Indies Supporting Indies is a monthly live chat for indie authors to support each other through the wild world of publishing.
What it’s All About
Publishing independently is empowering—but it’s also complex and overwhelming. Once a month, we gather in a Substack chat thread. The goal is to help each other solve real publishing challenges.
Bring your questions. Share your experience. We’ll figure it out together.
What to Expect
We will meet the second Sunday of each month on Substack’s chat feature.
One to three writers will share a challenge they’re facing (e.g., formatting, launch strategy, metadata, sustainability). Challenges will be selected on a first come first serve basis. If no challenges have been shared for the month, I will provide a prompt to keep us chatting and sharing advice and experiences.
The rest of us will listen, reflect, and share solutions that worked for us.
We’ll close with quick wins, shoutouts, and helpful takeaways.
How to Participate
If you have a challenge:
Keep it short (1–2 sentences to start). Leave a comment or DM me, Reina Cruz, ahead of time, or bring your challenge to the chat.
Let us know what you’ve tried and where you’re stuck.
Be open to ideas that come from different paths.
If you’re listening or supporting:
Share insight, not rules. There’s no one way to indie.
Respect each writer’s goals and offer ideas that meet their vision.
Be kind, generous, and encouraging.
A Few Examples of Topics:
“I’m overwhelmed by metadata. Where do I even start?”
“Which POD platform worked best for your illustrated book?”
“How do I know when to stop tweaking my book cover?”
“Any tools that helped you organize your indie business?”
Chat Etiquette
Say hi if you’re just listening! 👋 You’re welcome here.
If you share a tool or link, let us know how you’ve used it.
Don’t hesitate to share your challenges! Even if we don’t make it this month to discuss, we'll continue next month.
Hosted & Facilitated by Reina Cruz
I’ll guide the flow, make space for everyone, and share any additional tips and tricks from my own experience. We’re here to learn together.
Have a challenge you would like to bring to Indies Supporting Indies? Let me know!