Books
Need help organizing/planning your novel? This guide by Jessica Brody is a great resource for pantsers and planners alike.
Is there too much sighing and blushing going on in your novel? Need some new ideas to convey emotion? Grab this book by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. These two pros will help you show character emotion (not tell).
Kirsten Oliphant—author, creative, and all-round awesome person—offers great insights and guidance into how to go about collaborating with others to grow your author platform.
Podcasts
This podcast, with hundreds of information-packed episodes, is a true gem. You’ll find Thomas’s insights invaluable. I know I do!
Joanna Penn has put together an informative podcast as well as a website with tons of resources—both free and paid. Check her out!
Social Media
Get connected to other writers on social media. Of all the author groups out there, two are real stand-outs.
The first, Create If Writing, is for anyone who creates through writing. (The name’s a dead giveaway!)
The second, Wide for the Win, is for indie authors who publish wide.
For each group, you’ll need to gain approval first, but once you do, you’ll find these groups invaluable. Feel free to “lurk” for a while as you get comfortable. I know I did!
Additional Resources
Author Media (authormedia.com): Founded by Thomas Umstattd Jr., a seasoned author, literary agent, and publishing expert with over a decade of experience, Author Media is a comprehensive hub for writers seeking to amplify their voice. Through the acclaimed Novel Marketing Podcast, step-by-step courses on writing, launching, and promoting books, and practical advice on building online platforms, it equips authors with the tools to sell more books and create stories worth sharing. Whether you’re navigating self-publishing or traditional routes, this resource offers actionable insights to transform your author journey.
ProWritingAid (prowritingaid.com): ProWritingAid is an indispensable AI-powered editing suite tailored for authors, delivering in-depth analysis on grammar, style, pacing, and narrative elements to refine your manuscript effortlessly. Praised by New York Times bestselling authors like J.F. Penn for making editors’ jobs easier and tightening prose for maximum reader engagement, it integrates seamlessly with tools like Scrivener and Word, providing genre-specific feedback and customizable style guides. Ideal for novelists polishing long-form works, it’s a game-changer for eliminating passive voice, spotting clichés, and elevating your writing to professional standards.
Kindlepreneur (kindlepreneur.com): Created by Dave Chesson, the award-winning author and software developer behind Publisher Rocket and Atticus, Kindlepreneur is the go-to resource for self-publishing mastery with a laser focus on Amazon success. Offering free in-depth guides, video courses, and tools on keyword research, Amazon ads, book descriptions, categories, and launch strategies, it has helped thousands of indie authors hit bestseller lists and build sustainable careers. If you want data-driven, up-to-date tactics that actually move the sales needle on Kindle, Kindlepreneur is required reading.