Autumn Dawn, Indie Author and Inspiration

Please welcome indie author extraordinaire, Autumn Dawn! She's got an inspirational story of early writing struggles to indie success. She's learned most of the ins and outs of self-publishing the hard way and today is sharing about:

The challenges of being self-pubbed: tech support

I love the freedom of being self-pubbed. My deadlines are my own and I make my own schedule. I’m self-driven, so it’s not a problem for me to stay on task. If anything, I have to schedule breaks to avoid burnout. I like doing covers and I’m good with formatting, uploading and managing my various ebook accounts. I can budget and hire proofreading and the occasional cover artist, and I’m capable of doing my own website.

There are some cons. Edits aren’t fun and they take time, as does blogging. Also, if someone has to deal with tech support or troubleshoot, it’s me.

Yesterday I spent an hour and twenty-five minutes on line with tech support about my new cell. I was prepared for the difficult to understand accent, but I was also hit with a bad connection and elevator music during the numerous times I was on hold. By the time I had to repeat my address for the third time and was told not only that I’d get my new phone in 5 business days and that I only had 200 minutes left (that morning I’d had over 1000), I was steamed. I handed the phone to my husband for the last few minutes so I wouldn’t explode. This was my second phone call that day to tech, and while this is an extreme example, I’ve had similar fun dealing with website and computer related issues.

Please, US companies, stop outsourcing your tech support. Have mercy.

Thankfully, the pleasures and rewards of self-pubbing outweigh the occasional frustration. My book, The Charmer, is a good example. Rejected numerous times by NY, it hit #1 on Barnes and Noble and was ranked in the top ten on Amazon UK and US. It just goes to show that sometimes persistence and self-publishing pays off.

Check out Dawn's latest release!

The Charmer: Dark Lands Book 1

Jasmine didn’t realize her friend Wiley was special until they were drawn into another world. Here Wiley is betrothed to the ruler of the Haunt, a wererace both dangerous and proud. Keilor is the master of soldiers, a man few would cross, yet he’d never met a menace like the little brunette his princess calls friend. Will Jasmine find the portal home, or will she find a werewolf of her own?

Visit her at:

www.autumndawnbooks.com
http://authorautumndawn.blogspot.com/
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AutumnDawn