“You’re fired!”
Donald Trump turned those two simple words into an iconic statement. If my boss fired me today, I’d be in big trouble. Why? Because I’m the boss!
As an Indie author, I’m the person in charge, making all the decisions. I bask in the glory when the decision is right; I admit to my mistake if a decision is wrong. Is being your own boss, running your own publishing business, a huge responsibility? You bet it is! Some days the whole idea is absolutely daunting, especially for a newbie.
But Indie publishing provides author perks, too.
I enjoy the freedom to self-publish any book to which I own exclusive publishing rights. As any author knows, this is huge! No waiting for weeks, or even months, to hear back about submissions. No rejections from editors or agents. No arguing with publishers about plot, theme, setting, characters. My work is my baby, and I am a very protective mother.
Scheduling publications is no longer an issue. Finish the book including beta reading, proofing, and line editing to the point of perfection. I admit usually one or two little things are missed, and they can be easily fixed. But your book should be as grammatically error-free as possible. Create an amazing cover design yourself or hire someone. Then just format your baby (or hire someone) and upload it for sale! Done deal. No waiting for your turn on someone else’s timeline. Write another book, and repeat.
Sounds simple.
When I first considered self-publishing my own work, this newbie was about as technology challenged as they come. In truth, I spent endless hours learning the ins and outs of Indie publishing, but I’ve only scratched the surface. Don’t get me started on the issue of keeping up with the ever-changing industry. My fellow authors in CaRWA (local chapter of Romance Writers of America) helped me immensely, and I would encourage every author to join a writing group. Keep looking until you find a group that ‘fits’. I enrolled in an online formatting course, found a line editor that worked for steak dinners, hired a cover artist who charged a reasonable fee, and jumped into the deep end of the Indie publishing pool. I haven’t looked back since.
Don’t plan on making millions; it probably won’t happen. But with a concerted effort, who knows? The next step is concentrating on marketing and learning as much about promotion as possible, and then putting that knowledge into practice to generate more and more sales. I’m rapidly approaching this part of the process. And of course, writing more books! The secret to Indie publishing is getting lots of good books out there in order to attract readers and keep them coming back for more.
Hey, all successful authors started with that first book, that first sale, that first 5-star review.
Why not me?
Why not you?
