What’s an Indie Author’s Next Move? Questions From the Court of Kairos
This month we cover crowdfunding setbacks, how to find readers, planning your next novel, and the marketing decisions independent authors face.
A major advantage of newpub is that you have full control.
One disadvantage is that the buck stops with you.
“Which book do I write next?”
“How should I sell it?”
“When to pull the plug on a project that’s not getting results?”
Those are the kinds of questions that come up every month in the Court of Kairos.
Our September Council session covered a wide range of topics from the results of my Souldancer 10th Anniversary Kickstarter to marketing tactics, reader expectations, and the problems that crop up when authors plan their next projects.
We also made time for a recommended reading list of pulp sci fi classics.
Here’s a sample of what we discussed. The full list of questions comes afterward.
FIRST, A QUESTION ABOUT SPACE OPERA
One Council member asked:
“Any space opera works you especially recommend to get to know the genre better, especially since my knowledge of said genre effectively goes no further than Star Wars?”
The Court’s recommendations included:
Edmond Hamilton’s Captain Future
Leigh Brackett’s John Eric Stark stories
Lensman and Skylark of Space by E. E. “Doc” Smith
John C. Wright’s Starquest series
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter novels.
These books and series make great introductions to the literary tradition behind popular space opera.
For aspiring genre authors, reading stories written before 1980 is indispensable. The more you understand the conventions that earlier writers established, the better equipped you’ll be to choose which ones to employ in your own fiction.
WHAT ELSE DID THE COUNCIL DISCUSS?
The September session raised several questions of practical value to independent creators.
Crowdfunding and promotion
What went differently than expected with the Souldancer 10th Anniversary Kickstarter?
What’s one marketing step an author can take right now?
How should an author approach establishing a presence on X and Substack?
Writing and editorial decisions
Should a novelist fulfill expected genre promises right away or gradually meet those expectations over the opening chapters?
How can an author plan a second novel while still finishing the first?
When does brainstorming the next project distract from completing the current book?
Publishing platforms and creative projects
How is the new Word Surgery editing livestream progressing?
What do viewers and manuscript submitters think of the format?
What should authors consider when choosing tools and platforms for their projects?
The Council also discussed the relationship between Patreon style patronage and traditional book sales, along with several questions about technical publishing tools.
Advice that sounds obvious in isolation can be challenging to act on when it affects how you spend your limited time and money. That’s why the Council’s conversations address the tough calls independent authors have to make every day.
HEAR THE COUNCIL FOR YOURSELF
Here’s a sample from September’s Council session. Listen in to hear how we field real questions from real indie authors.
Want the whole discussion? The full September Council question transcript continues below for paid subscribers, covering crowdfunding, author marketing, writing decisions, and publishing challenges. Founding members also get the complete AMA recording.