Craig retired from the Marine Corps after a long career in the military intelligence community, having worked with most of the U.S. Government's three-letter agencies. After retiring and a short stint with physical security, Craig went to law school, graduated summa cum laude, and went into business consulting. From intelligence to the inner workings of company board rooms, to on the ground leadership, Craig has seen it firsthand.

His books are an extension of his experience, putting the trials and tribulations of a fast-paced world into your hands. Whether in Science Fiction, Thrillers, Fantasy, or even his Non-Fiction, you'll find consistent themes of justice and doing right by those who are counting on their leaders. Leadership is a service, not a crown to lord over others.

Visit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to [email protected] to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books, or simply follow him right here on Amazon - they'll notify you of new releases as will BookBub.com if you follow him there:)

Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle

Demystifying the tangled web of self-publishing to put you on the road to success.

This is a motivational guide based on my two and a half million published words (mostly with Amazon) to help you see past the hurdles that are keeping you from climbing the mountain of success. Nothing is overwhelming once it's been explained. If you are smart enough to write a book, you are smart enough to do everything else needed to make your indie author business a success.

Clocking in at nearly 50,000 words, this guide has something for every budding author as well as those who have already published, but for whom success remains elusive. In this business there is only one hard and fast rule - you must find readers willing to pay for your stories. It starts with the first sentence. You have to write a gripping story that people want to read, wrap a cover around the book, and then do the marketing. There's no doubt that you can do it. Let me show you how.

 

REVIEWS

  • "Craig, thanks to the book, I went from kicking around vague concepts for my first series to knowing exactly how to proceed with it, and because of that I know it'll be far more successful than it would have been if I hadn't read this."

    – Amazon Review

  • "This was insightful and motivating, I'm inspired and wiser for it. Thank you, Craig."

    – Amazon Review

  • "Over the years, I've read many How To Books, Self Help Biographies, and Industry Books. Become a Successful Indie Author is one of the best. It reads like a novel, teaches specifics like a field manual, and shines light on pathways through the dark jungle of self-publishing."

    – Amazon Review
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Why publish your books yourself? For the same reason most small businesses start—you have an idea and are the best one to make it a reality. That idea is a story, and you have to write it, then publish it, and then sell it. And then write another one.

Daunting? Maybe.

Easy? Definitely not.

Doable? Eminently.

We publish independently because we get a much higher royalty share, we have complete control over our work, we interact directly with our readership, and so much more. The drawback is that you have to do it all yourself—creativity, production, marketing, and accounting. But indies are betting on themselves, just like any other small business. We stand up and shout, "I got this!" Then we knuckle down and do the hard work where we and we alone are responsible for our success.

Will this book guarantee that you'll be the next seven-figure author? Absolutely not. But it will show you that if you work hard at the right things, it may not be as far away as you think. Make your hard work work for you.

This book is meant to show you what's possible, and that you're not alone on this journey. Arming yourself with information is the best way to win the battle known as "Indie Publishing."

You can do it. It takes work, but the mountain is not insurmountable.

JK Rowling made over one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) in book sales alone and estimates suggest that she reached only nine percent of the book reading public. Only nine percent is worth a billion dollars. She didn't get there because she was trying to get rich. She got there because she wrote great stories and then handled the business side of it.

What if you were able to tap 1/10,000th of what JK Rowling tapped?

Then you would be a $100,000 author, while the average author makes less than $10,000 a year. But we refuse to be average, because we learn from others with readily available information that will help us get to that next level.

No matter where you are on your author journey, there's always a new level you can reach.

Is this a how-to book? Kind of. As an indie, don't trust anyone who speaks in absolutes. There are a lot of things that you should do, and inside this book, I'll highlight those very clearly. This book is more like a smorgasbord—pick and choose what may work best for you. Tweak as you need and take it for a test drive. Remember—one size does not fit all.

The more you know about your business, the more time you can devote to what brought you here in the first place—your writing. I love to write. It's my escape from everything else, but I also love the business side of things.

You'll find that no early mistake can't be overcome through adjustment and reengagement. Your first book doesn't sell well. So what? Learn why, fix it, and get better for next time.

There are many different ways up the mountain, so do what works best for your business. I write pulp, but I take my craft seriously. Doing what keeps your readers most engaged is what you must to do to make money at your craft. You. This is your story and your business. Read as many success stories as you can, see what works for others, and build your plan on the details, not the results. Control what you can control and then do what you need to do. The results can only come from that.

Roll up your sleeves, because it's time to get to work.