As an indie author, I am often asked how one gets a book published. Some authors prefer the traditionally published route, while others—like myself—take a different road.
On these pages, I will share what I’ve learned, what I’m learning, the highs and lows of my journey, and resources to make your journey easier.
Taking our cue from the Sound of Music, let’s start at the very beginning.
Why be an Indie Author?
INDIE IS NO LONGER A BAD WORD IN PUBLISHING
Once upon a time, indie books were regarded as subpar. The quality was often low, and the books were filled with typos and grammatical mistakes. Thankfully, those days are gone. Sure, some indie authors rush to get their work out and skip the editing process, but most authors work with Beta readers, ARC teams, and editors to craft the best possible versions of their stories. They work hard at producing a book that rivals those put out by the major publishing companies, and readers have taken note.
As an indie author, you can write the book you want. Book publishers are in the business of making money, and while that’s not a bad thing—after all, when we write a book, we hope to turn a profit—it does dictate what books get published. If Mafia Romances are trending, and your book is a Western, it probably won’t get picked up. Not because it’s not good, but because it doesn’t meet the current criteria for their acquisitions. When you’re an indie author, the only gatekeeper is the reading community.
Your final product reflects your voice. You are in control of your manuscript. It’s your story, told your way.
You have the advantage of releasing your book when you’re ready. Many major publishing houses schedule book releases two to three years in advance. With a projected twelve books in the Michelle Kilpatrick Mystery series, I didn’t want to wait that long before getting started.
And when you buy an indie book, you truly make the author’s day. We read our reviews, we check our book sales, and we read the comments posted on our social media sites. Our books are like our children. We care deeply about them and hope you do too. Writing is hard work. It is solitary work, and it is easy to doubt yourself, but when a reader tells us they like our books, the doubts fade away. To paraphrase the line from It’s a Wonderful Life, “Every time you leave a good review, an author knows their writing rings true.”
