This list should probably be the top 100 things indie authors should remember. Must expand later. But here are five things I always try to keep in mind.

1) Scrivener is awesome. Learn Scrivener. Learn it well. Sit back and acknowledge how freeing writing is by using it.

2) Never trust your own eyesight. (I can read a paragraph 6 times and it will be perfect. But on the seventh read, a misspelled or wrong word will suddenly jump out of nowhere into the middle of a sentence.)

3) You are a business. (I’m still getting my head around this idea.) You are the entrepreneur. You are the baker on the corner or the coffee shop downtown. You are providing a service – a greatly desired service. So therefore, you have to approach your writing as a business – from the financial aspect to the marketing aspect. You have to sell yourself and prove to people you mean business. (heehee).

4) Ignore the sneers of those who look down upon independent authors. Fortunately, there are fewer than their used to be. The standard has improved, but don’t be one of those authors who settle to just write and produce. Write with passion. Write as a professional, not as an amateur. Approach your topics seriously. Approach your readers seriously. Indie writing has nothing to do with vanity. It has everything to do with with passion, confidence, and an awful lot of hard work. So when a snooty website informs they don’t read or review independent authors, just chuckle to yourself that they don’t know what they’re missing. And move on.

5) Never stop improving. Seek out advice. Use advanced readers. Take criticism seriously – BUT be true to yourself and true to your story. Write what you want to say, not what they want to hear. Eventually, that passion will overflow and readers will follow. I believe that.