Ask for constructive criticism—First off, here’s a piece of advice for indie authors: Don’t read reviews of your books. The reviews of the book aren’t for the authors; they’re for the readers.  Most of the time, the reviews aren’t even meaningful.  The reviewer has found something they like or don’t like (most often the case) and focused on that.  That doesn’t help an indie author; it only leads to hard feelings and self doubt.  It weakens your confidence in yourself.  Remember, most of the critics have never written a book; they don’t have the skills, the discipline or the interest.  They’re simply looking to criticize you in an effort to make themselves feel better about their own inadequacies.

However, every writer needs to have someone to turn to for feedback about the manuscript.  Constructive criticism only makes our work better.  A good editor will often provide constructive criticism.  Friends and family do not provide constructive criticism for fear of hurting your feelings; they tell you what they think you want to hear.  Find some people who are willing to provide you with constructive criticism.  It will only help you strengthen your work and your skills.  Constructive criticism can be about plot, flow, character development, tone, style.  But remember that you can’t have just one person to provide you with feedback.  You need two or three people.  I’ve set up a bit of a small group to review each of my manuscripts.  They come up with various critiques and then I assimilate those and decide if I want to make any changes or alterations.  Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t, but it does provide me with an opportunity to get an opinion from impartial parties.  Murder at the Ocean Forest is still one of my most divisive novels.  The focus group either loved it or hated it.  Some said the sentences were too long.  Some said it was too slow moving.  Some didn’t even want to finish it.  On the opposite side, others just loved it and couldn’t get enough of it.  They said they couldn’t put it down.  At the end of the day, I had to make a decision on what changes to make.  Today, I’m still proud of that book, and it still generates strong feelings on both sides.

Constructive criticism is something every indie author can use.  Remember, the focus group you choose is not here to be your friend or preserve your feelings.  They’re here to give you the honest truth.  Take what they have to say, assess it, and then decide what to do.

Don’t give up—It’s easy to get discouraged while you’re writing your book and then again while you’re marketing your book, but don’t give up! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been discouraged during the writing process. I haven’t been happy with the way the story was going or the way I was developing a character or the progress I was making.  I’ve been discouraged by the detractors and writer’s block.  I’ve been discouraged when I felt that no one appreciates the work I do.  If you are truly passionate about your writing endeavors and you believe in yourself and your talents, you have to press on.  You have to fight the personal doubts and demons when you’re a writer.  In case you haven’t noticed, indie authors are still generally looked down upon by the mainstream publishers and the mainstream media.  They don’t really want us in the marketplace; we’re inferior to their published authors.  They want the indie authors to give up; they want us to fail.  So, if you give up and if you admit defeat, you give them what they want.  But the naysayers don’t really matter.  More importantly, if you give up, you defeat yourself.  Being a successful indie author isn’t easy.  It takes hard work and discipline.  It may take years to build a following and to get noticed and to get traction.  If you’re truly committed to it, you’re in it for the long haul.  Stay the course.  To quote former President Richard Nixon:  “Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.”

I have fought those personal demons of doubt.  I have been ready to quit on many occasions.  After I could get nowhere with Murder at the Ocean Forest, I was discouraged.  I didn’t have an interest for a long time in The Versailles Conspiracy.  But I wasn’t going to defeat myself.  I love writing.  I knew it then, and I know it still today.  I finished The Versailles Conspiracy and moved on to The House of Dark Shadows.  It seemed like I got some personal momentum going after that and I haven’t stopped.  I told myself I was going to write because I enjoyed it.  Critics and naysayers be damned.  I don’t care if I sell any of my books.  I’m writing because I enjoy it.  If I had given up over a decade ago, I wouldn’t have some of the books that I’m most proud of and I wouldn’t have further developed and honed my writing skills along the way.