The Indie Expedition (1):
Launching as an Indie Author: Entry One
By Thio
Blind Spot: The Covenant’s Forfeit’s paperback cover Copyright © Thio Isobel Moss 2025
I have learned so much from the shared experiences of other authors, but generally, we hear from them once they’ve made a success of it. It gives them credibility and us a reason to emulate them. I’m going to share some of my experiences as I still chase the end of the rainbow to develop an in-the-moment log.
Let’s lay the premise; I have a healthy but fixed launch budget for Blind Spot: The Covenant’s Forfeit. Every penny needs to work, just like the SEO I’m still figuring out, so forgive me if I jam my full title into every opening.
Fortunately, I like treasure hunts, even for promos, as it turns out, and I have a habit of fixating on something to the exclusion of all else, i.e., last night I spent four hours trying to put my table of contents behind my dedication in my paperback manuscript. I had already sacrificed my pretty chapter ornamentation because it scrunched the title page. In the end, I had to accept that the TOC was staying where it was.
I’ve obsessively read articles, blogs, and marketing strategies — many of which become obsolete almost instantly. Tech changes fast. My takeaway — it’s possible to do everything right and still fail, but you can greatly reduce the chances of that happening. I offer you four maxims:
1. Keep your expectations low; I’ve read (sorry, don’t remember where) that a book that makes $500 in its first year — yes, a whole year — is doing well. Every author’s journey is going to be unique. What worked for one won’t necessarily work for another. Have faith in your book and keep plugging away.
2. People don’t like to take chances with their limited leisure time, but with a defined audience and a well-targeted book and campaign, an author can encourage a slow trickle. It isn’t about winning over everyone, but helping your audience find you.
3. Be patient. Jeffrey Bruner of The Fussy Librarian posted a great entry to his blog: How patience will pay off -- literally -- for authors | Newswire | The Fussy Librarian. It’s a great read and a reminder to aspiring authors that success is more often built in years of everyday labor and not in a flash of lightning.
4. This last one is perhaps the hardest to apply for me — Remember why you started this journey. It’s well known that most traditional authors will face at least a few rejections from industry professionals — even those who go on to change the literary landscape. Indie authors will face rejection from them, too, although in different forms. It can hit hard if it’s unexpected, so be prepared, search for inspiration, and keep writing — especially while launching a book.
These have carried me to my current position — my book is on pre-order, but not very visible yet. I’m on NetGalley via The Victory Editing Co-op (a small plug for Anne because she is amazing — The Victory Editing Co-op is a smart way to save money and promote your book on NG, and they make it so easy to set up!), and my fear of accumulating zero requests was vanquished a minute after I activated my book.
My author page on Goodreads has been filled out, and previews of my blog posts will appear there, too.
I’ve invested in several promotions and have been refining my website little by little.
It's a good start, but it arrived with some turbulence.
One opportunity, I knew I would likely be turned down for — but if you don’t ask, it’s always a no, right? I submitted my cover and a short blurb to a promo platform. It was a no. Book businesses receive masses of queries and have to make quick decisions. A book written by an unknown, edited by an unknown and a second unknown, with a cover designed by an unknown…is a lot of unknowns. Statistically, I was a poor prospect for them.
I still profited from the experience. I went back to my materials and searched for ways to make them better. I increased the size of my cover font, making it more legible; my mini blurb was refined to better indicate the genre and elements of the story.
Around the same time, I sent an author an unsolicited email, asking (begging) for a cover quote. All kinds of things then happened in said author’s life, and my hope of success diminished. I didn’t get a response. After four weeks, I sent a gentle nudge but made it clear that I realized the timing was horrendous. Nada. I strongly suspect that, because of all the things they’re dealing with, anything that wasn’t essential was ignored for the purposes of preserving sanity. Life happens.
Or, they thought I was running a scam. You can’t be too careful!
Wildly, a best-selling SF author (who I haven’t spoken directly with, but is the friend of a friend) complimented my website. You have no idea how huge that was for me. In 2001, I built a webpage in a computer class; I have done nothing similar since. Even with Squarespace to guide me, it was a challenge. To hear it described as “clean, easy to navigate, and professional” was an amazing boost!
Most of the problems I’ve encountered came down to human error. When I first set up my pre-order, I became convinced that I had done it incorrectly, ruined my entire marketing plan, and my life was over. Thankfully, it was fine, and I have since learned not to believe everything you read on the internet. PSA – when in doubt, go to the source.
When I was getting my book on Goodreads, I neglected to put the ISBN on my website. I felt bad about it (those librarians are busy people), but we got it done.
There have been small wins, too. My early numbers are…modestly encouraging. My paid-for promotions and ads are still weeks away, but I am getting a steady trickle of interest. It’s exciting. It’s terrifying. I keep having to remind myself to think long-term and, oh yeah, breathe!
On the reasons listed on NetGalley for why people have requested my book, several put “they keep hearing Blind Spot talked about”. I don’t know if there was a shred of truth to it, but I like that answer! A few put “because of the author”; thank you, whoever you are!
I successfully designed my full cover wrap, too! I love it! In a few days, I’ll be ordering the first proofs.
So, status: No major setbacks, slow growth.
The next three weeks will be the hardest, I think. Launching a book is like conducting an orchestra — lots of separate elements you’re trying to keep organized and on beat. On top of that is the anxious wait to find out what happens and when.
Let me add this to the “be patient” maxim — be patient with yourself. Mistakes will happen; your table of contents may revolt, but almost everything can be fixed. When it can’t, it isn’t the end of the world. It may even turn into “a happy accident” – a Bob Ross-ism, free of charge. Stay motivated and enjoy the journey.
