Writers’ Independence Day. It happened at a conference. I was there to present a workshop called The Art of Agent Stalking. Nothing Independent Publishing about it. Traditional Pub all the way. I had been watching the Indie movement but as a curious onlooker. Nothing more.
Before I Reached the Conference Hotel my Attitude Began to Change. The airport shuttle van was packed with authors talking about Indie Publishing. Some wanted to know more. Some were thinking of making the leap. Some had leapt and shared their experiences.
Those Stories Captured my Attention. I was most impressed by the enthusiasm. I had been an editor/agent/published author/workshop presenter for many years. I had never heard published authors – beyond the first euphoric blush of their careers – so positively excited about publishing. By the time we reached the conference hotel I understood why.
These Authors had Retrieved their Writer Selfhood. They were no longer controlled and manipulated by others. They owned their work. They owned their decision-making. They owned their careers. And they not only felt empowered – they were overjoyed.
At that Conference I also Learned about the Downside of Indie Life. I learned that along with total control of your publishing life comes total responsibility for it. The buck stops with the Indie author and often the other kind of buck – the green one – doesn’t stop with her anywhere often enough. This was the truth of choosing a Writers’ Independence Day.
That Point about Money Must be Emphasized. 2011 to 2015 or so was the golden age of Indie Pub. Big careers and fortunes were made. The results of undertaking an Indie career since then have mostly been less than fabulous. An Indie Pubbed author must work very hard and be very savvy if she hopes to make a living at it. Here is some of what she/you must do.
Produce a First Class Story. Create a showstopper. Make it the very best storytelling you have in you. Then run it past fresh eyes – fresh and talented eyes. Which means you need a strong editor who will see the flaws you have inevitably missed. Which brings me to…
Put Together a First Class Team. Hire that first-class editor I mentioned. Do not try to mastermind your words alone. Then a good cover and book designer. Next an expert at publishing platform placement. These folks usually perform uploading etc. to the platform(s) as well. Do these operations yourself ONLY if you have topnotch skills. IMO it takes a Team.
Construct a First Class Post-Pub Plan. Start gathering your mailing list the day you are born. Adopt an online presence by puberty. These are only slight exaggerations. The internet is the highway via which you reach and grow your readership. School yourself in everything social media. Find an Indie marketing success story and follow her example. Mine is Kayelle Allen.
Back to Me and the Conference Hotel. By the time I took the van back to the airport I had made a decision. I longed to be fully in charge of my own work life. I had that experience as a literary agent. I wanted it as an author also. One Indie memoir (below) and five Indie novels later I occasionally question my publishing choice. Usually when the money issue arises.
I Don’t Make as Many Green Bucks as in my Traditional Pub Years. I probably never will. Still I am content with what I do and how free I am to go about doing it. I might change my mind. I am free to do so. But – for me for now – I celebrate my Writers’ Independence Day.
Alice Orr Says – You Possess Storytelling Magic. Keep on Writing Whatever May Occur. https://www.aliceorrbooks.com.
Ask Alice Your Crucial Questions. What are you most eager to know – in your writing work and in your writer’s life? Ask your question in the Comments section at the end of this post.
Alice Orr has published 14 novels, 3 novellas and a memoir so far. She wrote her nonfiction book No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript that Sells as a gift to the writers’ community she loves. Her Indie Pubbed novel – A Year of Summer Shadows – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2 – is available HERE.
Praise for A Year of Summer Shadows: “Alice keeps you wanting to read faster, then when you finish the last page, you want more.” “Orr’s characters come alive on the page.” “A Year of Summer Shadows has moved up to one of my favorite books.”
All of Alice’s Books are HERE.
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