Author Resources

_____

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.

_____

This podcast, with hundreds of information-packed episodes, is a true gem. You’ll find Kirsten Oliphant’s insights invaluable. I know I did!

—–

Joanna Penn has put together an informative podcast as well as a website with tons of resources—both free and paid. Check her out!

_____

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!

_____

So many great tools exist out there to help indie authors develop their platforms, edit their books, publish their books, etc. Here are a few others:

Draft2Digital can help with book formatting, conversion, distribution, and sales tracking. They even have free book formatting!

ProWritingAid is an editing software. It’s not as great as an actual pair of trained human eyes on your manuscript, but it will definitely help you find errors as well as improve your writing.

Debut Author Publishing Checklist is an amazing resource put together by Susan Farris. You’ll have to provide your email address on her website in order to receive this free resource, but I believe it’s well worth it.