Loxley Cress's Blog
November 13, 2023
From Novice To Novelist: Navigating The Wild World Of Indie Publishing
As a brand-new indie author, I have to start at the beginning- with no fans! Collecting subscribers to my newsletter will be a main focus point. Getting back on social media and networking is also an important factor. I’ve never really interacted on social media, just scrolled through.
Writing the actual book seemed to have been the easiest part, although this was still really difficult. The marketing and information overload is crazy.
I decided to write fantasy romance because that is my favorite reading niche. I figured I might as well write what I love. This also made it harder because I kept comparing myself to other established authors.
Now, the fear and self-doubt start setting in. Is the book good enough? Will people like it? What should I have done differently? Is it long enough? Will people fall in love or hate my characters? I have had beta readers and an editor review the book; everything should be clear. I also went through the book more times than I can remember.
This is where positive thinking comes in, and your mindset is also an important part of the process. I wear a ring that says “I am enough” to remind myself. I place sticky notes around that “like attracts like”- whatever energy I put into the universe is what I will get back. I try to stay in a positive mindset and listen to some “I am” statements I recorded at the beginning of this journey.
Now, the excitement! This has been an amazing journey so far. Hitting that “publish” button was terrific! I watched and checked every hour to see when it went live on Amazon. I didn’t tell my extended family right away, though. I wanted to at least get my feet wet first.
Writing the actual book seemed to have been the easiest part, although this was still really difficult. The marketing and information overload is crazy.
I decided to write fantasy romance because that is my favorite reading niche. I figured I might as well write what I love. This also made it harder because I kept comparing myself to other established authors.
Now, the fear and self-doubt start setting in. Is the book good enough? Will people like it? What should I have done differently? Is it long enough? Will people fall in love or hate my characters? I have had beta readers and an editor review the book; everything should be clear. I also went through the book more times than I can remember.
This is where positive thinking comes in, and your mindset is also an important part of the process. I wear a ring that says “I am enough” to remind myself. I place sticky notes around that “like attracts like”- whatever energy I put into the universe is what I will get back. I try to stay in a positive mindset and listen to some “I am” statements I recorded at the beginning of this journey.
Now, the excitement! This has been an amazing journey so far. Hitting that “publish” button was terrific! I watched and checked every hour to see when it went live on Amazon. I didn’t tell my extended family right away, though. I wanted to at least get my feet wet first.
October 29, 2023
Cross to Author
I’m an avid reader of fantasy, fantasy romance, and anything about the supernatural world. If I could just read all day and get paid for it, that would be the perfect career! Alas, I have not found that dream job, so I started writing. I’m trying to make my dream of reading all day a reality. I published my first book on Amazon on September 2nd, 2023. It was the most amazing feeling! I can now say, “I am an author!” Writing has been a scary but exhilarating process. I have many questions going through my mind- is this book good enough? Will people like it? Have I built up the world and characters enough? Feel free to email me if you have comments or questions. I would love to hear from my readers! mail@loxleycress.com
