Editor’s Letter- September 2023

To anyone who thought the discussions around AI might be quieting down, let this past month be an assurance: among authors, at least, the debate rages on.  On August 7, author and industry expert Jane Friedman wrote a blog post expressing frustration with Amazon and Goodreads after she discovered a series of nonfiction books, which […]

Editor’s Letter- Grammarian Gratitude

Ah, editing. The stage of the publishing process every author always seems eager to reach … until they reach it.  Don’t feel bad. Editors get it. We know you’ve probably frowned at your screen in confusion at some of our questions (“How do you want me to style your ellipses?”), or you’ve grumbled not-so-nice words […]

Editor’s Letter: A New View on Metadata

Some of the best things about being an editor for Indie Author Magazine are the gems of wisdom I come across in our writers’ stories. Take Eryka Parker’s feature on keywords in this month’s issue. Like many of you, I’m sure, I’ve always viewed managing metadata as a bit of a chore—something we do to […]

Editor’s Letter: Protecting What’s Precious

Once you’ve written “The End,” how do you prepare for your manuscript to go in front of new eyes?  By “new eyes,” I mean those of your editor, beta readers, or ARC team—that special selection of people who get to see your “book” before it’s truly a book. Putting your published book out into the […]

Editor’s Letter: Author Milestones

Ever since I started my author Instagram account, the app has been one of my biggest time sucks. A lot of it stems from the fact that I can—almost—justify the time I spend there as being productive. Watching other authors’ Reels and scrolling through aesthetic Bookstagram photos counts as research, right? But the app does […]

Editor’s Letter: More than Two Sides to the Story

At IAM, we have always prided ourselves on our ability to dissect and disseminate technology information for authors. From the beginning, we’ve understood the importance of having the right tools for your business and knowing how to use them. So it felt only right for us to dedicate an issue to breaking down the newest—and […]

Editor’s Letter: Journey to ‘The End’

Six months ago, I wrote “The End” on the first draft of my current manuscript. It was some time in the early evening, in the middle of the work week. I remember sitting on the floor beside my writing desk and pausing my music to type those final words.  I’ll admit it: there were a […]

Editor’s Letter: How Did You Meet Your Writing Group? 

One of this month’s features asks a handful of authors that exact question, and I always love hearing people’s responses. I met mine through Camp NaNoWriMo about eight years ago. (In fact, you can read about our group, the Treehouse of Writers, in the article!) During the summer sessions of the writing challenge, the site […]

Editor’s Letter: The Beauty of the Blank Page

I have an honest confession to make: I’ve been staring at my computer for a few minutes now, trying to figure out what I want this letter to say. I’ve fallen victim to the Curse of the Blank Page plenty of times. When editing is part of your day job, it makes it difficult to […]