Things I Learned as a First-Time Indie Novelist by H.R. Sinclair

I am super excited to share a guest post with all of you. One thing I love about Holly is that I always learn something from her. From her gemstone histories to recipes to trends, she’s got amazing insights about a plethora of subjects. She’s thorough with her research, complete in information, and entertaining in her delivery. So when it came to having her guest post on my blog, I knew I wanted it to be about something she learned.

Take it away, H.R. Sinclair!

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Thank you for having me here, Loni! Quick background: I’m an artist, graphic designer—and writer. I’ve been blogging since 2009 (I started by posting my poetry and art). To organize my recipes, I published several cookbooks. I turned a story I made up for my daughter into a children’s book. And I also published some flash fiction pieces in magazines to get my feet wet.

Now, I’ve written a full-length novel. It’s the most nerve-wracking out of all of them. I wrote it to just tell a story, gulp, and share with you.

If you’re aspiring to publish your first indie novel, here are the steps I recommend. With book two, three, etc. the steps will change. You may not need one, less of some, or even more! Exciting, no?

Steps for Publishing Your First Indy Novel

1. Be George R. R. Martin—take your time!
Learn, grow, rewrite. It’s your story, your timeline. As you develop your story, read articles on writing, read craft books, watch booktubers. Do that all the way to publishing.

2. Get beta-readers. *
Make the manuscript as clean as possible. Double check for grammar errors and typos. This way, readers can focus on the story without being deterred or, worse, stop reading due to numerous incoherent sentences.

Beta readers will be your shining stars. Get more than one reader, but less than six. Betas love to read and be judgy. Judgy betas are what you want; they will help find all the things that you have missed. As writers, we often become too emotionally attached to our work, leading us to read it with the intended meaning rather than the actual content.

You need more than one reader. Each person will be drawn to different aspects of the story and will find flaws or point out the parts they love. They might have different viewpoints. One might hate a section; another will love it.

This happened to me. I had a “polarizing” scene. Two people loved it, one didn’t care for it at all. Then, one of my betas said exactly what they liked and one said what they didn’t—and why. I made some edits based on that specific feedback. And it’s a much stronger scene now.

Okay, I’ll confess, I did multiple rounds with beta readers, making tweaks and rewrites after each round.

* Beta-readers don’t always read the entire story. They may need to drop out for personal reasons. They didn’t get the story or got bored. Perhaps it’s too graphic or too angsty. So, if you want three readers, start with five readers.

Side note: I’m not referring to a crit-partner, someone who reads as you write and gives feedback and you do the same for them. I haven’t tried this but probably should.

3. Get a developmental editor.
After you make changes from your beta readers, it’s time for a professional editor. This will be pricey. For me, it was well worth it. Editors are pros at determining what needs to be added and what would work better to lose or combine, and they explain why. And professional editors keep your style and your voice.

After my developmental edit, I removed one character and blended them. I also fixed some tonal confusion within my narrative.
With each book you publish, the less likely you’ll need an in-depth developmental edit.

4. Get beta readers.
Yes, do another round with betas. Now, your story is in great shape, but chances are you’ve made a big change or several small ones. This read through should fine tune your story. For this round, I recommend four to six readers.

This time I learned, the betas need to read your genre. I had a beta that admitted they didn’t read urban fantasy but wanted to start. Beta-reading is not the place for them to learn about it. Every genre has its tropes, and if you’re not familiar with them, things can get confusing.

5. Once it’s revised, decide what you can do and what you can’t.
• Cover Art: Create a good cover or hire a designer but don’t spend a lot of money on it as you probably won’t earn it back. Have a panel of judgy people look at it and give feedback. Put it in a grouping of other books in your genre. It should blend in (genre wise) and stand out (by design). It’s a tall order!
• Formatting: Essential for good reader experience. I previously relied on MS Word, but Microsoft altered its behavior for specific formatting, which pushed me to my limits. After investigating different software, I moved forward with Atticus. I’m delighted with that decision.

6. Upload your book to distributors early if you’re doing a pre-order.
And make it your final copy. Don’t make continual changes and re-upload it. This will cause you unneeded stress. If you make changes, do it after it releases.

7. Marketing, this could also be the most important step wise.
Read, watch videos, learn about it before you need it. Learn all the different ways you can promote your book. Then do what you want—don’t do it all. You’ll exhaust yourself and your return on investment (ROI) won’t be enough to compensate. Start marketing yourself as soon as possible. I’m bad at this, but I’m working on getting better. What I’m doing this round includes:
• A book tour online
• Self-promo ads on my Instagram and X accounts. I created 15, each one has something different, a quote from the book, a list of tropes, etc.
• I gave out ARCs hoping to get reviews. Good or bad, apparently the algorithms don’t care, but I’m hoping for good reviews because I care!

Let me know if you have any questions about these steps or anything else!

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See?!?! This is what I’m talking about! Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Holly. Here’s a bit more about her and how to get in touch:

H. R. Sinclair

author • artist • dreamer
H. R. Sinclair is a left-handed hermit prepping for the squirrel apocalypse. She was born and raised in Southern California, but now lives and works in New England. She writes fantastical stories and visits cemeteries for inspiration.

Website: iamhrsinclair.com

Socials
• iamhrsinclair.com/blog
• x.com/SouthpawPOV
• instagram.com/hrsinclair
• goodreads.com/author/show/21680467.H_R_Sinclair
• bookbub.com/profile/h-r-sinclair

Be sure to pick up your copy of H.R. Sinclair’s new book: Bloodstone.

Family secrets hold the key to buried magic. Her legacy awaits.

Katelyn Grey is a gardener in Southern California. She’s content with pruning shrubs and looking after her step-mom, the only family she has left. That is, until a lawyer shows up and tells her that her long-lost aunt died, leaving her the family home on the other side of the country.

Though Katelyn hates to travel, a weird clause in her aunt’s will forces her to visit a quaint New England seaside town. Her world changes when she discovers she’s inherited a haunted brownstone, fickle magic, and a hidden key that someone else wants. And they’re willing to kill for it.

Now, she must learn how to use magic, find the key, and figure out what it’s for before she ends up like her long-lost aunt. Dead.

Have you gotten your copy yet? Have you had similar experiences with publishing? Did you learn anything new?