
The Struggling Indie Author
By Nicole Morris
Many successful indie authors and experts share their tips and strategies across various platforms…
…Trust me, I'm grateful to them.
However, the process of learning effective marketing, growing your audience, and becoming successful can all seem overwhelming when you don't even know how to get your book (or idea) out there in the first place.
If you are overwhelmed and don't know where to begin, this podcast is for you.
www.thestrugglingindie.com

The Struggling Indie Author Jan 22, 2021

Season 2: Bonus Episode
Today on an ad-free bonus episode, I sit down and chat with Mariah Sinclair of coverdesignerdirectory.com, and we discuss all things book covers.
Mariah also shares her tips to finding a quality cover designer, pitfalls we as indie authors need to look out for, AND a little bit about the process of hiring a cover designer.
A little bit about Mariah Sinclair:
She is an award-winning designer. In a former life, she worked for advertising agencies serving Fortune 500 companies, the City of Los Angeles, and other government entities as a designer and digital marketer. She designed her first book cover in 2001, and now focuses exclusively on designing book covers for independent authors.
As a book cover designer, Mariah is passionate about helping indie authors level up in their business. That's why she created the https://coverdesignerdirectory.com/ and why she loves cover design! A group of her clients affectionately named her ‘The Queen of Cozy’ and she wears that crown with pride.

S2E3 Interview with Vickie Bley - Establishing and Maintaining a Relationship with a Brick and Mortar Bookstore
This week, Niki sits down and talks to Vickie Bley of The Southern Pen Bookshop.
The Southern Pen Bookshop is a retail and online bookshop for the independent, non-traditionally
published author. Vickie Bley, owner and an independent author, wanted to create a retail location
where other authors like herself could sell their books out competing with commercially and
traditionally published books. The shop has been in operation for three years and seen a steady growth
in the number of authors who request to place their books on the shop’s shelves and made available
online.
The bookshop has become known as more than a retail outlet but also a huge promoter of the authors
and their books. Authors are invited to participate in multiple promotional events ranging from live
interviews on Between the Pages Live, offering special programs for the shop’s podcast, and teaching
webinars.
The Southern Pen Bookshop hosts several annual events such as: A Writer’s Conference, Georgia
Independent Author of the Year Award, and a Christmas Tea. The retail location is located inside The
Monroe Mercantile in downtown Monroe, Georgia.
To support the show:
Visit https://www.southernpenbookshop.com/ use coupon code NIKKI at checkout for 10% off your order.
Visit Formatted Books: https://formattedbooks.com/?ref=25 and mention The Struggling Indie Author.
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Or Buy Me a Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/strugglingindie
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.TheStrugglingIndie.com
https://www.pinterest.com/TheStrugglingIndieAuthor/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestrugglingindie
https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingindieauthor/

Season 2 Episode 2: Interview with Formattedbooks.com
This week, Niki sits down with Wallace and Cory, the owners of FormattedBooks.com We discuss the importance of having a professionally produced product, and the common pitfalls DIYers face.
Visit Formatted Books: https://formattedbooks.com/?ref=25 and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Or Buy Me a Coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/strugglingindie
Contact me! Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.TheStrugglingIndie.com
https://www.pinterest.com/TheStrugglingIndieAuthor/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestrugglingindie
https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingindieauthor/
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com

Season 2 Episode 1 - Interview with Author Bobby Nash

Bobby Nash Interview Update

Episode 7: What to do after you publish.
Today, Niki talks about what steps you should take after hitting the publish button, how to build an author platform and author forum decorum.
This is the last episode in the 7 part beginner's series. On Friday, March 19, 2021 I will kick off season two with an interview with author Bobby Nash.
Visit Formatted Books: https://formattedbooks.com/?ref=25 and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me! Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.TheStrugglingIndie.com
https://www.pinterest.com/TheStrugglingIndieAuthor/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestrugglingindie
https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingindieauthor/
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com

Episode 6: The Cost of Self Publishing
This week, Niki talks about the various costs associated with publishing your book.
Visit Formatted Books, and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Go to StrugglingIndie.com to get your FREE Indie Author Toolkit

Episode 5: Publishing Your Book, It's all in the Details
Today, Niki discusses the process of publishing your book. She goes through all of your publishing options and goes into detail about categories and keywords.
Visit Formatted Books, and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Go to StrugglingIndie.com to get your FREE Indie Author Toolkit

Episode 4: I Wrote a Book, Now What?
In this week's episode, Niki discusses what to do after you've completed the first draft of your book!
Today, Niki discusses the process of publishing your book. She goes through all of your publishing options and goes into detail about categories and keywords.
Visit Formatted Books, and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Go to StrugglingIndie.com to get your FREE Indie Author Toolkit

Episode 3: Knowing Your Genre
This week, Niki discusses some breakthroughs in her author journey & the importance of knowing your genre!
Links Mentioned in Episode: Author Planner https://www.etsy.com/listing/869003260/
https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/audrey-ann-hughey/the-2021-authors-planner/paperback/product-9j2j5q.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Successful Indie Author: amazon.com/dp/B07SJHR39J/
Visit Formatted Books, and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Go to StrugglingIndie.com to get your FREE Indie Author Toolkit

Episode 2: Developing a Writing Habit
Visit Formatted Books, and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Go to StrugglingIndie.com to get your FREE Indie Author Toolkit

Episode 1: A little of my backstory, and The big decision Traditional Publishing or Indie?
In this episode, Niki shares a little bit of her author journey. She also discusses one of the most important decisions you can make for your author career, whether to pursue Traditional or Indie publishing.
Mentioned in this Podcast:
Writer's Market
amazon.com/Writers-Market-2020-Trusted-Published/dp/1440301220/
Struggling Indie Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestrugglingindie
Website
www.thestrugglingIndie.com
Today, Niki discusses the process of publishing your book. She goes through all of your publishing options and goes into detail about categories and keywords.
Visit Formatted Books, and mention The Struggling Indie Author to support the show.
Contact me!
Hello@thestrugglingindie.com
www.coverdesignerdirectory.com
Go to StrugglingIndie.com to get your FREE Indie Author Toolkit

The Struggling Indie Author Trailer
Hi, I’m Niki Morris, and I’m a struggling Indie Author
Learning about self-publishing can feel like wading through an endless sea of information...
Many successful indie authors and experts share their tips and strategies across various platforms…
…Trust me, I'm grateful to them.
However, the process of learning effective marketing, growing your audience, and becoming successful can all seem overwhelming when you don't even know how to get your book (or idea) out there in the first place.
If you are overwhelmed and don't know where to begin, this podcast is for you.
The Struggling Indie Author Podcast will break down the process in a concise and easy to understand fashion.
Over the next few weeks you will learn about:
• The differences between traditional, indie, & vanity publishers
• Choosing and knowing your genre
• Establishing a writing habit
• The importance of beta readers, editing, and types of editors
• The importance of a good cover and where to find one
• ISBNs...what they are and if you need one
• Potential costs associated with publishing
• What it means to be Wide vs. Exclusive
• Your publishing options (Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo etc.)
• Publishing Keywords and Categories (what they are, and why they are important)
• Author platforms and how to establish one
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. If your itching to know all of this information today, my book, Intro to Self Publishing is available on Amazon.com for 0.99.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087QY5ZJ6/
Are you ready? Hit the subscribe button, and start your author journey today.
www.TheStrugglingIndie.com
https://www.pinterest.com/TheStrugglingIndieAuthor/_created/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestrugglingindie
https://www.instagram.com/thestrugglingindieauthor/