I think each writer has their own ideas about how they want to be successful in the publishing world. My particular experience led me to this decision. I spent ten years writing “Daniel’s Garden”, falling in love with the 1800s and historical fiction. I finished it in early 2009 and began hawking it to agents. Months later in October 2010, and very bummed from the pile of rejections, I stumbled across CreateSpace. So, I uploaded my files and put Daniel’s Garden on Amazon.com. When the Kindle’s popularity took off, I also uploaded it to their digital publishing site. It’s been doing really well, I even got it into some New England stores, the feedback from direct readers has been so empowering, and I’ve never looked back!
Indie publishing offers the niche writer, like myself, or any writer who wants to earn high royalty percentages a new world of incredible opportunity. Some writers like cutting out the agent middle man and going directly to readers. Others like overseeing their books from rough draft to finished draft to cover design to marketing. The royalty percentages (35% for CreateSpace paperback and 70% for Kindle) are unheard-of in the traditional publishing world. I also like that I can finish a story and have it published within hours.
There are a couple of disadvantages. The first disadvantage is exposure. It does take more time to build up a readership than having Harper Collins get my stuff into every bookstore in the country. The second disadvantage is reputation. Indie publishing can carry the stigma that the books aren’t that good. But I am passionate about my time period and I’ve put in many hours of work, so I stand by my finished novels and can sleep soundly at night knowing I did my best.
We can become a new kind of author with indie publishing. There are detailed articles about my journey in the Indie Publishing Handbook. Comment on posts and share your own indie publishing journey.
