Indie author- telling how it is-- 20 Tips

As some of you know I'm kinda obsessed with IABB confessions on Thursdays... I comment a lot on them... 
However, the past few weeks there has been a lot of comments about 'book sales' and how much indie authors make...etc....
From the consensus on those posts some of them are lucky to hit $20 a month in sales. 
I'm not sure if that's the norm or not for indie authors.... If it is-- It's depressing... 
Lots of people make confessions about what's the 'average'? 

Here's 20 things you need to know as an Indie
(I'm no expert but here's my thoughts and tips.) 

1. There is NO average sales for authors. Unless it's an average for ourselves... We go through slumps.... some authors may only sell 5 books in a month- while some, like me, average 8-10 a day on a very slow day... 
2. Being an author isn't just about money. If you're in it for that- You better hang it up. You do it because you need to. It's an outlet. If you think it's get-rich-quick, then I suggest you move on. 
3. Covers MATTER! 
4. Editing Matters! 
5. REVIEWS Matter! 
6. Excessive Adverbs are the DEVIL. 
7. Repetitive Words- Are the devil! 
8. Starting every sentence with He, She, I, -- Is the Devil! 
9. Ending every quote with - he said, she said, he comment, she commented-- etc... Is the DEVIL! -- Give your reader credit- they can decipher who is saying what. You don't always have to tell them. 
10. Stick to a Tense and POV that you're MOST comfortable with writing-- First person (present or past)- Third person (present or past) -- etc... Once you have that set then play with it some. But master that first. Then try your hand at something else... (I write in first person present tense- with sections in past tense.)
11. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money- Invest in yourself-- Promotional companies, websites, etc... it's not cheap, but trial an error is worth every penny. 
12. DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS- You can't do that! No writer writes the same. No author writes the same story. 
13. Take your reviews and try to use them as a learning tool. Check for the repetitive notes- ex- " Book would have been better if edited again"- (if you read that in 10 reviews- then maybe you need to have it edited again.) -- Listen to your readers they are telling you something- Whether it be good or bad. 
14. Research is your friend. 
15. Don't publish just to publish- publish when it's your best work- when you know it's ready- Whether that be 5 months or 10 months or 2 years- you'll know when it's time to ABANDON your book and set it out in the world. 
16. Proofreaders and Editors ARE NOT always the same thing... make sure you know what you're paying for. 
17. Go with your GUT! If someone says they hate something in the book, but you love it- Keep it... But take their wisdom into consideration- (I've done this many times and bettered my books 10x's over because of their help.) 
18. IT'S NOT ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE'S PROGRESS AND SPEED IN PUBLISHING- IT'S ABOUT YOURS. Focus on YOU and your accomplishments... Your improvements. NOT Everyone elses... 
19. There is no 1 right way to write a book. Some outline, some don't. Some write the meat and add filler later- some don't. Some edit as they go- some don't.... Do what makes you comfortable--- and whatever gets the words to the page... You can't edit something that isn't even there... 
20... #1 Thing-- REMEMBER: EVERYONE has to start somewhere. 1 word, 1 sentence, 1 paragraph, 1 page, 1 chapter.... etc... Do it.... move forward... 
Keep your head up! 
Write! 
Be yourself! 
Own it! 
Kick some fucking ass! 

Peace! 
---Bink Cummings