Posted free PDFs on Reddit's r/nosurf Friday: - 5,300 views in 3 days - #12 post of the day - Main criticism: "AI slop instantly detectable" - Best response: detailed breakdown of everything I did wrong
The feedback boiled down to: I skipped community building, went straight to Amazon, no beta readers, no early supporters. Published first, looked for audience second. Classic backwards approach.
One commenter said: "Find a community, become respected member FIRST, share progress during writing, collaborate with peers at your level, THEN launch when 50-100 people are waiting."
I did the opposite of every point.
For those who've successfully launched indie content/products (especially critical of tech systems): what's the actual path in 2024?
Substack + email list first? Reddit/forum engagement for months before launch? Something else?
Not looking for promotion—genuinely trying to understand if this is salvageable or expensive education for the next project.
Writing is a hard business. If you aren't willing to write the first five books just for yourself why bother? Selling 5000 copies is a bar very few books meet.