An Irreverent, By-the-Skin-of-Your-Teeth Guide to Being an Indie Author
Being An Indie Author Can’t Be That Hard, Right?
So you want to be an indie author. Or maybe you're scared to do it all yourself and are looking for a publisher, but want to know more about the nuts and bolts of the book business. Either way, this book is for you.
Scott is a thirty-year small press veteran who shares his knowledge—from the snarky to the sublime—and answers your questions: What should you consider before you start to write? What about when you get stuck? And what can you do when you start doubting yourself?
This book is filled with practical advice, candid explanations, and emotional support for any writer navigating today's complicated publishing business, helping you to stay sane and define for yourself what being a “successful writer” means.
In your career, you’ll have highs and lows. It’s important to put all the highs in a bottle and save them. And when the publishing world gets you down, pull it out and suck a little happy juice.
“If I ever go off course, I will refer back to this guide to keep me going. The book's strength lies in its ability to demystify the writing and publishing process, making it a trustworthy companion for writers facing challenges. 5 Stars.” -Jaqueline Neves, Readers’ Favorite
"Suck a Little Happy Juice is the kind of advice title one wishes every aspiring writer had in hand. Whether it's addressing getting ready to write or giving concrete examples contrasting tepid writing with captivating alternative approaches and revisions, Coatsworth sets aside ethereal advice in favor of the concrete examples writers need in order to prove more effective and hone their skills.. If libraries and readers were to select just a few titles on the subject of becoming an author, Suck a Little Happy Juice should be at the top of the list." --Midwest Book Review
So you probably saw this book on the shelf, or on a website somewhere while searching for some advice on how to be an indie author—someone who publishes their own work—and thought “Suck a little happy juice? What the $%#@!does that mean?”
Let me enlighten you.
I started my professional writing journey in 2013, and in May of 2015, I launched my own blog—a place where I could talk about life, the universe, and share with my readers the meaning of being a writer and an author.
A few years later, I transitioned from having a publisher to being a hybrid author, meaning I publish my own work and have some titles with by a traditional publisher.
In the last decade or so, I have written close to 450 columns on the blog, many of them about the ins and outs—emotional, spiritual and practical—of being my own publisher.
READ MOREOne of those columns in particular really struck a chord when I wrote it, and I knew it would eventually become the title of this book. It was called “Suck a Little Happy Juice,” and it was an exploration of the need to hold on to all the good things that happen during your indie author journey—reviews, kind words, great sales—and using them as a fuel and a panacea to keep yourself going when things get rough. From that chapter in this book:
We need to bottle up all those great things and put them away, ready to be opened at a later date when things don’t seem quite so rosy. When imposter syndrome runs us down, it’s time to grab that “bottle” of “all the great things,” off the shelf.
Got a rejection? Open that file and relive some of those wonderful things folks said about you and your writing.
Latest book sales in the gutter? Take a ride on the happy memory train.
Hit with a horrendous edit? Suck a little happy juice.
With life and the world in such a weird, precarious, and sometimes downright awful place, you have to grab the good when you have it.
This book a celebration of the joys of being your own publisher boss, a balm for those difficult times when it doesn’t seem quite so glorious, and a warm blanket for when you feel left out in the cold by the book business.
I hope that it makes your indie author journey just a little easier and more enjoyable.
COLLAPSEJaqueline Neves on Readers’ Favorite wrote:"Instead of heaping the mounds of praise this book deserves, let me say it in a simpler way. I wish this book was available when I was twenty, because it would have saved me fifteen years of head banging. That’s right, it took fifteen years for me to gain the knowledge the author is laying out, fifteen years to learn enough to sell the first of my 40+ novels. Don’t make my mistake, read this book: learn the principals and reach your goal."
Diane Donovan on Midwest Book Review wrote:“If I ever go off course, I will refer back to this guide to keep me going. The book's strength lies in its ability to demystify the writing and publishing process, making it a trustworthy companion for writers facing challenges. 5 Stars.”
"Suck a Little Happy Juice is the kind of advice title one wishes every aspiring writer had in hand. Whether it's addressing getting ready to write or giving concrete examples contrasting tepid writing with captivating alternative approaches and revisions, Coatsworth sets aside ethereal advice in favor of the concrete examples writers need in order to prove more effective and hone their skills.. If libraries and readers were to select just a few titles on the subject of becoming an author, Suck a Little Happy Juice should be at the top of the list."