Notes From the First Indie Authors Association Meeting

Next Meeting: Saturday, February 8, 2025, 12-12:30 PM EST. Theme: How are you showing love to your community as a creative?

Photo by Valentina Conde on Unsplash

Thank you McKayla Jade for attending LIVE and bringing a lively conversation to our first Indie Authors Association members and Indie Author Insights newsletter subscriber meeting! Unfortunately, Zoom didn’t record our conversation. I took notes and included notes from authors who couldn’t attend. Hopefully, it sparks an idea and helps aspiring authors with the business side of writing!

The theme for our first meeting was Visions and Goals. Below are some insights from McKayla, other indie authors, and me:

• McKayla Jade - Get McKayla Jade Books established, have a successful book signing, publish at least one more book, get Tidbits and Scribbles show running again (McKayla invited us to join her YouTube Channel, Sundays at 7 PM Central for author updates and fun writing challenges), coordinate a successful Readers and Writers Rendezvous Book Fair with The Book Nook.

• Sarah Styf
  - Lean into local events and my identity as a local writer. Attend book signing event next Saturday at the Green Bean (11802 E. Washington St, Indianapolis, IN) and a big Words & Wonders author event in June in Seymour, IN. I'm beginning to see that leaning into local author circles is also how I can make a difference. I don't have to be world famous to make an impact. Finish the rough draft of my "Midwesterner Living in Texas" series on Substack, with plans to publish it in 2026. I hope to finish my "Shifting Sand" series by the end of the year on my Substack but that will take at least another year and a half to get ready for publication. And I've started a "Slow Read" book club this year to lean into my passion for literacy and education. I've started with “1984” and I think I might do “Grapes of Wrath” next. It's for paid subscribers, but I'll be happy to give anyone in the zoom call a free two-week trial.

  

• Teresa Keefer - I have a huge list!!

• John Sherman - To get a book-length of poetry accepted - about to submit it!

• Brian K Morris - Just stay on top of my deadlines. 🙂

• Bud Woolery - To finish my second book.

• Kathy Gerstorff - Publish my historical fiction/fantasy book (that I have rewritten a hundred times since 2000. McKayla suggested having an editor read it and provide feedback instead of continuing to overthink it. That’s my next step. Finally!). Have the book launch at Mounds State Park (the setting for the story). Mounds is hosting a hike similar to the one that inspired the novel on January 25, 2025 at 1 PM EST starting at the Visitor’s Center. If you love nature, history, and hiking, check it out. If the weather is decent, I’ll be there! I also plan to publish a children’s book (that I said I would never do again), and a book on marketing for creatives. Increase subscribers to the Indie Author Insights newsletter to >500 and add value for paying subscribers by hosting monthly meetups.

What’s working with book marketing?

• McKayla Jade has a Facebook page where she asks engaging questions that lead to curiosity about her and her books such as What was the first book you read, what book changed your life, etc. She also mentions National Days and asks engaging questions. You can see a list of National Days at nationaldaycalendar.com. Today, January 11, 2025 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Vision Board Day, Milk Day, Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day, and Arkansas Day! These awareness days provide creative and fun ways to get engagement on social media or as a prompt for a blog post.

• McKayla said she changes the theme each month so it doesn’t get predictable or boring. She also posts at various times throughout the day to hit different algorithms.

• Put a graphic of your book or logo at the end of your newsletters, emails, etc. to increase awareness of you and your books.

Our next virtual meeting will be Saturday, February 8, 2025, 12-12:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. The theme will be LOVE: How are you showing love to your community as a creative?