~by Amanda Smith

A couple of months ago, I was prattling my mental to-do list aloud while my husband patiently listened. “… and I still have to write down my monthly goals before our 24 Carrot meeting tomorrow,” I said, running out of breath, and steam. And time.

His eyes glinted mischievously. “Just copy last October’s goals,” he said.
​
Wrapped up in my busyness, I retorted, “If I could just copy last year’s goals, that means our method doesn’t work very well, does it?”


But wait? Does it? His silly suggestion intrigued me. 24 Carrot Writing celebrated its eighth birthday this year. For eight years (more actually, because we were an accountability group before we were a blog) I’ve religiously set monthly goals, checked them off, and reported back to my partners. Our whole premise is rooted in the idea of setting monthly goals and rewarding ourselves for reaching those goals. But the elephant in the room asks: Does it actually work?

I always check my yearly goals around this time of the year to see where I hit the mark, where I missed, and where, perhaps the road turned in a different direction. We also encourage our readers to check those goals mid-year with our June Years Eve blogs, making sure we are on track. But never have I ever checked a random month from the previous year to see how it lined up with my current journey. In the day-to-day work of writing, does setting monthly goals actually move me markedly forward? Color me curious!
​
So, with a hint of trepidation, I flipped back to October 2021 in my beloved bullet journal to reread my goals. 

In the past Kristi had a running list of tasks she’d cross off upon completion, but in January 2022 she joined our accountability group and took up monthly goal setting. One of her January goals was to revise a picture book. Her goal for this manuscript was to send it to Gnome Road publishing when their submission window opened in March. ALPACHAS MAKE TERRIBLE LIBRARIANS will hit the shelves in 2024, published by Gnome Road!

The trend is consistent: projects that were started are now complete, rewrites and revisions occurred, picture books went from concept to query (with all the appropriate in-between steps!), some projects carried over from month to month (oops), but eventually, they get done (or end up in the “darlings file”).

Beautiful, inspiring forward motion.

By Jove! It works!

Would we have done some of these things, even if we hadn’t set them as monthly goals? Likely. But would we have done all of them in a timely manner? Definitely not. To be certain, the smaller things, such as those poems, would have fallen off my radar, and I would have missed out on the joy of this anthology to come.

When our kids sometimes feel overwhelmed by the size of a task, my husband would ask: “How do you eat an elephant?”

One bite at a time.
​
In the elephantine cycle of writing, revising, critiquing, polishing, querying, waiting, signing, selling, marketing, promoting, doing-it-all-over-again, monthly goals are manageable bites.

So this January, yes, dream big and set those yearly goals! But then commit to bite-sized monthly goals, break them up in daily tasks, and keep moving forward. And every once in a while, peek back and see your progress – the biggest, sweetest, brightest carrot of all!

To learn more about my bullet journal, and how you can also keep track of things like monthly and yearly goals, check out this blog.

About the art:
Janine Nel is a South African artist whose preferred medium is oil, using a photorealistic style. However, she enjoys experimenting with various mediums and paints a multitude of subjects. To learn more, visit her website here, or follow her on her Facebook art page.

~Guest blog by Janet Costa Bates

​I call myself a writer, but I’m not sure why. I should call myself a ‘reviser,’ since, like most writers, I spend much more time revising manuscripts than I do writing the first draft. Writing the first draft is exciting, but the real magic happens during the revision process.
 
My first step in the revision process is to do absolutely nothing. I figuratively put the manuscript into a drawer and then work on something else. When it’s time to look back at it, I can do so with fresh eyes. Are there plot holes and how can they best be fixed? Are the characters true and consistent? If not, does something happen in the story to drive the change in their behavior? Is there fluff to be cut? Cuts can be as small as individual words or as big as characters, sub-plots, or description. I often pick a random number and make myself cut that number of words from a manuscript. There’s safety in knowing I can put any of the words back in, but I rarely do. 
 
I also go through the manuscript for grammar - NOT my favorite part. After all, my rule for commas is ‘random.’ Although I try to get the manuscript into decent shape, I’ve learned not to obsess too much. I now know there are magical people called copy editors who have much more grammatical talent than I do. 
 
Some revisions are routine and fairly quick. Other revisions are not at all routine, not at all quick, but totally worth it. Let me share a few examples with you.

~by Amanda Smith​

There are few things at 24 Carrot Writing that thrills us as much as celebrating one of our own. Even though Megan is a recent addition to the 24 Carrot team, joining us in 2021 as a regular contributor, she has been “one of our own,” for a long time.

I first met Megan at a critique group organized through the Writers’ Loft. Soon after, I ran into her at the NESCBWI Spring Conference, and later that year we both attended a picture book workshop together. Somehow, during that time frame, each one of the original 24 Carrot founders’ paths crossed with Megan’s at different events, and the following year we all carpooled together to the Spring Conference. Those daily drives back and forth were filled with engaging conversations about writing, and workshops, and dreams. Megan had just signed with her agent, Lindsay Davis Auld from Writers House, and we were excitedly crossing all our fingers and toes for her. And here we are – four years later, celebrating the bright light of Megan’s debut picture book Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night (Clarion Books) illustrated by Nneka Myers!
Over the years we have learned many lessons from Megan's approach to writing and her work philosophy. We'd love to share some of those with you.

LESSONS WE'VE LEAREND FROM MEGAN:
Be Gracious:
At that very first critique group, one of those serendipitous, hive-mind, similarly-themed-story flukes popped up. In the past, I’ve witnessed these kinds of situations ruin writerly relationships, but Megan responded with so much grace and this-is-the-business professionalism that it was hardly a blip on the radar. Over the years we’ve witnessed her kind support to the writing community, her willingness to jump in and help at book events, her praise and appreciation for other writers, and as a critique partner, her thoughtful insight and cheerleading of our writing – always with a generous dose of Megan sparkle.

Follow Your Passions:
Before focusing on writing, Megan was a classroom teacher and reading interventionist. Literacy accessibility is one of her biggest passions. She doesn’t just love writing. She loves books, and reading, and kids reading books, and reading books to kids, and making reading available to all. This passion is sprinkled, like star-dust, onto everything she does, her audience always in her mind. Not only does it drive her to write beautifully lyrical picture books, but also to explore other ways of breaking open the written word to children, such as writing for the educational market, classroom poetry, and early readers. As a matter of fact, Megan has the first two books of an early reader series Dirt and Bugsy launching in February and June 2023. Following her passion has led her to all kinds of exhilarating opportunities.

Trust the Process:
The publishing process is long. Very long. Excruciatingly long. Megan signed with her agent in June 2018, and went out on submission later that same month. With a different manuscript. Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night was actually her second submission, and between the two, there were two years of ups and downs, very close-calls, and plenty of rejection before signing that contract in 2020. There are so many anxiety-causing stepping stones on the path to publishing, yet Megan trusted her team and her talent, and stayed the course, one step at a time.

Own Your Style:
When we browse bookstores or share library finds, often one of us will pull a book and announce, “This is a Megan-book.” Megan-books feature lovely language, read-aloud-ability, solid rhythm, winks of humor, and oodles of heart. While the style might be recognizable, her voice is uniquely hers. When it comes to writing picture books, Megan is a lyrical writer. She knows it. She owns it. And she excels at it.

We are so excited that we can now pull an actual, very real, totally authentic Megan-book from the shelves. One with her name on the cover! Readers, you and your little ones will fall in love with Megan’s tight writing, her poetic phrasing, and her lilting diction in Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night!
​
Dear Megan, we are so excited for you! Shine bright!

Bio: 
Megan Litwin is a children’s book author, a former classroom teacher, and a forever believer in book magic. She holds a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from Simmons University and lives in Massachusetts with her family.

She will launch Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night Friday, September 23 at 6 pm under the twinkly lights of The Unlikely Story. Click here ​for more information on this event and other upcoming bookstore visits.

Ask for Twinkle, Twinkle, Winter Night at your local bookstore or order here.

​by Amanda Smith

One of the ladies in my ceramics class, let’s call her Dee, recently made a set of cat dishes for her friend, each dish featuring one letter of the cat’s name, Mozart.

One fine day in class, we were all struggling. Like really struggling. Unable to center. Unable to throw. Exasperated, Dee left her wheel for the kiln room to check whether the set of dishes had been fired. She reappeared, holding four dishes that spelled Z-A-R-T.
“We’ve lost Mo,” she said. “That’s what’s wrong. Our Mo-jo went missing.”

And we were stuck with Zart.

Let’s be real. The last couple of years had offered more than enough incentive for Mo to pack his inspirational bags and seek greener pastures. Some of us lost our creative Mo early on in the pandemic, while others had managed to hold on, tooth and nail, for longer. But I haven’t met a single creative over the last two years that hadn’t at some point felt stuck with Zart. Deflated. Incomplete.

So what happened in the studio when we discovered the loss of Mo? Each of us dealt with the bad pottery spell differently. Dee is a power-through kind of person. She kept throwing. At the end of the three hours, she had four sloppy piles of clay drying on the plaster table – evidence of four collapsed pots. But she also had two lovely bowls.

Peg decided to abandon the wheel for the day and instead focused on glazing some of her vessels that had been bisque-fired– a differently challenging skill, and a good change of pace.

I turned my back on the blasted wheel and affixed handles to mugs that I had thrown and trimmed previously. On a whim, I decided to carve designs on the mugs. I got lost in the joy of line and form and measurable progress.

The next open studio, Mo was still missing. Dee, Peg and I together decided to hand-build little cheese boards. Collectively we figured out the process, fine-tuned each other’s technique, got expert tips from our studio’s resident master hand-builder and made something pretty cute. Confidence somewhat restored, and bravery bolstered by mutual encouragement, we left the studio rejuvenated that day.

So why am I sharing my ceramic woes with you, dear writer?
Because, just like me, you might have lost your writing Mo. What to do until Mo returns?

1. Keep throwing. Like Dee, you can power through. Keep writing. It might be slow-going. Your word count might be lower than usual. You’d likely have some evidence of discarded efforts. But in the end, you will have progress.
2. Like Peg, you could move on with other necessary work that might require a different skill-set or less creative Mo-jo, but needs doing anyway. Do you have correspondence to work through? Records to update? Research? Keep moving forward by tackling the less glamorous stuff, so when your Mo returns, you will have uncluttered time to write.
3. Like me, you could channel your creativity into the frivolous. Did the mugs need carving? Nope. Did it fill my creative well? Yup. Write poetry. Play around with words and ideas, scribble, doodle, dabble. Even if it leads nowhere. Even if it serves zero purpose beyond filling your well.
4. Collaborate. Get together with writing friends for an impromptu writing day.  Or meet a fellow writer for a cup of coffee and get rejuvenated. Attend a class or brainstorming session. Host a picture book book-club for fellow picture book writers. Get your writing-bravery bolstered by mutual encouragement.

Last week, Dee returned from the kiln room hugging two celadon cat dishes to her chest. Mo had been found. We all smiled with deep satisfaction as she placed six dishes on the table:

~ Guest blog by June Cotner
​
If you’re a nonfiction writer who would like to have your book traditionally published, you will need a book proposal. In this post, I will be sharing ideas I have used to secure contracts with large publishers such as HarperCollins, Random House, and Hachette, as well as medium-size publishers such as Chronicle Books, Henry Holt, and Andrews McMeel Publishing.

The most important principle is that your book proposal is a business plan prepared for the publisher to show them why your book will be successful.

Here is a sample Table of Contents:
1. Overview
2. Description of the Book
3. Comp Books
4. Delivery Date
5. The Market (or The Audience)
6. Special Sales
7. Publicity
8. Sequels
9. About the Author
10. Sample Content

A proposal may vary from 5-35 pages in length, plus sample content.

You will create:
1.  Overview
More about this later.
2. Description of the Book
This includes number of pages and perhaps a suggestion about the book package—trim size, hardcover or paper, and number of photos.
3. Analysis of Comp Books
There are three types of comp titles: competitive, complimentary, and comparative. Also mention why your book will stand out from the competition.
4. Delivery Date
When will you deliver the complete manuscript?
5. The Market that exists for this book
Include statistics—if your book is about dogs, you can list the number of households in the U.S. who have dogs.
6. Special Sales
This section lists places that sell books outside of a traditional bookstore, such as Paper Source, or a catalog such as Bas Bleu. Be very specific and selective about your suggestions. You should be clear about your rationale why various special sales markets will have an interest in your book. Perhaps your children’s book is about art museums, so you should include a link of all art museums in the U.S. If you think it’s perfect for The Land of Nod and Pottery Barn for Kids, go online and see if they sell your type of book. If so, list the chain’s online books link in your proposal.
7. Publicity
I often call this section “Author’s Promotional Contribution,” so it’s clear to the publisher what I will undertake to make the book successful. In this section, I list traditional media (print, TV, radio) and blogs in which I’ve been featured. I include all of my social media links and the number of friends or followers for each one.
8. Sequels
If you have a sequel or series idea, list it.
9. About the Author
Write in third person. List why you’re an expert on this subject, along with any major book sales and awards.
10. Sample Content
List all of your chapter titles and give a succinct description of each—no more than 3-5 sentences. After that, insert your first chapter. For your second sample, use a chapter that demonstrates why your book is a unique contribution to the marketplace.

My favorite book about writing book proposals is How to Write a Book Proposal: The Insider’s Guide to Proposals that Get You Published, © 2017 by Jody Rein with Michael Larsen.

The rest of my post is devoted to something new I’ve developed. I use the first page after the Table of Contents  to present one page that will serve a dual purpose: First, I want to give the publisher a succinct overview of the book, why the market is perfect for it now, and why my target audience will be eager to read the book. Secondly, I make the first paragraph bold and I write it like a book description that would appear on Amazon.

Here is the first page from the proposal for BLESS THE EARTH, coauthored with Nancy Tupper Ling. It resulted in a contract from Convergent/Penguin Random House.

BLESS THE EARTH
Overview and Description
 
Bless the Earth: A Children’s Book of Prayers and Poems for Honoring the Earth celebrates the miracle of our planet Earth and offers a spiritual dimension of caring for our world through universal prayers of gratitude and earth-related inspirational poems. Bless the Earth is the only children’s anthology for 4–8-year-olds that knits together humanity, the environment, and spirituality in an engaging way that is simple for young readers to understand.
 
Moreover, nine-in-ten Americans believe in a “higher power” (Pew Center).
Bless the Earth will be a welcome addition for 90% of families.
 
We live in an age in which 17-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg received TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year award. Climate change and environmental awareness are at the forefront of topics that parents and teachers discuss with children. While no one wants to alarm young readers, a book like Bless the Earth fosters an awakened appreciation for the world around them.
 
In support of these developing environmental efforts, Bless the Earth shows the importance of caring for our world, treating our neighbors—humans, plants, and animals alike—with respect, and imagining a positive future. While many contemporary children’s books focus on “being green,” Bless the Earth introduces a spiritual dimension not featured in comparative books.
 
The book is compiled by bestselling anthologist June Cotner, whose books have sold more than one million copies, and multiple-award winning author Nancy Tupper Ling, whose children’s books have been published by major publishers. In Bless the Earth, writings from Karla Kuskin, Mary Oliver, Theodore Roethke, Emily Dickinson, Lao Tzu, Paramahansa Yogananda, and Kahlil Gibran intermingle with voices of celebrated poets such as Charles Ghigna, Patti Tana, Janine Canan, and Barbara Crooker.
 
Bless the Earth will contain approximately 60 selections divided into five chapters below.

1. Dreams for My World
2. Earth and Sky
3. All Creatures, Big and Small
4. Seasons
5. Caring for Our World

There is no one right way to write a book proposal. Do make sure you have shown the publisher why they should invest their money in publishing your book.

Bio:
June Cotner is the author of 38 books including the bestselling books, Graces, Bedside Prayers, Wedding Blessings, and House Blessings. Her books have been published by both major houses and mid-size publishers. Collectively, her books have sold more than one million copies and have been featured in many national publications. To find out more about June and for helpful publishing tips, visit her website at www.junecotner.com. You can also find her at https://www.facebook.com/June.Cotner.Books and on Instagram (@junecotner) where she posts sections from her book proposals. ​

~ by Amanda Smith​
 
The sweet time between Christmas and New Year is when I usually ponder writing goals: What worked the previous year? What didn’t? How far did I come? Where am I heading? And my trusty bullet journal serves both as memoir and roadmap.

In preparing my bullet journal for the new year, I wanted to write the year 2022 for my cover page in a unique way. Last year I had handwritten it using brush pens, which was fine, but I felt that the new year deserved some more flair. So, after playing around a bit, I landed on something I’ve never done before – Zentangle.

Using my inspiration quote for the year, I knew I wanted something botanical, and after using WordArt to set the outline of my numbers and googling some Zentangle designs, I set to work. It took some time to find my rhythm, but I finally figured out the scale of the design and the limits of my chosen font and everything went fine and dandy with that first two and half the zero.

Dear 24 Carrot Writer,
​
What a year this has been!
If you had written
words and stories,
well done!
If you had queried,
or launched a book into this world.
If you had hustled with marketing,
or had dipped deep
into the well of online classes
to grow and improve your craft,
we applaud you.
  
And if, this year,
your pen was dry,
your fingers quiet,
your stories dormant,
because life,
because you had to be there for others,
because you had to take care of yourself,
we send you hugs and encouragement.
 
Because even if stories weren’t written,
they are still there:
sleeping,
dreaming,
patiently waiting,
deepening
until your heart can open up for them,
until your fingers can pen them.
 
So for now,
take a break.
You deserve it.
 
Cuddle with loved ones,
read fluffy novels,
watch tinsel movies.
And recharge.
 
And when you feel ready,
start dreaming -
gentle dreams about gentle goals.
 
But in the meantime,
all of us at 24 Carrot Writing
wish all of you a beautiful,
peaceful,
joyful,
rejuvenating
Holiday Season.

Best,
Amanda and the 24 Carrot Crew

• ~Guest post by Kristine Asselin

Thank you to 24 Carrot Writing for asking me to blog for them today. It’s a pleasure to be here talking about one of my favorite things: The Query Letter.

A bit of background: It’s no secret that I’d queried a lot in the early 2010s (I’ve written about it in a bunch of places -- Articles about Querying and Writing - Query Godmother). After a few false starts, I signed with my third agent in the summer of 2013. This past summer, after seven years with the same agent, we parted ways—and I was honestly feeling like a bit of a failure. I’d been hoping for feedback on a manuscript and wasn’t prepared for my agent to be downsizing their list. In the middle of 2020, I took it really hard.

All this to say that anyone can be in the query trenches.

Writing a query can be scary. Remember, a query letter is a tool. It’s a way to put your words into the world. Don’t overthink the query letter. It’s manageable. There are parts to it.

1. Introduction (and opening paragraph):
Sometimes this is called the “hook” part of the query. Include the title, the word count, the target age, and the genre of the book. A short tagline (elevator pitch) can be included in this section as well. It is not mandatory, though. If you have something personal to add, like that you met the agent at a conference, or took their workshop, do that here. If you don’t have anything personal, don’t force it.
2. Book section:
Think of this as your back cover copy. This is the most important part of the query. Be specific, but brief. Try to express how your book is different than others. Use specificity about character goals, stakes, and motivations. This section should be the longest—after all the query is about your BOOK. Make sure you are answering these questions in this section:

• Who is the main character?
• What do they want more than anything else?
• What is stopping them from getting it?
• What problem do they face?
• What choices do they have to make?
• How does the problem get worse?

3. Bio:
Something about yourself and your expertise. What makes you the person to write this book? If you have any relevant published works, mention them here. Keep this part business. Don’t include things about your family or hobbies.

Query strategies:

• Do your research, determine what the submission guidelines are and attach what is asked for. This will differ by agent. Some want the whole book; some only want a few chapters or pages. If you’re querying a picture book, it will typically be the whole piece.
• I generally advise starting by sending out five query letters. When you receive a pass, send out a new one. (Look at this blog for ideas of where to find agents.) Keep track of your process and replies in a spread sheet or tracking tool.
• Don’t send too many queries at one time. If you feel like revising or refining the letter, you can’t do that if you’ve sent out too many at once.
• Don’t let querying get you down. If you feel overwhelmed, it’s okay to stop and take a break.
• Don’t take anything personally. But that said, take any and all feedback seriously.
• Putting your work out in the world requires having a bit of a tough shell. You have to be honest with yourself. When you get responses, make changes as appropriate. Be ready to change the manuscript if necessary, but don’t let it affect your confidence in yourself and your work.

I’ll be honest, I have yet to sign with a new agent. However, my request rate is over 20%, so I feel like my query letter is working, and there are several people considering my work. Keep track of this sort of data, so you know when to revise and/or move to the next manuscript.

Jumping into the querying pool can help you put aside your fears and anxieties about your work. Querying is forward motion. It is taking control of your career.

Know yourself and what works for you. I wish you all good luck in 2021.

Robert Thibeault designed an amazing and genre-specific cover: 
​

Hopefully, you can see how it would not only fit alongside the books in its genre but also stand out. It looks great as a thumbnail. Very important in this digital age!
 
Pro Tip: Choose a type of cover that sells well in the genre. What you love as a book cover might not be what your reader loves. Sometimes as authors, we have to put our personal preferences aside!
 
Here’s a closer look at Tom’s cover, so you can see the details: 

You can see here how an artist and book designer make a cover—it wraps around. Isn’t that cool?

REACHING YOUR READERS:
 
While Tom was waiting for his cover art masterpiece, he put up a freebie so people would sign up for his mailing list. 

 Having an email list—direct contact with fans—is the most important piece of the publishing puzzle.
 Without this, every time you publish a new book, you start from scratch looking for fans.
 
Tom gave away the first few chapters of his book and audio files of his book to entice people onto his list. Check it out here. Go ahead and sign up—Tom is going to KICKSTART this book, and you get to walk through the steps with him! (See the countdown page here!)
 
Don’t just hide your freebie and the sign-up to your list on your personal website—plug it into one of the sharing sites that go directly to fans. Right now, two of the biggest sites are BookFunnel and StoryOrigin. Using sites like these, Tom doubled the number of fans he had on his list!
 
Pro Tip: Story Origin is still in beta, so it’s currently FREE to use! Nothing beats free!
 
Once you have fans, interact with them on a weekly or regular basis. Use email companies like MailChimp or mailerlite to do this professionally.
 
Pro Tip: Make sure to consider who your fans are and give them what they are looking for! Remember that the people who sign up for your list are readers of your genre (or parents of the readers) and not just other writers or your friends.
 
Formatting/Book Design: Use a program like Vellum (only for Macs) to format the inside of your book, or use the free program at Reedsy.  Reedsy is a great one-stop-shop for finding indie-publishing support in general.

PRODUCTION:
 
While growing his email list, Tom finished all the production pieces.
 
Here’s a list you can use:

1. If you are writing a series, you’ll want the series name for the cover, and the first chapter of the next book included at the end of the first book.
2. Acknowledgments
3. Author bio and headshot
4. Description or author testimonials for the back cover, a description for online venues
5. Dedication
6. Copyright page
7. ISBN numbers (You’ll need one ISBN number for each distinct type of book.) Tom is publishing an ebook, paperback, and hardcover, so he has three. You purchase these through Bowker.
8. You can register your US copyright if you want to protect your Intellectual Property. This is easily done before your book is published.
9. Name of your publishing house and graphic, if you want.
10. A call to action for the back of your book. Very important. When people purchase your book, you’ll want to have them sign up for your mailing list or buy your next book!

 
Upload all the pieces (formatted correctly) along with the final cover artwork to Ingram Spark.

Pro Tip: if you pay to be a member at ALLi you get a code for free uploads and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP has free uploads.

Upload your ebook to KDP and choose to either have your book in Kindle Unlimited or use a distributor to go wide (like Draft2Digital)
 
Pro Tip: Sites like Ingram Spark and KDP are often wonky, so make sure to save all your keywords and descriptions and bios elsewhere and paste them in. We have had some tense moments in the past!
 
Pro Tip: You can purchase keywords that work in your genre at K-lytics, KPD Spy, or Publisher Rocket, to attract the right online buyers. Oftentimes as authors, it’s hard for us to think about what search words readers use! These keywords help people find your book when they search for it.
 
If this seems like it’s a costly process, it can be. We generally budget $1,000 for a novel. (For an original cover like Tom’s from an artist, it’s much more!) But you can publish on a shoestring budget, by buying your cover premade (there are so many sites to use--just search for ‘premade book cover’) or by bartering. If you know someone who is a cover designer, and you are a great editor, trade those skills!
 
Pro Tip: It’s okay to publish with the budget you have and then upgrade things as you go!

FIND YOUR "WHY?"
 
One of the most important questions to ask, before you start this process, is, “Why?”
Why are you indie-publishing?
 
If you want to see your book in your local bookstores:

1.  Make sure to use Ingram Spark as a printer and distributor--not just KDP. (Most local booksellers don’t stock books printed by Amazon at KDP.)
2. Allow booksellers to make a profit off your book by giving them a good percentage—40% or so. (This will be one of the questions you have to answer when setting up your accounts with IngramSpark and KDP.)
3. Take returns. (Another account-setting up question you’ll run into.) Otherwise, booksellers won’t consider carrying your book. They will be able to order your book out of the Ingram Catalog once your book is published, or they can consign the book directly from you.

 
If you want to make the most money you can:

1. Focus on ebook sales.
2. Make the percentage that booksellers get as small as you can.
3. Ideally, have multiple books coming out in quick succession.
4. Check out Julia Koty’s cozy mystery series as a great example—she’s launching multiple books in the next few months!

 
Whatever you do, don’t go it alone. Some of the best resources for authors starting out on the Indie-pub path are Joanna Penn’s podcasts, the Facebook Group 20 Books to 50K, and joining an indie pubbing group. We have a virtual one at the Writers’ Loft if you’d like to join (email writersloftma@gmail.com to get on the email list). It’s run by Dave Pasquantonio who is also a freelance editor and knows a ton about book promotion. We promise, once you get going, things get easier, because you keep running into the same people, the same sites, and most of the people you run into are very supportive! So that’s another part of the job—be supportive of your fellow writers.
 
Pro Tip: Don’t shortchange your readers—oftentimes the beautiful things that we love about books are simple enough for indie-publishers to achieve. See the gears that Tom added to each page number, the way his cover artist put the Pocket Moon Press logo into a gear, and how Tom invites his reader to read on into the next adventure! 

Phew, we covered a lot, right? Thanks to 24 Carrot Writing!
 
Feel free to leave us questions in the comments! Just out of curiosity, did we make you open up a billion tabs? We might just give a prize for the person who fesses up to opening a ton of tabs! Heather generally has at least 25,000 tabs open on her screen on any given day. (Let us know in the comments and we’ll pick someone at random.) Did you sign up for Tom’s email list so you can follow his further adventures in Kickstarting? We can’t wait for that process. (That’s another blog post)!