The Indie Author Skill Stack
I recently read Scott Adams’s book HOW TO FAIL AT EVERYTHING AND STILL WIN BIG, and thought it was an interesting book. One of the concepts that Mr. Adams discussed was the idea of a “skill stack.” A “skill stack” means a collection of skills that might not be all that useful on their own, but nonetheless combine into something valuable.
Last week for my Interesting Links post I read a couple of different articles about indie authors who simply burn out and wish to stop writing. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that – writing, like sriracha sauce, isn’t for everyone.) I have to admit that despite my fast pace of writing this isn’t something that has affected me – I have more ideas for books than I have time to write, and I suspect I have more in common with someone like Dean Koontz or Nora Roberts who will keep writing until death or debilitating illness.
At first I thought this was because I got my start in the Bad Old Days of traditional publishing, and indie is a pleasant walk in the park compared to tradpub. There’s nothing like historical context to provide perspective!
But then I remember the idea of the “skill stack”, and I started thinking about my particular skill stack. I think my background might have made me uniquely suited for indie publishing.
This, then, is how I think I rate in six key skills of indie publishing: Writing, Editing, Graphic Design, Technical Skill, Business Knowledge, and Persistence.
–Writing: Good. I don’t write flowery artistic prose (and I’m not interested in doing so), but I can write fast, which is more valuable.
–Editing: Adequate. I can edit my own stuff well enough, though I’ve gotten a lot better at it in the last two years.
–Graphic Design: Adequate. I can’t do a book cover as well as a professional, but I can do it well enough, and I have sold many copies of books with covers assembled by me in GIMP
–Technical Skill: Excellent. I had a background in IT long before the Kindle came along, and this has served me well. I can create and manage my own website, make my own covers if necessary, lay out my own books, both ebook and paperback, and solve any computer problems that come up myself.
–Business Knowledge: Adequate. I’m not an expert, but I know enough to keep from making serious mistakes. Besides, the four basic principles of 1.) spend WAY less than you take in, 2.) Live well below your means, 3.) pay your taxes on time, and 4.) never hire anyone for something you can do yourself will take you far.
–Persistence: Excellent. You can’t write 1.45 million words in a year without persistence, and I wrote 1.45 million new words in 2017. Given that I’ve published 21 books about Ridmark and 20 books about Caina, it is safe to say that I am indeed persistent.
Persistence is probably the most important skill in any skill stack. For persistence, like love, covers over a multitude of sins.
Obviously, Technical Skill and Persistence are valuable by themselves, but combined with other skills in which I am only adequate, they become more powerful. I think that skill stack is the reason I’m able to write so much without burning out.
I have stresses and frustrations, like anyone else, but writing usually isn’t one of them.
And if I get frustrated with writing, I go play computer games or do home repair for a while.
A weekend morning spent on home repair definitely makes me eager to go back to writing! 🙂
-JM