I’ve been an indie author for close to a decade now, and throughout that time, I’ve often heard people say, “Oh, if only you could get a publisher to pick up your work.” Every time I hear it, I wince.
I really enjoyed reading this. I've been an indie author since about 2016 and I've probably only recently started to fully embrace that. I've been fortunate enough to have experience as a writer of scripts were they've been selected to be produced (mainly theatre, sketches with BBC or short film) which I've loved but a lot of the stuff I write or produce I do independently. I would still, I think, like the experience of being traditionally published or having an agent but I find the querying process like screaming into the void and a process that takes me away from writing. I also think being an indie author allows us to take control of being a writer rather than waiting for permission for one of the gatekeepers to allow you through and "legitimise" your writing. We can write on our own terms, publish it and the move onto the next project. As an indie author, you don't need to wait for someone to call you an author, you get to call yourself that. I also really enjoy designing book covers for my projects and would love to find indie artists for future projects. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to find readers with any of my indie books and do the marketing process right but I guess that will come.
A really great piece here, very thoughtful and encouraging. You've definitely helped me move closer to wearing the moniker of indie author as a badge of honour.
My husband is an indie author as well. He and I do prefer it for the reasons you have said, but we struggled very hard to find a market. He has 6 books out in 2 series but we have a hard time selling books and getting found by readers or having follow through - we will sell books in person at a show but not see a pump later online to indicate follow through on purchases. It's very frustrating.
So we've been lately looking at perhaps trying to be hybrid - he has been writing short stories to submit to anthologies to 1) gain some exposure through the anthology sales, hoping that if folks like the story he wrote they will look him up for what else he's written and 2) because we don't know what is wrong with his stories but as, you said, as a indie author, we cannot afford to have a big name, expensive editor going over the titles.
But its one thing to sell short stories; my husband doesn't mind that. But when it comes to his series, he likes the control of being indie, like you said!
Stephanie Osborn is an indie author and an editor for other folks and has reasonable prices. I do covers and formatting ebooks/paperback books for her, as I do that, as well as writing myself. WriterDojo podcast is a good resource to learn things, as is Mad Genius Club blog. Marketing? Look for Kindlepreneur blog or their channel on youtube. The resources are out there and word of mouth makes a big difference in finding good resources that aren't a scam. I guess I need to do a substack with all the resources that I know/have gathered over time. (And if you can't find the things I've mentioned then DM me here on Substack and I'll get you links.
I really enjoyed reading this. I've been an indie author since about 2016 and I've probably only recently started to fully embrace that. I've been fortunate enough to have experience as a writer of scripts were they've been selected to be produced (mainly theatre, sketches with BBC or short film) which I've loved but a lot of the stuff I write or produce I do independently. I would still, I think, like the experience of being traditionally published or having an agent but I find the querying process like screaming into the void and a process that takes me away from writing. I also think being an indie author allows us to take control of being a writer rather than waiting for permission for one of the gatekeepers to allow you through and "legitimise" your writing. We can write on our own terms, publish it and the move onto the next project. As an indie author, you don't need to wait for someone to call you an author, you get to call yourself that. I also really enjoy designing book covers for my projects and would love to find indie artists for future projects. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to find readers with any of my indie books and do the marketing process right but I guess that will come.
A really great piece here, very thoughtful and encouraging. You've definitely helped me move closer to wearing the moniker of indie author as a badge of honour.
My husband is an indie author as well. He and I do prefer it for the reasons you have said, but we struggled very hard to find a market. He has 6 books out in 2 series but we have a hard time selling books and getting found by readers or having follow through - we will sell books in person at a show but not see a pump later online to indicate follow through on purchases. It's very frustrating.
So we've been lately looking at perhaps trying to be hybrid - he has been writing short stories to submit to anthologies to 1) gain some exposure through the anthology sales, hoping that if folks like the story he wrote they will look him up for what else he's written and 2) because we don't know what is wrong with his stories but as, you said, as a indie author, we cannot afford to have a big name, expensive editor going over the titles.
But its one thing to sell short stories; my husband doesn't mind that. But when it comes to his series, he likes the control of being indie, like you said!
Check out the resources section on the Epic indie website https://www.epicindie.net/author-resources
Stephanie Osborn is an indie author and an editor for other folks and has reasonable prices. I do covers and formatting ebooks/paperback books for her, as I do that, as well as writing myself. WriterDojo podcast is a good resource to learn things, as is Mad Genius Club blog. Marketing? Look for Kindlepreneur blog or their channel on youtube. The resources are out there and word of mouth makes a big difference in finding good resources that aren't a scam. I guess I need to do a substack with all the resources that I know/have gathered over time. (And if you can't find the things I've mentioned then DM me here on Substack and I'll get you links.