With a reported 31% of Amazon ebook sales now coming from self published titles, indie authors are a literary force to be reckoned with. Music to the ears of Orna Ross, prolific self-published author of fiction, non fiction and poetry and head of the Alliance of Independent Authors or (ALLi). But how does she make sure that her work gets completed when deadlines are self imposed?

Traditional publishers give authors deadlines, as an author-publisher how do you ensure you complete work?

ORNA: I set deadlines – but I often break them! Last year I tried an experiment with a writer friend who works from a very disciplined energy, whereby she held me accountable to delivering by a certain date. But I ended up rushing the work. It didn’t suit me.

I work in a much more organic way - but I do adopt a specific mindset. I use my will not to force me to write but to ensure that I do the practices that creates the conditions within which writing happens — the meditation, the FreeWriting, the daily mindful exercise like yoga or chi running. Once I do those practices, the writing – and indeed all the tasks in my day get themselves done. I think it helps that I have a thorough understanding of the creative process, the seven stages it undergoes from intention to completion, and so I know when to act and when to let the process unfold. and I have an unwavering faith in the process itself. It knows more than I do. The more I can let writing do writing, and take myself out of the way, the better.

You teach, run ALLi and you’re an author-publisher too. How do you fit writing into your busy day?

ORNA: I fit writing in by doing it first. When I wake in the morning I meditate, then head off to my local park for a jog and bit of a workout in the outdoor gym, and then it’s off to the Cafe - a converted stables in the same park - for some FreeWriting. These practices put me in the perfect frame of mind to write. Ideas have already formed while running or in the FreeWriting and I’m anxious to get them down. When I’ve done an hour or two, then I turn to the tasks of publishing and running ALLi or my creative consultancy.

Do you find any of your ALLi members struggle to keep motivated? What would your advice be to an author-publisher to keep on with their writing?

ORNA: Yes, I do. I think one of the problems is that we label “writing” as creative and see the other tasks as more mundane, or worse, something we have to do. I think the key for all authors is to make all the tasks of publishing — particularly the marketing and promotion tasks necessary to reach readers these days — as creative as possible. Every tweet and Facebook update is an opportunity to amplify and reinforce the message you are trying to get across in your book. Too often writers see it as a chore that has to be done. Once you label something a chore, you’re going to resist it.

Every tweet and Facebook update is an opportunity to amplify and reinforce the message you are trying to get across in your book.

Then there are factors like disillusion, exhaustion, lack of self-care, poor management of resources or rights, laziness (physical, intellectual or emotional), overwhelm and unreal expectations. These have defeated writers, or moved them on to creating in new ways, since the first monk picked up the first quill. The need for self-care, good husbandry, energy and enthusiasm, good work habits and a grounding in reality are increased when you add publishing to the creative mix.

I see unrealistic expectations as a big demotivater. There are outliers in the self-publishing and trade-publishing sectors and we hear far too much about them. People forget that the reason their stories are in the newspaper is because they are news… unusual.

The not-so-secret formula for success as a writer is: Learn your craft until you are interesting or entertaining or inspiring enough to win readers. Write an interesting / entertaining / inspiring book. Give it the best description you can muster. Test covers. Show it, and any ancillary work, in whatever ways feel exciting and interesting to you. Reach out to readers. Give your book out for review and commentary while you write some more good interesting / entertaining / inspiring books. Get your pricing right. Then do it again. And again and again, and as you go, get better at writing, better at producing fine books, better at reaching readers.

You’ve said that you believe now is the best time to be an author-writer. Please explain why.

ORNA: For every reason, not least because higher education over the past 30 or 40 years has created more literate societies — there are more readers now than ever before. And of course the new technologies have made it possible to reach those readers in innovative and exciting ways — a potential we’re only beginning to tap. Writing and publishing was a very elitist activity; now it is open to anyone who is literate. I’m very excited by platforms like Wattpad that have millions of readers and writers, most of them under 25. This bodes very well for the future of writing and reading.

I’m very excited by platforms like Wattpad.com, that have millions of readers and writers, most of them under 25.

The more we can let go of how we used to do things and the more permission we can give ourselves to forge our own particular pathway to our particular band of readers the better. That pathway can now be completely expressive of who we are as individuals, and be delivered in different formats: long form, short form, audio, video… The form we choose to deliver our words can be as expressive, and creative, as the words themselves. This is my challenge as a writer and publisher in 2015 and I believe it’s one that every author, and particularly those are attracted to author-publishing, should be thinking about now.

Orna’s latest project Outside the Box: Women Writing Women, is a box set co-written with six other independent authors. Available for pre-order, the books will publish on the 20th of February 2015.