DEAR INDIE: AN ADVICE COLUMN FOR WRITERS
No one hands you a map when you decide to become a writer.
Most of us stumble into it carrying a half-finished manuscript, a thousand questions, and the quiet suspicion that everyone else knows something we don’t. Over time, you learn the craft, the publishing landscape, and the shifting rules around platforms, marketing, rejection, and deadlines—but rarely in any order that makes sense.
Dear Indie was created for those moments.
Part advice column, part conversation, it explores the realities of writing and publishing from the perspective of someone actively working within the industry. Topics range from craft and voice to publishing, freelancing, book marketing, submissions, burnout, and the practical realities of building a writing life.
There are no universal answers in publishing. What works for one writer may fail for another. What matters most is shared experience and honest discussion.
Writing may be solitary work, but it doesn’t have to be isolating.
New Dear Indie entries every Tuesday at 6am.
ENTRIES
Clicking “Read” opens each entry in a new tab.
More entries coming soon.
•What if nobody buys it? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A response to a writer’s fear about book sales and perceived failure, reframing success through completion, persistence, and long-term audience growth in indie publishing.
•What’s the most important thing you’ve un-learned about writing? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A reflection on unlearning the belief that good writing is instant, exploring how craft develops through revision, repetition, and sustained engagement rather than early perfection or inspiration.
•Best advice for handling bad reviews? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A response on how writers should navigate negative reviews, emphasizing emotional distance, pattern-based feedback over isolated criticism, and the importance of continuing to write despite public reception.
•You’ve mentioned expanding beyond novels, what else can writers do for work? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
An overview of writing careers beyond novels, exploring paths such as editing, ghostwriting, copywriting, journalism, screenwriting, teaching, and indie hybrid models that combine multiple formats into sustainable writing ecosystems.
•I’m doing my first event, help! (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A practical and emotional guide for writers preparing for their first public event, offering grounding strategies, simple preparation steps, and reassurance that presence and connection matter more than performance or perfection.
•What if people I know read it? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A reflection on the fear of being read by people you know, exploring vulnerability, perception, and the tension between personal identity and public authorship once writing enters the world.
•I’m feeling lonely as an indie, is this common? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A reflection on loneliness in indie writing, exploring the difference between solitude and isolation, and offering ways writers can build connection, rhythm, and sustainability within a largely self-directed creative life.
•You’ve mentioned traveling as a writer, do new environments help or distract your creative process? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A reflection on how travel affects creativity, exploring the balance between inspiration and distraction, and how new environments often feed writing indirectly through observation rather than immediate output.
•I’m thinking of being an indie, any advice for a beginner?(Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
A beginner’s guide to indie publishing, outlining the responsibilities beyond writing, the importance of quality and patience, and the gradual process of building both craft and readership over time.
•You are your brand, what does this actually mean? (Dear Indie, 2026) | Read
An explanation of what “being your brand” means in writing, reframing it as the natural pattern of voice, themes, and reader expectation that emerges over time rather than a manufactured marketing identity.
