In the last few months I've discovered the endless possibilities of Indie Publishing. There are thousands of writers who have been able to make their work available in eBook format and I'm thrilled to be counted among them. When I started writing fourteen years ago, there was only one path to publication. A writer had to find an agent or editor to advocate for them to a publisher. If the publisher didn't want to take a chance on that writer or book, the writer was out of luck.
I was fortunate in that I found a regional publisher to publisher my first book, but they didn't feel like my next book, Suspicions, was right for their very specific audience, and so declined to publish it. I found this to be extremely demoralizing and it really put a damper on my desire to write.
Then I discovered Indie Publishing. What a revelation! I could write whatever I wanted to write and I could make it available to people as an eBook myself, without getting anyone else's approval. I could control the cover of the book and the price of the book. And then the readers could make a choice of whether or not they wanted to buy it. And they've been buying both books!
Now my desire to write has become like a small flame that has been fed a huge supply of oxygen - it has become a bonfire! No longer do I feel like I'm toiling for hours - and giving up many other activities - just to see my work languish as an unseen file on my computer's hard drive. Now I can polish my work to a sheen and get it out to my readers without needing a third party's permission. What a fantastic feeling!
Another thing I love about Indie Publishing is all the great books I can buy. I'm a reader first and have loved filling my nook color with tons of books. I have a huge TBR pile - and a lot of the books were written by Indie Publishers. The vast majority of Indie Publishers price their books at $2.99 and under (the same price at which my books are priced), so it is easy to take a chance on an unknown writer.
I am excited for my future as a writer. I'm heavily into revisions of my next book and plan to get it to beta readers by the end of March and then out to my readers by summer.
