Welcome to the How-To Guide for Self-Publishing

Hi, my name is Lakisha Spletzer and I'm an indie author.

What is an "indie author"?

An indie author is a self-published author. Now, in the days of yesteryears, being self-published meant never having signed a contract with a traditional publishing house (i.e. Harlequin, Harper Collins, Tor, etc.) who published his/her work through alternate methods. There was a stigma attached to being self-published.

It was frowned at. The author was looked down upon. It was, in some people's minds, the kiss of death for a writer.

However, with the rise of e-publishers, ebooks, e-retailers, and e-readers, being self-published has changed.

Today, even writers who have been traditionally published have ventured into the new territory of e-publishing as an indie author with amazing results.

One of the biggest names that started making waves and calling attention to this new avenue for writers was writer J.A. Konrath. (You can read his blog to learn more) His blog, "A Newbie Guide to Self-Publishing," is written with sly humor, yet chock full of pertinent information about the industry. His insights into the mindset of the publishing (J.A. started off as a traditionally published author before going indie) industry are witty and spot-on.

But I digress. I decided that I wanted to help. After being asked by other writers, unpublished and published, about going the indie route, I realized that I wanted to give back. Pay it forward. So here I go.

I'm also going to get other indie authors to chime in and between the lot of us, gems of helpfulness shall abound.