What are the perks to being an Indie Author?
It is true that the word “independent” can conjure up a few things in one’s head. Independent can mean take-charge kinda free spirits that choose to travel their own path. Independent can mean someone or something that stands alone. Independent can also mean one that balks the usual and takes charge of how things are done.
All these aspects relate to an Indie author or publisher, but I think the most important aspect of why someone chooses to follow the route of Indie is the perks it offers.
Writers create works that they labor over; in fact most authors would say their manuscripts are like their children. Like children, we authors are connected to our work and know that we know what’s best for it. Becoming an Independent self-published author means you have the opportunity to raise your work yourself.
But we also know that our ‘children’ will need guidance and instruction that we might not be qualified for, that’s where editors, readers, and proofreaders come in. Like sending our ‘children’ to school, we send our works to those that know best how to create a well-adjusted storyline. We then look at the work proudly as our books perform their best attributes for our readers.
The perk of being Indie means that you get to decide what stays, what goes, which characters get a chance to speak, and how a storyline works out. This isn’t always possible following the traditional publishing route.
Another perk is the ability to meet so many amazing other individuals in a book infused world. As an Indie author your job also entails sales, marketing, public relations, and all-around getting the word out. The individuals I have met who are authors, book bloggers, or just believers in my work have been fantastic and I might not have met them without being Indie.
But I think the biggest perk is when you hold your book in your hand taken out of the box. You look down at your cover art, your name on the front, and open to the pages feeling a thrill that is unmeasured. The hard work you have to put into all aspects of being an Indie author means that your hard work gives you a book you can be proud of and a piece of immortality in this vast world of publishing. Where that book goes and where it can take you is not just a perk, but a privilege.
Lorena Bathey
Indie Writer and Publisher
Growing up in the Bay Area of Northern California, Lorena Bathey attended St. Mary’s College in Moragagraduating with a degree in English. Then she traveled, learned about life, and developed great fodder for a book. Losing her mother to cancer and her own marriage’s demise brought her to find herself. She wrote Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother (www.amazon.com) and found speaking and empowering others was her passion.
Lorena Bathey found after writing her first book that characters were visiting her mind and wouldn’t leave. She was introduced to Marissa, Andrea, Lily, Deidre and Beatrice and her first novel, Beatrice Munson, came to life. After finishing that book she was inspired to write more novels and she knew that pursuing her passion was the best way to live her life. So a writer she became.
After meeting the love of her life, they embarked on the thrilling life to follow their dreams bringing their families along for the ride. Today Lorena has nine novels in her writing queue all with screenplays in the works.
But writing isn’t the only muse that inspires Lorena. She has become a passionate photographer and likes to push the envelope taking shots while learning how to navigate Photoshop. Travel, walking, enjoying new restaurants, and Italy are other loves and things she makes sure she has time for.
Find her at Lorena@LorenaBBooks.com or at www.LorenaBBooks.com
www.facebook.com/lmbathey and at www.twitter.com/lorenabbooks
Kelly, thanks for the opportunity to share on your blog!
Good post! And so true – you get to make the choices and decide where your voice leads you:)
Great guest post. So many authors are going the indie route and I really like that. I came across this author on goodreads and liked the sound of her first book. It received good reviews too! I plan to read it soon.