Indie author diaries

*how many words were written

*how many books were published

*how they're going with their earning goals

*how many books they read

*their favourite books, music and movies for 2018

and more!

In this episode:

*Sarah & Lisa compare writing & publishing with parenting

*Lisa shares her new approach to setting goals so she can achieve her writing goals without burning out

*Lisa shares how she's currently writing & plotting her work in progress & solving plot issues

*Sarah & Lisa share an update on how they're exercising & writing at the moment

*Sarah shares how her writing has improved since she became a plotter

*They share their experiences with dictation

*Sarah shares an update on her launches for the Sparkles & Curvies books & the books for  her new pen name

*They both share an update on what they've done since the last diary update.

If you're going to put your best work forward, you need to edit it. In this episode Lisa and Sarah chat with Canadian editor and author, Alex McGilvery from Celtic Frog Editing services about editing for indies. In this chat they discuss:

*the stages of editing (structure, developmental, line, copy and proof reading) and what happens at each stage,

*what indies on a budget should focus on

*how to prepare your manuscript before sending it to an editor

*some tools that can help improve your writing

*how Alex suggests you use beta readers, alpha readers or critique groups in the editing process

*how to find an editor if you've never worked with one before

*Alex provides some great tips for editing your own work, and how to test is a new editor is suitable for you

*the importance of making sure you're asking your editor for the right kind of edit for your work

*why people are afraid of editors (and they shouldn't be)

And more!

Sarah and Lisa also share their experiences and what they've learned along the way.

To help new indies put out their best work, Sarah & Lisa chat with Ian Andrew (award winning author and founder of Book Reality Academy) about how to format books so they look professional. In this chat they discuss:

*how to make your book look professional

*how to avoid rookie mistakes

*the simple tool that will help you format your book (& other programs that can help you format the book)

*programs that help you create epub and mobi files

*some things to think about when it comes to print formatting (digital, print, hard cover and large print)

*how to avoid weird spacing in your books

*ecourses that teach you how to format your ebook

*winning awards as an indie

and more!

It's a lively chat (very lively - as Ian was in Bali while we were recording this episode and there was an earthquake in the middle of our recording).

Last episode Sarah & Lisa chatted about "Putting your best work forward" and so this week they chat with cover designer, and author Angela Stevens about creating good covers. In this chat Angela discusses:

*the different cover options available from self-made to pre-made and custom

*how to choose compatible fonts for your cover

*Angela's tips for author name to title ratio

*the importance of budgeting for a cover and the things to avoid if you are designing your own

*how to avoid the one thing that most says, "I made this cover myself"

*different cover design programs

*different cover dimensions and templates (for digital, print and hardback) and things to be mindful of when approaching your designer

*checklist of information you need before you commission a cover

*comprehensive list of information you need for digital, print and hardback covers (e.g. what information is needed for the front, spine, back and dust cover)

*designing covers in advance and finding a cover model that matches your hero or heroine

*tips for designing covers for books in a series

...and more!

(it's a really good chat!)

In this episode Sarah & Lisa chat about:

*their struggles with imposter syndrome (self doubt and lack of confidence)

*when you can call yourself an author

*how many achievements you need before you can call yourself an author

*strategies they use to help them feel more comfortable about using the A word

*the importance of putting your best work forward

*making readers upset when you don't put your best work forward, and Sarah's bad cup of coffee analogy

*an update on the words that have been written this week

*a chat about grief, taking time out and writing with friends

As an indie author, writing from home, there are plenty tasks to do, and there are plenty things that can distract you from getting the writing done.In this episode Lisa & Sarah chat about:

*Their main distractions (cleaning, phone calls, coffee dates, researching, TV shows, groups and more) and the strategies they're currently using to minimise them.

*What "the one thing" is, and why your long term writing career is better when you stop waiting for it to happen.

*Holidays to recharge and reduce burnout, and as a source of new story ideas (Lisa chats about her recent holiday to the USA)

*Meeting author buddies in real life (Lisa & Sarah met for the first time)

*Their goals for the next year. (Sarah's got a new method she's been using for the last few weeks and she's got a lot done, and Lisa's got developmental editing notes back from her editor).

In this episode Sarah & Lisa look back on their goals from Episode 1 and share their plans for the next three months.

They discuss:

*new pen names

*how much they'd like to write by the end of the year

*the next 10 episodes of IAD

and more!

In this episode Lisa & Sarah discuss their favourite books and podcasts about:

*writing craft

*writing life

*business

*mindset

*inspiration

*support

You need to look after your health if you want to keep writing books. In this episode Lisa and Sarah chat about the things that are important in health:

*getting enough sleep

*tips for getting more exercise

*drinking water (not just coffee or other drinks)

*setting writing time hours

*social contact

*getting fresh air & sunshine

*saying 'no'

*keeping mentally strong and setting boundaries

*self confidence

*and the importance of checking in with your doctor

In this episode Lisa & Sarah also update their on their goals from episode 1