I normally don’t care for distilling complex subjects into small platitudes to just throw out there in the hopes that newbie writers will think short-cuts will take the place of time and work. Nothing will. Really. I’m not going to sugarcoat novel-writing or self-publishing as a bypass for experience and dedication. It’s not right, nor is it fair for those of you onboard this indie writer journey.
But … there actually are three steps to success as an indie author. Each of these steps, as you can imagine, involve smaller steps and take a long time to complete. As I go along this journey, though, it helps to have a general overview, like a satellite’s eye, of what is going on. The three steps can be summarized as three words:
Time ~ Story ~ Money
Each of these steps involves smaller steps, and the entire sequences forms a continuous loop. Time + Story = Money. More money equals less time working for money and more time working on books. So, it cycles around again.
Honestly, when it comes to strategy, every writer is different. My night-owl ways won’t work for early birds. Some will write faster than me and some will write slower. So, it isn’t a one-size-fits all strategy, but a general consistent, creative and productive output that will certainly aid you in the goal towards becoming financially sustainable from your fiction writing. So, with that in mind, here are the three steps.
Step 1: Time
The first step to success as an indie author is to find time. There is no substitute for putting in the hours needed to write rough drafts, edit and tweak final drafts, or design and format indie books.
I am incredibly lucky, since my regular job is as a tech freelance writer working at home. I can structure my time how I please. But so much free reign actually forces me to prioritize, and we must all set aside time. The best way to go about finding time is to set goals for it. Depending on your situation, your goals may be a bit different than this model. We can set larger goals when our finances allow us to cut back our other commitments. You can change these to suit your situation.
Time Goals:
- Small – Set aside 30 minutes four times a week
- Medium – Set aside 2 hours five times a week
- Big – Set aside 3 hours six times a week
Step 2: Story
Step two is about writing stories. Now that we have carved out our time during the day, we can turn to this next step and do the work. The intricacies of story-crafting can be learned from doing two things: reading and writing. We each have our own method of creating stories. Some sit down and just bang it out from page 1 to page done. Others, like myself, skip around and then tie it all together in the final edit.
But however you go about it, the ultimate goal is to finish the story. The following goal list will change depending on your particular methods. I hope it gives you a starting point for constructing your own productive goals. You can progress to larger goals after completing the smaller ones, when you feel you can finish one novel or more in a year. Many writers can do it in a month – by participating in NaNoWriMo. There’s no set rules on how long it ‘should’ take to finish a novel.
Story Goals:
- Small – Finish one 3,000-word short story each month
- Medium – Finish one novel and 12 short stories a year
- Big – Finish three novels and 12 short stories a year
The small goal, in this case, will give you at least 12 workable stories at the end of each year, in which to bundle together and offer on Kindle or Smashwords.
Step 3: Money
Step three is the fun part – receiving the money for your time and hard work writing! When setting financial goals, it helps to be very realistic about how many copies you’ll sell in the first year, and then build from there. The more you write, the more you earn, so that’s why the three step process starts with time set aside.
The best part about earning money through indie publishing is that it’s long-term. It grows slowly but steadily over months and years of work. This is a slow, steady and ultimately fruitful path that, if adhered to, will be our primary source of income. Again, the more time you put in, the faster you can achieve this!
Money Goals:
- Small – 5 books for sale, earn $100 a month
- Medium – 15 books for sale, earn $1000 a month
- Large – 30 books for sale, earn $2500+ a month
Words to Paragraphs to Novels
The big goals are great to dream about and are inspiring, but the small goals get me excited to start. I can set aside an hour a day. I can finish a short story in a month. While I’m still in the small-goal range, I can content myself by putting in the hour of creative writing a day and then spending the remainder of my time writing my tech articles for a paycheck. I’ve finished two novels already and am working on a third. It feels good to make progress! 
I also like seeing how my goals are both separate and all interconnected with each other. I put in the time, which results in finishing the story, which results in it being available on Kindle, which results in the revenues.
A big error is getting all excited about the potential earnings, when money is actually last in the sequence. The time and the writing come first. First time, then story, then money. So, don’t think about the earnings when you’re first starting out. When you finish a bundle of short stories or a novel, put it up on Kindle or Smashwords, and then move on to the next one. It’s a new formula for success as an indie author, but it’s tried and true.
Words strung together become sentences, then paragraphs, then scenes, then chapters, then stories and novels. A half hour several times a week, a short story finished for publication every few weeks, a $2.09 profit from each Kindle copy.
It adds up!
