I joined this tour on a whim, thinking it would be an easy post, a bit of publicity and a chance to support fellow writers. What I didn't realize was the amount of soul searching it would require to get the job done. To be honest, I had never planned to be an Indie Author.
Writing does not come easily to me. I stress over each word, each sentence, each paragraph and when I think I might have it perfect, I usually end up deleting and starting all over again. It's a painful process but in the end I have something created for me, by me that I am happy to share with the world. Being an Indie Author gives me the opportunity to maintain the integrity of my writing without having to succumb to publisher norms, market trends or writing styles that don't work for me.
To be honest, this wasn't the path I intended to take. Like every hopeful writer starting out, I created my opus and sent it out to agents and publishers thinking I had an immediate best seller on my hands. Of course, that wasn't true. Oh, it was good - but it wasn't what anyone was looking for. It didn't "fit" their piece of the marketing puzzle.
With a lot of encouragement, I blindly set out on my own, self published and put my heart and soul on display for the world to see. Not having a clue about publicity, or how to go about advertising with elegance, I joined Indie writing groups on social media networks, hooked up with other self-published authors, read everything I could find and am now starting to actually sell books outside of my small social circle in the world.
Indie Authors provide a unique brand of enthusiasm for their work. They are approachable, giving, helpful and work hard for all their achievements. Contrary to popular belief, they simply don't zip off a quick story and publish to Kindle. They take their time, pass their books through editors, beta readers and their own critical eye. They hire cover designers and attend courses for marketing, social media and promotion. It's hard work, but worth every moment when a reader says, "I loved your book. When is the next one coming out."
Even more rewarding is when someone says, "Wow, your writing has improved. The first book was good, but the second was simply amazing."
There are some really good authors out there, easily visible, mixing with traditionally published writers. Put them side by side and you can't tell the difference unless you go looking for the publisher.
Listed below are the other participants in the "Why Indies Rock Blog Tour". Writers, reviewers, bloggers - stop by and see what they have to say.
November 1st- Tamara Beard
November 4th- Lori Parker
November 5th- Jennifer Bogart
November 6th- Coral Russel
November 7th- Supagurl
November 8th- Jo Michaels
November 9th- Tammy-Louise Wilkins
November 10th- Matt Gannon
November 11th- Brianna Lee
November 12th- Katie Shelby
November 13th- L. Leander
November 14th- Cynthia Hill
November 15th- Mandy Anderson
November 16th- Jamie Loeak
November 17th- Amy Miles
November 18th-Karly Blakemore-Mowle
November 19th- Steph Brentson
November 20th- Annie Walls
November 21st- Becky Elizabeth Searson
November 22nd- Ivana
November 23rd- Jamie Cross
November 25th- Jennifer
November 26th- Ren Reidy
November 27th- Delphina Miyares
November 28th- Nikki
November 29th- L.a. Freed
November 30th- Patricia Lynne
December 1st- Mary Smith
December 2nd- Danielle Banister
December 3rd- Janiera Eldridge
December 4th- Caddy Rowland
December 5th- Shanora Williams
December 6th- LM Preston
December 7th- Candy Ann Little
December 8th- Jill Cooper
December 9th- Martina
December 10th- Shelly Pratt
December 11th- Kelley Grealis
December 12th- Michelle Hughes
December 13th- Allison Medina
December 14th- Angela
December 15th- Jennifer Martinez
December 16th- Brandi
December 17th- Kristina Snyder
December 18th- Jolene Perry
December 19th- Stephanie Constante
December 20th- Jessica Gibson
Great post! I, too, did not intend to become indie. But I don't regret a moment of it. Indie authors ROCK! WRITE ON!
ReplyDeleteI had to read this post twice because it was like you took the words right out of my mouth. I don't know about other indie authors, but for me you hit the mark with this post. AWESOME!!!
ReplyDelete