Welcome to the Indie Author School!

Get to know a little bit about our school and the courses we offer, so that you can choose the right one.

So, you've always dreamed of being an author?


Chances are you're here today because you....


  • Have a book idea
  • Have a LOT of book ideas
  • Have a finished manuscript
  • Always wanted to be an author
  • Need help editing your book
  • Want to understand the next steps to getting a book published
  • Have been querying agents for [FILL IN THE BLANK] months to no success
  • All of the above


Guess what? I WAS You.







Emily Elizabeth Baker, Founder of The Indie Author School at the book launch party for her debut novel

For years, I was a teacher, a journalist, a realtor, and even a corporate tech girly to pay the bills all while writing my book in the early mornings and late nights.


I went to writing school, I started a podcast to learn from other authors, I queried, and queried, and queried...


And then I indie-published.


And I wish I had known about this path from the beginning, because I might not have wasted a YEAR querying agents when I could have been making money off of my book (and keeping it all myself!).


The Truth About Traditional Publishing:


  1. Most only accept submissions from authors with agents.
  2. Latest reports show that they are scaling back their advances for debut authors (think ~$5,000).
  3. After your book gets picked up (if it does), it will take 1-2 years for it to finally hit shelves.
  4. Traditional publishers are also scaling back their marketing support, which means it’s largely up to the author to front those costs and put themselves out there.
  5. Traditional publishers take away much of your creative control! They make huge decisions for you, like your cover, your title, and changes to your story to make it “more sellable.”
  6. Finally, only 25% of books “earn out,” which means there’s a good chance that after all of that time, energy, and work, all you’ll get for your book is that $5k advance.

But there's another way....

Indie Publishing


Sometimes referred to as “self-publishing,” indie publishing is when an author forgoes the assistance of a publishing house and publishes their book themself. They maintain 100% of the creative control, work with professional editors and artists to produce an exemplary book, and use a printing and distribution partner like IngramSpark or Amazon to publish their book. Indie authors retain 100% of their book sales, minus the cost to print a book.


BONUS: Indie publishing doesn't actually close the door to a traditional book deal. In some cases, it might open it wider! Some of your favorite authors originally self-published before they got the attention of a publisher and were offered a book deal. Some big publishing houses are even opening imprints JUST for this purpose!



So why not publish your book and make some money in the meantime?

Here's the thing... to produce a great book that sells you need:


Great writing and professional editing

An eye-catching cover

An enticing hook + blurb

A marketing plan


The Indie Author School will teach you all of that. PLUS:


It's okay if you're not sold on indie publishing. We'll teach you all the skills to format a submission package and query agents for that traditional book deal, too :)




So, Who Am I?

Look, I never worked at a Big Five publisher. I'm not a literary agent or an editor with some insider knowledge. But I am...


A former literature teacher who knows good writing.
A journalist and copyeditor who knows good editing.
A bookseller in a bookstore who knows what books sell.
And most importantly... an indie author who did it all myself.


And now I want you to, too!

Our Flagship Course


From book idea to book sales.

Everything I did to write and edit my book, publish it, and make consistent, profitable sales! (So that you can do it too!)



Book Idea to Book Sales: A Step by Step Course on How I Became a Bestselling Indie Author (So You Can Too)

In this course, we will cover everything you need to know to get from the idea in your head all the way to a published book that sells. How? Because I did it myself with my bestselling novel, The Last Empress.

Emily Elizabeth Baker

Emily Elizabeth Baker

$199

Indie Author School Book Club

To be a good writer is to be a good reader! Below are a collection of books that we have found to be inspirational as writers. This is a working list, so if you have any recommendations to add to it let us know!