work had been accepted!

But what exactly does that mean?

Table of ContentsLicensing & Commission

Partnering with Shutterstock means that people now have the opportunity to purchase a to use my photography. This can include web distribution, email marketing, social media, printed materials, blog articles, small video productions, personal use, and more.

Enhanced licenses are also available and allow people to use my photographs for commercial use, merchandising, web templates, retail, et cetera.

As the photographer, I receive commission payments when someone purchases the rights to use my work. It’s another for me, and every little bit helps to sustain my business so I can continue publishing books and making art.

Portfolio

My portfolio is very small at this time. The first batch of photographs I uploaded was a test to see if my work would meet the qualifications to be accepted.

Now that the first batch has been approved and added to Shutterstock’s massive database, I plan to periodically upload additional batches and slowly build up my portfolio over time. This is just a side project, and I don’t want it to take too much time away from publishing Book IV in the series (as well as a long list of other projects that still require my attention).

AI Learning

At this time, I have opted to NOT allow data licensing for my photographs.

Data licensing allows AI models and computer software to utilize images for training. Although the photographer does receive compensation (unlike a lot of artists whose work is being used to train AI without their permission and with no compensation), I still have mixed feelings about this. For now, while I’m still new to the process and just getting started, I would prefer to not have AI involved.

If I change my mind in the future, I can choose to enable this feature and make my photographs available for data licensing.

Personal Use

The photographs I choose to share with Shutterstock are not ones that I intend to use for my own projects. This includes my , gallery exhibits, , publication submissions, books, et cetera.

When I do photoshoots, I end up with a lot of unused photographs after I pick just a few of the best ones for my own use. Those discarded photos end up getting buried in folders on my computer, rarely to be seen again. Thanks to my new , I now have a place to share some of those photographs that have been stored for years in my archives.

My business has been moving away from photography to focus more on my books and art� so I’m excited to find a place for my photography again!

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Self-publishing, also known as independent (indie) publishing, has come a long way over the last decade. It’s completely disrupted the traditional publishing industry in both positive and negative ways.

My original plan was to publish the first novel in my fantasy series, the , by partnering with an agent and finding a traditional publishing house. However, as I learned more about the pros and cons of , I realized that maintaining the rights to my work was extremely important to me. I self-published my first novel in 2018 and learned many important lessons along the way.

In this article, I’ll discuss the various potential costs that indie authors will need to factor into their budget if they want to self-publish a book that’s high enough quality to compete with traditionally published titles.

Table of ContentsCan You Self-Publish a Book for Free?

The short answer is yes. The better question is, SHOULD you self-publish for free?

Amazon’s self-publishing company is called , better known as KDP, and it transformed the publishing marketplace by making it easy and free for anyone to publish a book and sell it on Amazon. Other self-publishing companies like , , , et cetera offer similar publishing avenues for indie authors.

(I initially started with B&N Press before switching to IngramSpark. Read my head-to-head review of the two self-publishing companies and their pros/cons .)

However, by removing the quality controls imposed by traditional publishing houses, that opened the door for anyone to publish anything� even unedited books riddled with typos, grammatical errors, weak plots, and amateur covers, and those low-quality books flooded the market. Because of this, being an indie author means you’re immediately fighting the bad rap that comes with it. When you tell people that you self-published, many of them make instant assumptions about the quality of your book.

This is why I pose the question: “Should you self-publish for free?� Because if you don’t invest in some necessary upfront costs for your book, I can guarantee that:

It won’t be as as professional as it could (and should) beYou will lose some of your publishing and/or distribution rights if you’re not paying attention to the fine printMost Common Self-Publishing Costs for Indie Authors

If you have the right skills and experience, you can avoid some of these costs by doing the work yourself, but others are unavoidable if you’re truly serious about being an author who publishes a high-quality book worth reading.

1. ISBN

ISBN is an acronym for International Standard Book Number. Basically, an ISBN is the 13-digital commercial identifier number that publishers, retailers, distributors, bookstores, libraries, et cetera rely on to find and order books.

If a self-publishing company offers you a free ISBN (and most of them do), understand that there’s a hidden caveat. By using that free ISBN, you are relinquishing your role as the publisher of the book. You still own the creative rights to your work, but you (or your DBA) will not be listed as the publisher. If you self-published through KDP, for example, then KDP would be the publisher. These free ISBNs also can’t be transferred if you end up switching to a different publishing company.

However, if you purchase your own ISBN through , which is the official ISBN agency for publishers located in the United States and its territories, then you will own ALL of the publishing rights for your book. You can also transfer these ISBNs between companies if needed. (You might be thinking, I won’t need to worry about changing companies� But I didn’t think that I would be making a switch when I first started, either. It happens.)

***I do not have any direct affiliation with Bowker. I don’t earn any commission or credit if you decide you want to buy an ISBN.***

If you want to learn more about ISBNs and how they impact you as a self-published author, read my earlier post of .

2. Editing

I always, at a bare minimum, strongly advocate for aspiring authors to hire a professional editor. Even if you’ve read through your manuscript a hundred times, and even if you’ve had beta readers and English teachers and family members read it, I guarantee that partnering with a professional line editor will make your book so much better.

In my case, I have a pretty thorough grasp of the English language� or so I thought. So, I was surprised (and initially a little humbled) to see how many mark-ups my line editor made. But, as I went through edit by edit, I was amazed by some of the obscure grammatical rules she knew that I didn’t. She was so thorough that she even caught some detail discrepancies between books in the series. And she was also able to advise me on formatting suggestions so my book would match the style that traditional publishing houses are producing.

In other words, hiring a line editor is 1,000% worth the cost. Even with a line editor, a few typos might slip through. However, that number is WAY less than the typos that come without a professional editor. Trust me� it’s very obvious if a book hasn’t been properly edited.

This self-publishing cost will vary depending on the editor you choose to partner with for your book. Some freelancers charge an hourly rate. Others charge based on the number of chapters or words. The rate also varies depending on what kind of editing you need. Are you looking for a quick proofread? A copy edit? Or a thorough line edit?

If you’re hunting for a reputable freelance editor, I highly recommend my line editor Nikki Mentges with . I’ve worked with her on all three books published so far in my series, and I’m always impressed by her thoroughness and attention to detail. Other authors I’ve recommended her to have also been very happy with her feedback. Nikki charges per word count (which I prefer over an hourly rate so I can calculate exactly how much I’ll owe regardless of if she gets through the manuscript faster or slower than anticipated), and she offers different prices for different editing services.

3. Cover Design

As an artist with Photoshop experience, I enjoy creating my own book covers for my novels. But if you don’t have any graphic design experience, hiring a cover designer is probably a good idea.

We’ve all heard the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.� However� if you hope to sell your books, you absolutely need to have a good cover. Cheesy stock images, poorly chosen fonts, issues with scaling and layout, bad artwork, etc. scream AMATEUR to potential readers who will scroll right past your book to find one that looks more professional and higher quality.

4. Artwork, Maps, & Other Graphics

I had a lot of fun designing my fantasy world, a small Midwest town, and the floor plan layout that were published in my third novel. But then again, I also have a degree in landscape architecture and an art background. If art is your thing, then you can save costs by making your own graphics (if applicable).

But hiring a freelance artist to create supplemental materials for your book might be a worthwhile investment if you want to elevate your novel to the next level with maps, character sketches, interior art designs, and more. These materials might be published in the book itself, or you could use them separately for inserts, bookmarks, et cetera.

5. Interior Layout

This is part of the process that catches a lot of new authors by surprise. The exterior design is obviously important, but while the interior layout isn’t as flashy, it’s still a critical part of the process. If your interior is done well, readers probably won’t notice. But if it’s done poorly� they will definitely judge the quality of your book.

Some authors are savvy enough to format the interior themselves and meet all of the uploading criteria for page numbers, margins, headings, table of contents, copyright information, etc.

But if you aren’t, there’s no shame in hiring someone who can do this for you. Even if you do have the computer skills to handle the interior layout, be aware that it’s a time-consuming task, so you might want to consider hiring a freelancer just for the convenience.

6. Ebook Formatting

I recommend publishing an ebook version of your novel. I like to offer my readers a hardcover, paperback, and ebook option, although a lot of authors just do a paperback and ebook.

Ebooks need to be saved as an epub file, which means they need to be formatted properly. There are some software options that will automatically convert your file for you� but I would be extremely cautious about using them because they’re prone to missing errors that you might not even realize are in your file.

In my case, I acknowledged that although I had the skills to handle my own covers and interior layout for the print versions of my books, formatting the ebook file was outside of my skillset. I thought I could figure it out myself, but I quickly became overwhelmed.

I chose to hire , an Australia-based company that has formatted over 7,500 books. Here is what they say about their process on their website:

Every book we format is done by hand, first converting your manuscript to HTML, then manually cleaning it up to make sure there are no hidden problems (and believe us, Word likes to hide all sorts of junk in your manuscript!) At this stage we also take the time to fix common issues like tabs or spaces at the start of paragraphs (these are converted to automatic indents), multiple spaces, ensure ellipses display on the one line, etc. Once we have a clean, problem-free file, only then do we convert it into the format(s) that you want.

When I was researching my ebook formatting options, I found Polgarus Studio’s prices to be comfortably in the middle of the road. They weren’t the cheapest, but they also weren’t the most expensive that I’d seen, and their process listed above put me at ease because I knew I wasn’t paying someone to simply run my file through software (which I could have done myself) and say, “Ta da! All done. Now pay me.�

For me, hiring a small business to format my ebook was a worthwhile cost that saved me a LOT of time, research, and frustration.

Are Vanity Presses an Affordable Option for Self-Publishing?

I talked about this topic in , so I won’t go into a deep dive here. But my short answer is no.

Vanity presses, also known as subsidy publisher²õÌý´Ç°ùÌývanity publishers, have a well-earned reputation of being scammers that prey on author’s egos (hence the name “vanityâ€� press) and target people who are desperate to see their books published by any means necessary.

I’ve spoken to people who have either utilized or worked for a vanity press, and their stories confirmed what I’d already suspected (even though some of the authors I spoke with didn’t realize they’d been duped). In short, most vanity presses will:

Overcharge authors by thousands of dollars by upselling unnecessary servicesPromise to market your book for you (but actually do very little to promote it)Engage in shady practices such as “editing packages� that include a limited number of edits before charging you to fix the next “batch� of errorsNot editing at all, leaving your book full of typos and errors

Some people like the convenience of sending their manuscript off to a vanity press and leaving all of the tedious tasks up to them. I’ve found this to be the case with authors who really just want their book out in the world and aren’t committed to tracking sales or worrying too much about quality.

It can be a tempting offer� but I caution aspiring new authors when it comes to vanity presses. I’ve seen authors end up in court suing their publisher for contract violations, and I’ve read a book that was “edited� by a vanity press and yet full of blatant typos and punctuation errors that a middle-schooler could have caught.

In short, the majority of vanity presses overcharge authors without following through on what they promise in their expensive packages, so be wary, read reviews, and do a LOT of research if you’re considering using one to publish your book.

Summary: Pros & Cons of Self-Publishing a Book for Free

The primary difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing is the cost for the author. If you publish through a traditional publishing house, then the publisher will absorb those costs. However, the author loses their creative rights and the majority of the profits from sales.

If you publish the book yourself, then you’ll keep your rights and more of the profits, but that’s because you’re doing all of the work and taking on the risk yourself. It’s possible to self-publish a book for free. But it’s important to understand that you’ll risk sacrificing the overall quality of your book, not to mention losing publishing rights if that’s something that’s important to you.

I highly recommend researching the process and assessing your skills, knowledge, and comfort level with some of the aspects involved with publishing so you can find ways to cut corners where you’re able to without sacrificing the quality of your book. In some cases, as long as you’re upfront and communicate clearly about your needs and expectations, you can work out payment plans with the freelancers you hire rather than paying one lump sum, so if you’re on a tight budget, explore your options.

Your investment in your book’s quality will define what kind of indie author you want to be.

Related Articles on Publishing & Marketing

If this is your first time on my website, you might find value in other articles I’ve written about book publishing and my journey as an indie author:

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