Michael La Ronn - 2016 Indie Author State of the Union

[The 2014/2015 Indie Author State of the Union] saved me time, connected me to the important topics and trends in self-publishing in 2014 and put some author resources on my radar I may have missed if I did not read this book. George Rodriguez, author of Simple Time Management Tips

An excellent summary of the biggest and most influential developments in the indie publishing world. DeAnna Cameron, author of California Belly Dance Romance series

[I]f you're new to the industry, or just need to catch up on [what] you've missed, this book is for you. M.A. Brotherton, author of the Seven Keys Saga

Tons of great information and insight! Every indie author should read this book. D. Mayne

La Ronn doesnt just rehash the latest trends. Hes selective, insightful, and readable. Word Crafter

Being an authorpreneur is tough, but it doesnt have to be that way.

The biggest problem indie authors face today is not a lack of informationits too much of it. So much that its hard to know what to use and what to ignore. Combine that with misinformation and its no wonder why so many indie authors make critical mistakes.

This book will help you avoid many of those missteps.

Who I Am

Im Michael La Ronn, author of over 20 books. I also co-host the To Be Read Podcast, which broadcasts weekly on YouTube, and am the founder of Author Level Up, a YouTube channel that publishes business, craft and marketing videos for authors every week.

Im an authorpreneur, speaker, and consultant. Im a part-time writer who has built a publishing business despite working a demanding job in the insurance industry, planning a wedding, and taking care of my infant daughter. Life always tried to get in the way, but I never let it stop me.

I made a promise to myself that I would stay in the shadows until I had at least 20 books, so that I could give myself plenty of time to figure out how to be a successful author. Nothing pisses me off more than bad advice, so youll get no fluff or puffery from me.

But I wasnt always this confident. During my first year of publishing, I made every mistake in the book.

I followed advice blindly.

I hunted for shortcuts.

I spent a lot of money on stuff that didnt help my business.

I chased trends.

I didnt understand that it takes patience, humility, and insanity to be successful.

After spending an exorbitant amount of money on a marketing campaign that produced less than a 1% return, I swore that I would never make that mistake again.

I devoted myself to becoming a knowledgeable industry professional. I followed the major blogs and podcasts, I read all the recommended writing books, and I connected with successful authors.

I did this for myself, but I soon realized that I wasnt the only author out there who wanted to be a smarter authorpreneur but didnt know how to filter through all the noise.

Thats why I created the Indie Author State of the Union: To share a snapshot of the publishing industry with authors so they can make better business decisions.

What Youll Find in This Book

Youll learn the biggest publishing industry news that affects indie authors. Youll also discover the best books, podcasts and courses released in the last calendar year. Almost every indie author will find something unexpected and useful in this book.

Reading this book will make you a smarter authorpreneur so you can operate at your very best.

Even better, I completely redesigned the book this year from the ground up.

* Every article in this book is actionable. Youll be able to apply almost every tip to your situation immediately. When I was writing this collection, I asked two questions about everything I encountered: Do authors need to know it, and if so, can they apply it? Only the most practical advice made it into these pages.

* The book is divided into themed sections: Ebook retailers, traditional publishing, libraries, copyright/legal, marketing, etc. You can quickly scan the book and jump to the sections youre most interested in.

* The news is objective as possible, but Ill be commenting on it more this year. Readers told me that they wanted to hear my opinions, so for better or worse, theyre going to get it! However, the reporting is still objective. I keep my opinions confined to the end of each article, and you can refer to the Sources section to check out all my sources for yourself.

So without further ado, welcome to the Indie Author State of the Union. I had a blast writing this book. Its awesome to have you here.

I wish you all the best in your author career, and I hope this is the most helpful book youll read all year.

One of my favorite parts of the Indie Author State of the Union is following book retailers.

Keeping track of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. is a very smart thing to do, but most authors dont bother. They just react whenever a change happens.

But when youre proactive, you can make the algorithms work for you.

Heres what happened with the big ebook retailers last year. Take the information in this chapter and use it to sell more books.

No discussion of the publishing industry would be complete without Amazon. 2015 was an interesting year for the company. While there were some important news itemssuch as the companys forays into the textbook and childrens book markets, negotiations with the Big Five, and its remodeling of the Kindle Unlimited payment programmany of the products and expanded services the company offered this year felt like quiet changes that will lay the groundwork for what the company will be doing in 2016.

If we can be sure of anything, its that Amazon always has something in the works. For the foreseeable future, it will continue to drive the industry in new directions.

Lets get to the news.

Russ Grandinetti, Kindle Senior Vice President, gave two interviews this year, giving us a glimpse into the Kindle department and its business strategies.

At a guest panel at the Digital Book World Conference and Expo in New York City, Grandinetti discussed the Amazon-Hachette dispute, agency pricing, and indie authors concerns over Kindle Unlimited.

On the Kindle Chronicles Podcast with Len Edgerly, Grandinetti talked again about Kindle Unlimited and the recent changes to the program, Kindle Scout, and how the company looks at the marketplace and disruption.

It goes without saying that interviews with the retail giant are rare and worth paying attention to, especially when the subject is authors and self-publishing.