The growth of Indie or Independent writers has increased dramatically over the years. There are different companies that will help the “Indie” author publish his or her work. The main difference between these companies is fees. Some have different packages for publishing with different fees, and others allow the author to publish digital books for free, and then retain a percentage of the sales as royalties. With technology, comes new ways to publish and “sell” the book. This also allows the author to set “free” prices on their work. There are different reasons why someone would want to “sell” their work for zero dollars.
Indie authors have many reasons for wanting to be the Independent writer. Indie authors also have gained more publicity, professionalism, and authority with writing, rather than past reputations as being a poor writer. There are Indie authors who lack the writing skills or just lack the editing skills for their work. This does not reference a few grammatical mistakes, after all even the best writers get a typo now and then, and sometimes those are overlooked.
Being an independent writer also gives some control over the process, and for those that like the control of his or her work (I am one of them), it works. Writing is a gift that cannot be explained and any natural writer will tell you, that it is necessary to write, and tell their story. The story is whatever is put on paper.
Being an Indie writer may not make someone rich and famous, and there can be other out-of-pocket expenses that not everyone can afford, but it’s the writing and sharing with others. Indie writers also have been a close knit community, especially with the growth of social media. Indie authors should also set their own social media accounts, as well as a website. Some sites allow for free websites and have great templates.
As an author of the three books through POD publishing (through America Star Books formerly PublishAmerica), as well as an Indie Author (through Amazon, CreateSpace) of over 70 books, I have done a lot of research into what works for me as an Indie Author. I love to write, and then I share my stories. I also use Lulu.com and Smashwords for some of my books. It depends on my book and how I want it to be released. It gives me the independence that I need, and I also create my own covers. I am always looking for ways to improve my writing, and what I wrote ten years ago (that’s when my first book, “Unwritten Life” was published), is not as good as what I wrote yesterday. My first book has been released with three different printings and covers to make it more presenatable and professional. I even got my BA in English this past August (and I’m over 40) to make my writing better.
Indie writing makes the writer independent, but the professional indie writer should do the research to make sure their work is presentable for other’s to view. Just a few tips that I have learned over the years, and one important thing is to edit. Edit well. If the writer can’t edit his or her own work, find someone who can. If the writer does edit his or her own work, edit and read it in different formats. I personally read and edit the work in the word processing document, then convert it to mobi and read it on my Kindle, as I can see more mistakes and errors that way. I also “listen” to the book either on the kindle or on my computer, as I have it read to me. The author reading the book out loud also helps. This may seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it is worth it in the end. No one wants a review that critiques all of the errors and typos in the book.
Oh, I also write reviews, especially for Indie Authors. As reviews are very important for the Indie author, well, for any author. If you’re an indie author, you should seek out reviews. I do that when I can. Not all readers of your work will leave a review. And if you get a bad review, as ALL writers do, don’t take it to heart, and learn from it, if you can.
Amy Shannon
Writer. Author. Reviewer. Blogger
http://writeramyshannon.wix.com/amyshannonblog
Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews: http://writeramyshannon.wix.com/bookshelfreviews