Following on from yesterday’s post about mistakes to avoid in independent publishing, today let’s take a look at what key skills independent publishers need to have…

Writing

It doesn’t really need to be said, does it? If you are going to be successful in independent publishing, you ideally need a big dollop of writing ability. An ability to put together a good story, told well and in an engaging manner is probably the most important skill of all.

Business sense

It also helps if you understand the business aspect of independent publishing. That doesn’t mean you need to be an expert straight away, but it does require a willingness to learn and acquire new skills along the way.

For instance, you will need to look at important business issues such as personal accounting, pricing your books, the process and implications of publishing, and paying any hired help you might have.

Another important aspect of business sense is knowing your own limitations. It might not sound like a skill, but I’d say that being able to tell when someone could do a better job than you at a certain aspect of independent publishing (such as proofreading your book or designing its cover) is certainly an important quality.

We all have different strengths, and while we can often improve on things we’re currently not as good at, sometimes it just makes more sense to use someone who really knows what they’re doing.

Commitment and perseverance

Can you say that commitment and perseverance are skills? I think so, because they both take a lot of discipline and dedication, without which you’d never get anywhere as an independent publisher. They are also qualities that you can work on improving.

For example, many writers have half-finished manuscripts in a drawer somewhere, and it’s only as they learn more about their craft and develop their discipline that they manage to persevere and see projects through to the end. It’s an important skill, that.

These skills are also important because success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, and hard work, and often more than one book to achieve what you want to – and even then there are no guarantees. And we often need even more commitment and perseverance when we’re trying to fit in independent publishing on top of a day job. Which brings us onto…

Time management

It might not sound much fun, but it’s a vital skill. It matters not only in terms of finding the time to write your book in the first place, but also when it comes to learning about publishing, actually publishing it and everything that comes after.

If you decide to carry on with independent publishing after your first book, you’ll probably find yourself trying to juggle writing with marketing and all of the other ‘business bits’ that go along with the industry. That requires careful time management, so doing whatever you can to develop this skill will certainly be important.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but hopefully it offers an idea of some of the key attributes you’ll need if you’re serious about independent publishing. Over to you. What do you think are the key skills independent publishers need to have?