I am an Indie Author (or Self-Pub, depending on who you speak to).
(Whew! Glad I got that off my chest!)
Over the course of this journey - okay, journey may be an overstatement for 3 months - I've learned a lot of things. I've learned there is soooo much more to becoming an author than simply writing a book. Hell, looking back, that may have been the easiest part of all.
It took me about a month to figure out what putting my book on the market would really entail, and then go about doing it. I had to choose a publisher, design the interior and exterior of the book, choose where I would offer an eBook and format it in a way that would look good on an eReader, and determine how I wanted the book to be distributed. But all that was just making the book available - amongst the millions already available.
This is where being an Indie really weighed me down - public relations and marketing - all those wonderful things a group of people can help you do with traditional publishing. But luckily, there's GoodReads and Shelfari, and so many wonderful book bloggers that are willing to review your book. And who can forget the bloggers who take a tremendous amount of time and effort putting together a book blog tour for you! I'm so excited The {Teen} Book Scene is willing to take my Indie book Ordained on tour this August!
Along the way, I spotted some great Indies in nearby canoes who were paddling upriver next to me. Of those, a few of us have joined together to share the new blog Dark Horse Books for Indies. Here, Rebecca, Constance and I are going to spotlight Indie Authors. We'll review, host interviews and offer giveaways. We know there are some really great books out there written by Indies and we're determined to find them for you. So come by and check us out!
