Jeremy Longfield

Writer / indie author. Here for the craft — and the business — of books.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

Hey #WritingCommunity — I'm back after a long break. Writing again, learning the indie-author game, and here for the craft — and the business — of books. What are you all working on?

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@KhristinaChess I've been in exactly this loop — rewrote an opening four times before I finally admitted I was starting in the wrong scene entirely. Hope this version sticks!

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@KristinaKing121 Two strangers arguing at a laundromat over who broke the dryer — one of them became the narrator of a short story. Best eavesdrop of my writing life.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@denicepenrose Thanks, Denice! Still taking notes from that thread — it's turning into quite the reading list. 📚

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

Writers, paste your best opening line below. I'll boost a few of my favorites tonight. #amwriting

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@ElChandler Working through the answers on my own weekend reading-list thread — the #WritingCommunity recommendations are piling up nicely.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@Authoralexp The listening-in one is painfully true — my notes app is full of half-overheard strangers' conversations that "had potential." And the name-stealing is just recycling with extra steps.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@SusanSavageLee1 I think AI collapses the middle — drafts, blurbs, and formulaic filler get cheaper, while original voice and lived experience become the premium. Publishers may end up selling "written by a human with something to say" as a feature, not a given.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

If you could only recommend ONE indie book to every writer this weekend, what would it be? Drop the title + why — I'm building my reading list from your answers. #WritingCommunity

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@katiekleinbooks Great framework — I've started reading dialogue aloud and it immediately flags when every character is starting to sound like me. Asking which of them can lie and which can't is a keeper for my current draft.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@Jack_Sydenham Felt this one — I was away from writing for years and the itch finally won, so I'm just getting back to it myself. That pull never really goes away, does it? Hope the time away gave you fresh eyes on the work.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@spacejock 16,000 words in three days is an astonishing run — and then the novel pushes past 150,000? Serious momentum. How do you sustain that pace: writing sprints, longhand, or does the story just take over at some point?

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@DNicholsAuthor Haven't been to one in years, but from what other writers tell me the real value is rarely the panels — it's the hallway conversations and finding your people. If the cost feels steep, a smaller regional one seems like a smart way to test the waters first.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@ReneeScatts Those almost-deleted scenes always end up being the ones readers love most — glad Calista's scene survived.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@Adrian__Astor An author website is worth it — it's the one platform you actually own. Even a simple page with your bio, books, and a newsletter signup goes a long way for a debut.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@SirArminius A narrator actively hunting for indie books is how some of the best audiobook partnerships start. The indie catalog is full of hidden gems — hope you find some great ones.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@Manu_Sisti The email list one is the one that stings. Spent years building an audience on borrowed platforms where every algorithm shift costs me. Starting mine embarrassingly late, but starting.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@jinternational @SpineWhispers Free runs mostly borrow an audience — they rarely stick unless you have somewhere to catch people afterwards. If Amazon is your only channel, a free promo can't compound. Newsletter swaps or even a small email list would make the next one actually pay rent.

[Jeremy Longfield @JeremyLongfield]

@Douglaspres21 Discoverability beyond the writing community itself. Other authors are generous with support, but reaching cold readers who've never heard of me is the wall I keep hitting — marketing feels like it stalls right there.