Because 1/2 of it - I never thought about. I kinda thought I would upload a book and then market it.
- Writer - this one is a given :)
- Editor - in order to not spend thousands of dollars - you need to be even better at editing. use your money wisely so your copyeditor is faster.
- Budgeter - you could keep spending money so you have to come up with a budget and prioritize your funds (if you even have any :). But there is no way to do this free.
- Cover designer - you need to know what looks good and what doesn't. Placement, fonts, and copy. Whether you pay someone or not - you need to know what concept you want and how to define quality. If you know photoshop, you are golden. Learn it if you can. It will save you time and money.
- Jacket copyeditor - you need to know how to write good jacket copy.
- Formatter - unless you want to pay someone to format. You will have to format in several different ways, depending on what ebook format you need (epub, mobi, pdf, paperback etc). I think I did four for Untraceable.
- Researcher - you need to be able to get online and find answers to your own questions as well as find questions you should be asking yourself. There is not a detailed guide. You also need to be keeping up with the ebook/digital market.
- Account manager - you need to manage all your author accounts online. Right now with paperbacks and ebook formats - I probably manage and check five different sites a day including B&N, Amazon (2 different ones for PB and ebook), Smashwords, as well as all the places Smashwords delivers to (kobo, ibooks etc) - you need to know what your book is doing and check the information.
- Inventory - You need to know what you are selling and keep track for your numbers to reconcile records.
- Accountant - you need to be able to figure out what you should be getting paid from each place. This requires spreadsheets and daily counts.
- Lawyer - You need to follow up with pirates who are posting your book for free downloads and send letters.
- Marketer - You need to know how to get the word out about your book, have the time to do it, and follow up.
- Assertive without being aggressive - you need to know how to ask for blurbs and reviews and interviews without annoying people.
- Social Networker - you need to keep managing all your social networks and stay out in front of people (without being obnoxious.) blogs, twitters, facebook. etc
- Interviewee - you need to be able to fill out tons of requests for interviews, reviews, and more.
- Advertiser - you need to know what ads you can pay for, what ads are free, and which ones are most effective. This requires looking at free sites and searching for site.
- Supporter - you need to support others in their journeys. It is not all about you.
- Typer - I wish I could type faster, If you are a "pecker" (keep it clean) then take lessons.
- Swagger - You need to know where to go to get swag for your signings
- PR rep - you need to call and set up signings or other PR related activities. You need to write and drop press releases. And contact media for articles/features/ and interviews. Create your own press kits.
- Agent - if you want to get your book picked up by agents or film agents etc - you still have to send queries etc.
- Problem Solver - Problems come up daily whether it is your numbers disappearing at amazon, or a blogger who forgot to post an interview, or a price discrepancy. They come up every day.
- Self Believer - Indies get rejection too. And it hurts. You have to move on and find those who support you instead of chasing the ones who don't.
- Thanker - you need to thank those who support you.
- Multi-tasker - I shift all day long between these roles. It's exhausting.
- Panicker - you gotta be able to work while you panic. Crying is allowed but your fingers must never leave the keyboard. ;)
- Night owl - it is when you catch up.
- Project manager - when you have cover designs and editors - you have to manage to a budget and a timeline.
- Sales - you have to be out there selling without being cheesy about it.
- Psychologist - i have to talk myself down off a ledge every now and then. Of course I do live in a one story so not too bad. :)
All this along with mother, friend, wife, cleaner, laundry doer, cooker, dog walker, appointment maker.
Last on the list - To find a way to only sleep 6 hours a night and not be a total bear (still working on this one)
Basically, indie pubbing is like running your own business - all by yourself. So all the things a business would do - you would do. It's Entrepreneurial Authoring.
I think that is it. But I'm too brain dead to remember.
What do you think?/ Do any of these surprise you?
If you can think of another one, please add it to the comments. :)
