100 percent indie

I've started using the tag #100percentindie on twitter, because I am. I don't pay anyone to do anything for me. The hardest two things are covers and proofreading. I thought proofreading would be easy, since I'd done it for years for other people. No, proofreading my own work is incredibly difficult.

Just plain marketing is a problem too. There's a steep learning curve. I'm finally in the position where I can get a few Amazon ads, but I haven't done it; the whole thing intimidates me. I did try it once, and learned a lot, but really I should keep at it to get better at it and to really see it have results. I've never made a sale from an Amazon ad; maybe I can change that.

An interesting experiment would be to target a certain market with an Amazon ad, say amazon.co.ne, or perhaps es or it. By certain market I mean those who would buy something in English, but through that Amazon. I would probably do ok in the UK, Australia or Canada too. But I'd have to understand Amazon ads well before I started.

I find authors with all kinds of strategies. Generally, if you get yourself out there, you find results; if you do nothing, you get nothing. I worry sometimes that in the big picture, what I've done hasn't amounted to much. This is true, but I had to start somewhere. I've got more now than I had before I started.

Twenty seven books, an Amazon page, a few good ratings, and something to do during retirement.