What exactly is an indie author anyway?
“Indie authorship and self-publishing are not quite synonymous
but an independent author will have self-published at least one book.”
It took me the longest time to understand this. I thought the two were the same until I realized that wasn’t the case. An independent author realizes that this isn’t a journey with one path. There’s multiple ways to obtain the same goal (something I’ve been saying since I first self published The Blindfold). There are people we can surround ourselves with who will/can help us – like editors, agents, publicists etc.
Being an indie author does not mean we have to do this alone. It doesn’t mean that we have to forgo agents, editors or publicists. It doesn’t mean that we have to pass on those once-upon dreamed traditional deals.
What it does mean is CHOICE. We have choices now we didn’t have before. Each book is unique and will require it’s own path to travel. For instance – it’s highly doubtful that I would even consider using an outside source to help me with my 2k short stories … it’s not worth it. I write those because I love to. But for a novel – working with my agent is probably going to be a smarter deal.
This is what YOU – the indie author – needs to realize. Each book is unique. You are not married to a certain path. Become a hybrid. Use all venues of publishing to your advantage. It’s okay. It’s not giving in or giving up or anything else that might hurt your pride (being able to say I did it as an indie author – let’s be honest – all indie authors want to say that). Take a step back and look at your writing career as a business. Make smart decisions, not emotional ones.
Good luck!
