The Indie Author Power Pack: How To Write, Publish & Market Your Book by Sean Platt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ever wanted to be an indie author but didn’t know where to start? Ever though traditional publishing was a complete scam/waste of time?
Well, look no further, ’cause these books have got your back!
The Indie Author Power Pack is 1000+ pages of generally power-packed awesome sauce. It’s a collection of three books for the aspiring indie author: Write. Publish. Repeat by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant, Let’s Get Digital (2nd Edition) by David Gaughran, and How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn.
I’ve never reviewed three books at once before, so I’ll do my best to keep things short and detailed at the same time by going over the pros and cons of each.
Write. Publish. Repeat.
Pros: Platt and Truant are two authors that not only walk the walk, but talk they talk. They tell you exactly what you need and exactly how to get it because they’ve done the dance before. For example, if they tell you that you need a marketing funnel, they’ll show you what it is within their own line of books and then show you how to craft one and where to put it in casual, easy-to-understand terms. They know you, because they are you and were you. And it helps to feel like you have a helping hand along the way when so much of indie culture emphasizes the “independent” part.
Cons: I wish they talked a little bit more about the craft of writing in their book, but they have very peculiar strategies they used that are tailored to them that might not work for other writers. But the advice that they give — about manipulating your character’s world rather than the character themselves to advance the plot — is sound and well-argued.
Let’s Get Digital
Pros: Let’s Get Digital is the book that I liked the most and the one that I think every aspiring indie author should read. You’ll get a really solid overview of the e-book industry of the last few years along with some pointers on navigating Amazon Kindle Publishing. Gaughran does his research and makes the case for why indie-publishing is pretty darn good. He understands people might still want to traditionally publish, but with the research and fact she brings in, I have no doubt in my mind now that I want to be an indie author.
Cons: The only con I have with this book is not really a con at all. The industry changes so fast that some parts of the book might be out of date in ten years time. That’s not on the fault of the author, though. That’s just my wishful thinking kicking in, because I love this book so much.
How to Market a Book
Pros: Joanna Penn tells you many different ways to market your book and what marketing really is in friendly, bite-sized chapters. Some of them read like blog posts in their brevity and style, but I’m all down for that. Bold headings and bold sentences make for much easier comprehension.
Cons: Truth be told, out of the three books, I enjoyed this one the least because of its slight repetitiveness and it’s emphasis on techniques I’d rather not use to market my book like going to radio/talk shows. But again, that’s the personal preference of the author, which I don’t disagree with.
Verdict
All-in-all, these books are great for anyone who wants to take the indie leap. I’m very sure each one has something to help you out, despite some of its potential cons.
4.5/5/4.5
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