Description:
If you don't go traditional, you're probably an indie author.
While indie has become 1000% more accessible than it was even just 10 years ago, it's not without its downsides.
The fact that it's easy to hit publish on Amazon now does not mean you're going to rake in the big bucks a day or a month later.
Listen
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, Episode 169.
I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell. Grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing!
Debunking Publishing Myths: Indie Success
Today we're on to the second in our publishing myths series, this one on why going indie does not guarantee success. This is the follow-up to our first publishing myth that going traditional means you'll be successful.
No Guaranteed Success in Publishing Paths
To start, please remember that neither publishing path guarantees success.
The Ease of Self-Publishing and Its Pitfalls
While self-publishing has yawned wide open for authors over the last decade and it's easier than ever to be an indie author now, that ease has also created a false sense of confidence that, just because it's easy to publish, now it's easy to be a successful author.
And that, my friends, is not true.
It has never been true.
Challenges of Oversaturation and Marketing
The increased access to self-publishing has solved one problem, which is actually being published, but introduced another problem, which is oversaturation and authors remaining inexperienced in business and marketing.
Now, this is not a marketing podcast, but it bears talking about because of the misconception mostly among new, indie authors that if you write a book and slap it onto Amazon, that Amazon will show it to people and you'll become a bestseller without doing any work. Unfortunately, most books that are published on Amazon never sell a single copy, because indies are, in general, not good at marketing.
Treating Writing as a Business
Across the board, indies don't treat writing as a business, and that's exactly what we should be doing if we want to be successful authors. Any author's success, whether you're traditional or indie, depends on marketing. There is no such thing as a successful book that isn't marketed in some way, shape, or form.
Quality Assurance in Indie Publishing
Let's go back to indies in particular.
The increased access to indie publishing is evident in the overwhelming number of new books and new authors published every single day, with the downside that because it's easy, there is practically no quality assurance. That's not to say every indie book is of terrible quality (there are plenty of terrible quality traditionally published books), but rather that many indies don't invest in the professional services (especially editors and cover design), and not investing in those things can make for a bad reading experience.
I'm sure we've all picked up a book we saw on TikTok or Instagram that turned out to have a lot of problems, and that colored our view of the author.
The Importance of Professional Editing
Now, I want to be very, very clear that I'm not saying your book is terrible if you don't get it professionally edited.
That's not what I'm saying at all.
What I am saying is that books which are not professionally edited are at risk of not engaging readers enough to support a healthy read-through rate that is at the core of being successful as an author.
Investing in Quality
But I get it. Indie can be expensive. There are certainly ways to DIY things, but there are also things that, if you DIY them, will hurt your chances of success.
My personal opinion is that writers should avoid publishing with zero financial investment, because quality + quantity is what creates long-term success, not quantity alone. We should also be invested in writing quality books, and for most authors, that takes time. And that can be frustrating especially if you're a slow writer like me.
The Value of Collaboration
It's been said that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.
Whether that's together with a trusted editor, or a killer cover artist, or an accountability group like ours, indie publishing is not 100% independent, and it really shouldn't be.
The acknowledgments section in your end matter isn't there to be blank, it's there to acknowledge the absolute village it takes to get a good book into the hands of readers who will stay with you through every launch.
The Reality of Success in Publishing
No matter which path you choose, indie or traditional (or somewhere in between), remember that there is no such thing as free success.
We have to invest our time, effort, energy, and yes, money, into our books. Being an author is no different from being any other kind of entrepreneur, but I feel like we've been sold the lie that it is different.
Adapting to a Changing Industry
The publishing industry nowadays changes so fast that we all have to be on our toes, ready to adapt and shift, but also stay true to one of our core values as authors... which is to tell good stories.
Conclusion
That's it for today's episode! Thanks for joining me, and remember, the first draft is supposed to be garbage.
Show Notes
Dive into the first episode of the Novel Writing Podcast with your host Colleen and her sometimes-guest Halie Fewkes Damewood! Here, we give you the gist of who we are, what we do, and what you can expect from this podcast.
What to do next…
Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:
Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell
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