Should I pay for a mastermind group?

Not until you are making money. The free information in 20BooksTo50k or r/selfpublish is better than 90% of paid courses. Only pay for a mastermind if you need high-level access to specific mentors.

What about local writing groups?

They are great for social sanity, but often bad for business advice. Traditional publishing advice (“query agents”) often dominates local groups and is irrelevant to indie authors. META_DESCRIPTION: Stop wasting time in dead-end support groups. Here are the 3 online communities where successful indie authors actually hang out in 2026.

The Best Online Author Communities in 2026 (And How to Join)

Arielle Phoenix

July 14, 2025 self-publishing

Frequently Asked Questions