Indie? You’re joking! How could you!
I was thinking today (I do that sometimes) what would have happened if I had never ever taken up the offer of publication in 2008, when YWO.com set up their print publishing scheme for new writers.
Taking advice from the indie faerie!
1. I’d never have met so many wonderful people all across the globe.
2. I’d never have become e-literate.
3. I’d never have had my own website.
4. Or my own booktrailer.
5. Or a blog that I love writing.
6. I’d never have had ideas for new books because the impetus wouldn’t have been as strong.
7. I’d never have been encouraged and motivated to write more.
What would have happened is that I would still be trying to submit to an industry that is growing smaller and less interesting whilst all around me a new machine would be picking up speed and disappearing into the distance leaving me choking in the dust of its success. I’d have received confidence knocks: like the Australian agent who was impressed with my initial POD success and who then rudely bollocked me for daring to think outside the square, for going down the independent road. In short she attacked me and ridiculed me, saying in the same breath that maybe we could re-write the books and she might be able to sell me on.
Goodness, I thought. Would I want to tie myself to such a termagant? And for what? To pay her 15% of whatever I earned after the publishers had taken their cut?
No. Absolutely not.
I went my own way.
Firstly in print but then earlier this year, down the e-road. And what an amazing race that has been!
I started with a modest one or two sales in a week, mostly friends and contacts who had e-readers. Then I moved to the Three a Week club, thinking how wonderful it must be to be like those on the Kindleboards Forum who belonged to the One a Day club. Then slowly things began to escalate. Not mindblowingly, but enough to make me believe I might just have found a small niche in a very big field. That I may actually have found readers who liked what I wrote.
My figures this week have been amazing! Not by Amanda Hocking’s or Mark William’s and Saffi Desforges’s standards. But I have surpassed my own expectations. Which as I approach launch day for A Thousand Glass Flowers is reassuring.
What do I gain by belonging to the e-club?
Happiness mostly. Maybe self-belief. Joy at being able to tell someone a story that takes them out of their existence.
Being able to tell someone a story!
But the thought that 70% of my hard-earned money is coming to me (35% for the old titles) has its own measure of warmth as well. And in case you are wondering just how much I am making, let me say that once I could only by loo paper with what I earned. Now I can buy tissues as well!
NB: all illustrations used by me from children’s books here on this post and in past posts come from a most delicious site on Facebook called Fairy Tales… hours of delightful pics from the world’s greatest illustrators.
yay for indies! otherwise, i wouldn’t have found you!
Me too vvb. I’ve read many indies this year and thoroughly enjoyed every single one without exception. And thank you for your vote too!
Excellent article! I agree with all of it.
Catherine, have you found that your reading now has a freshness to it?
I was beginning to find that books coming from mainstream houses were formulaic. Indies have nothing to lose and push the boundaries of their genres and it’s been so enlightening for a reader.
As a writer, the same things apply. I’m no longer bound by the restrictions of a publisher’s perception of marketability. In short, the writing world is my oyster!
Prue, that bottom image is just adorable! Where is it from? I do miss my art out in Africa.
I’m afraid we’re several zeros out of Amanda Hocking’s league, but nice to be mentioned in the same para!
One, five and seven are the biggies for me. But especially seven. Knowing that, if we put the effort in, our next work will at least be published and be available, is the greatest gift of the digital revolution.
Sales numbers are important if you aspire to write for a living, but being read, and engaging with readers and fellow writers is far more rewarding.
Mark, as soon as i have written this I shall add a note to the bottom of the post re the illustrations.
All I can say is that your zeros are still pretty fantastic.
Like you, I love the time factor of indie publishing. I turn sixty this year and when I was going through the old school submission process, my life literally ran by me me like water from a dripping tap; water that I could never get back. I chafed at what I wanted to achieve. Now I have that option, the only restriction is my own energy.
Being read is my personal bottom line… a writer writes to be read… its the founding philosophy of my craft.
Welcome to the indie revolution! I’ve been publishing with ebooks (as well as pbooks) for a little over a year now and it’s been fantastic. The hard part is marketing and promotion, but with social networking and a little creativity, it’s possible to reach a wide niche and have fun with it. Good luck!
James hi! Welcome to mesmered. I’m a newbie to e-books (7 months) but am 3 years old with the print thing. Marketing and promotion swallows a lot of time, but when I look back its how I’ve met THE best people, folk I want to engage with regularly and for whom I write this blog as well as my books. Thanks so much for the welcome and please visit and comment often.
My own measure for internet success is that instead of buying my socks and underwear at K-Mart I can now buy them at Target (only US readers will get it, I fear). You can talk about “Art” all you want, but when somebody halfway around the world puts down money for your work sight unseen, you know you’re doing something right.
And no wonder. You’re one of the lights of the indie publishing revolution. Every one of your readers will have the pleasure of following the work of someone they’ve made their own without the decisions of some faceless publishing empire. That’s real success.
Pat… if I hadn’t gone indie way back when, I would never have met you, we’d never have struck up that creative partnership, we’d never have had the ‘virtual’ Masked Ball, we’d never have sent a book to a movie star and had a reply back… so many exciting things!
Your comment ‘ but when someone halfway round the world puts down money for your work sight unseen (well, they get a bit of a sample!), you know you’re doing something right’ … I actually hadn’t thought that. It’s such a rewarding thought. Also brings me right back to my comment to Mark about a writer writing to be read.
It is a really great feeling, isn’t it?
It is indeed, Victrix!