Always hire a professional editor. My first book was only line-edited, and had it been professionally edited it would have come out much better. My next 2 books were professionally edited and I'm extremely happy with how they came out.

I don't go to writing seminars any longer unless they're free. After 3 or 4 I found the information to be redundant, and learned I could save the money by going to free ones held by authors looking to share experiences for the fun of it.

I don't hire too many marketing promotions to promote my books because I didn't get the return on investment. However, I do believe it's important to hire some groups that can tweet your books and talk about it. At this stage in my writing career it's about getting noticed. But I've learned to be careful and not spend too much money. I once invested $400 to have my book listed front page of a website, and it was a waste of money. $29.99 for one month should do the trick.

I also write and rewrite my books 3 times before sending to an editor because I want them as polished as best they could be. This way the editor takes me seriously. As Hemingway said, "Don't publish crap!"

Promote mostly online, join twitter and facebook and tell all your friends and family. They'll be the ones who most likely buy your books first. Word of mouth from them also helps.

Independent bookstores have been helpful in allowing me to hold author events, but I've found it best to go when there's several other authors holding their book releases. This way the crowd will be much larger and you stand higher chance of selling more copies. I also go to book fairs where there are another number of authors sitting at display tables. This draws a lot of people when you have multiple authors around.

My biggest learning has been to never miss out on family events. I was so engrossed in being published there were many times I stayed home and missed out on a lot. I regret it to this day. Now I write at work during lunch or when no one is home. Family should come first because they'll be with you a lot longer than anyone else.

Thank you, David for sharing !! You're advice and experience are very much appreciated :) You have some very good points.

I really like how you said to 'never miss out on family events.' I agree 100%. Writing is such a lonely thing/such an isolating career--but as authors and parents, and spouses, we have to find a healthy balance. (Although it's hard!)

I also agree with 'hiring a professional editor'. This seems to be a BIG thing that a lot of first time indie author's do not do--but is VITAL.

The promotion game can be a circus and a money drain-I like how you said to be careful about that. I too, am very careful about that. I'm on a very limited promotion and marketing budget and I am hoping to spend as little as I can/spend wisely. I am relying mostly on social media to get the word out :)

I'm thrilled to connect with you! Thank you so much for posting on my blog!

Also, if you'd like to connect on twitter, I'm at @LairdLady and @TheWhiteWolf. You can also find me on FB at https://www.facebook.com/JenniferRhae...
I encourage authors to share their links to their books/promote their books on my page there too. :)

--Your friend,

Jennifer Rhae