Creativindie Experiments in self-publishing, productivity and building a creative empire

Like hundreds of other posts, I started this article in 2012 and only finished it in 2018. Why the gap? It took me six years to figure out how to make my blog profitable enough to start using it. I want to help you do it faster than I did. So here’s a massive list of tips and resources on …

Two things: First, I’m involved in an anthology called “write and grow rich.” I accepted because: A) I wanted to practice a story-based approach to sharing knowledge, so I shared a story I’ve never told before and focused on making it gripping. B) Think and Grow Rich is hugely influential, but few people appreciate the depth and specific tactics to …

I wrote a guide to publishing children’s books earlier, and wanted to make something about marketing children’s books as well – so I’m sharing this short guide and a video I made for a friend who writes children’s books – my tips on how to redistribute content to get more links and shares of her books are great for any …

For the past few months, this site (which gets around 1500 visitors a day) has been averaging 10 optins a day for my “Guerrilla Publishing” free book offer. That’s mostly from an optin form on the sidebar, and a few content upgrades on relevant blog posts. But since I’m getting ready to rewrite my autoresponder series and launch an evergreen …

Most of my author friends have spent the last 2 months freaking out about GDPR. I haven’t commented, because I’m not an expert and I’m not personally concerned. But since I encourage book giveaways to help authors build email lists of targeted readers, a lot of people have been asking specifically whether or not giveaways are still a good idea …

Tonight I made an hour long video, under the alleged topic “how much does publishing really cost” – however, the main focus of the video turned into a rant about certain publishing gurus or writing coaches who charge an extraordinary amount of money to help you write and publish your book. My own opinions are confused because, while I have …

This post has taken me six years to write. If I sound defensive, it’s because people keep calling me names. I get attacked because I write books that sell, and I do it on purpose. Writing is one of the only professions where people think if you consistently produce high quality work that readers love – and make a living from …

I’m sharing this because I enjoy it: the struggle of putting down feelings into words. Hugo von Hofmannsthal The Letter of Lord Chandos THIS is the letter Philip, Lord Chandos, younger son of the Earl of Bath, wrote to Francis Bacon, later Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, apologizing for his complete abandonment of literary ac­tivity.     For it is, …

I was taking a look on my blog for early posts and discovered I have HUNDREDS of saved drafts for post ideas I began but never finished… I started this blog in 2011 and didn’t actively start using it until 2014 – what’s interesting is that my focus and ideas haven’t changed much, but I was surprised to have 90% …

I’m editing a non-fiction book today and making notes on what went wrong. Unfortunately, some of the things missing are things I also don’t do in my own non-fiction books, so here’s a short list. #1 – make it a community effort The easy way to publish a bestseller is to include stories by other people. The more people you …