Polly Iyer's Blog - Posts Tagged "dislikes"
Loves and Hates of Being an Indie Author
I asked a few of my indie friends what they like most about being an indie writer. Then I asked them what they liked least. I agree with everything said.
ELLIS VIDLER www.amazon.com/author/ellisvidler
Most: Control
Least: Lack of respect
CARMEN DeSOUSA – www.amazon.com/carmendesousa/e/B006PW...
Most: Control: That I can write what I want, when I want...
Least: I don't ALWAYS want to be in control: All the work falls on me. There's no one to keep me on track, telling me when my next book should be ready, or if my new book totally sucks.
EM KAPLAN - http://www.amazon.com/author/emkaplan
Most: Creative freedom! I have final say on the cover, the plot, the characters, the blurb, the release date...even the genre.
Least: The marketing learning curve. Yikes. So much to learn. So much trial and error.
MARILYNN LAREW - http://www.amazon.com/Marilynn-Larew/...
Most: Control of my product. (Plus not having to query anymore)
Least: Having to do all the marketing to get few sales, even if I were traditionally published. So would the heavy lifting in marketing. One of the reasons I went indie.
AARON PAUL LAZAR www.amazon.com/Aaron-Paul-Lazar/e/B00...
Most: It’s a rush to choose my own titles, cover art, and marketing strategies, then list my titles on Amazon Select so they are eligible for Kindle Unlimited.
Least: So far, there's no downside, Polly. I'll let you know if anything crops up!
SUSAN SCHREYER - http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Schreyer/...
Most: The lack of pressure to break out of mid-list territory. I may never earn big bucks, or even a living wage, but I’m not pushed forward by someone else's bottom line. Freedom to create, enjoy my family, and my life without added stress.
Least: The uncertainty and responsibility for finding my own way, without guidelines. The indie revolution has spawned a cottage industry of businesses whose aim is to take advantage of indie writers with promises of success, if you will just pay them enormous amounts of money.
KERRY DONOVAN - http://www.amazon.com/Kerry-J-Donovan...
Most: Freedom to write whatever and whenever takes my fancy. Retaining a huge portion of my royalty cheque. Complete control over my work
Least: Having to do everything from cover design to promotion - but it's a small price to pay for freedom. I'd love to have a PA. Nothing else
LAURIE BORIS - http://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Boris/e/...
Most: Having control over what and how I publish and how I promote it. It’s empowering to have the flexibility to respond to the market, choose opportunities, and make changes as needed.
Least? Exactly the same thing! The flexibility and control comes at a price: I have to put in the work and pony up the marketing budget. If everything goes south, that’s on me, too.
T.J. SHORTT - http://www.amazon.com/TJ-Shortt/e/B01...
Most: Control and freedom over every aspect of my writing career. I select, choose my cover art or book launch dates or how many books I’m ‘allowed’ to write or release in a year.
Least: Marketing. Indie authors have to be prepared to market and advertise your work because regardless of how good you are, if no one knows your work exists - then no one is reading it.
JINX SCHWARTZ http://amzn.to/QpYtAR
Most: Freedom! I write what I want, when I want. I am free to give away my books to introduce readers to my series, and have made many new friends on Facebook
Least: All that freedom. To be successful as an indie, you have to really work at it, and stay focused. While I push myself to produce a book a year, I am easily distracted by social media.
DAVID WIND http://amzn.to/15Pec64
Most: The ability to write what moves me, to write in any genre I feel confident about, and not be limited by a publisher’s need to keep an author set in the genre they need to have filled.
Least? The time it takes for PR; Social Media, Marketing, and Advertising. Finding the best editor and cover illustrator, etc. The biggest downside is the time spent not writing!
JACKIE WEGER - http://www.amazon.com/Jackie-Weger/e/...
Most: I make all decisions about my books from covers to editors, to formatting and promotion. Networking with other indie authors is a magnificent learning experience.
Least: Three things disturb me. 1. The indie author who balks at learning our industry, gathers misinformation and spreads it as if it’s the golden rule. 2. The author who owns a sense of entitlement to reviews and sales. 3. The unsavory promoters who hype an easy road to success.
FLORENCE OSMUND – http://www.amazon.com/author/florence...
Most: The control I have over everything—content, timing, pricing, title and covers—just about everything involved in publishing a book.
Least: That’s easy—the marketing. To succeed as an author, I spend half my time marketing my books or myself.
EILEEN HAMER - www.amazon.com/Eileen-Hamer/e/B0169VI...
Most: The freedom from being told what to write and when, from possibly being saddled with an unsympathetic editor, from working to someone else's timetable.
Least: Not having that supportive relationship with a really good agent and/or a great editor. Not having someone else worry about covers and publicity. And of course, not making much money.
GEOFFREY MEHL - https://www.facebook.com/Geoffrey-Meh...
Most: I can incorporate my publication skills: photography, editing, design, website development and book production management, as well as explore evolving technologies.
Least: Fragmentation of the market has to be the single greatest obstacle to all writers. As indies continues to gain acceptance, the flood of new work overwhelms market value and smothers recognition opportunities. This challenge faces both traditional and indie and is not likely to dissipate anytime soon.
JULIE FRAYN - http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Frayn/e/B...
Most: Total control and ownership over everything. I can play with pricing, offer my books for free, re-cover, re-name, re-anything I want. The next best thing is the community: like-minded authors who help each other and readers who contact me to tell me what my book meant to them.
Least: Marketing and promo! The time it takes to find the best sites with the highest return on investment, and the cost that often isn't recouped. They’re outshone by the good stuff.
JUDITH MEHL - http://www.amazon.com/Judith-Mehl/e/B...
Best: I have no deadlines. It allows the creative juices to flow.
Least: I have no deadlines. Nothing to shut off the creative juices and force the writing.
RICH MEYER www.amazon.com/Rich-Meyer/e/B004HV1GTM/-
Most: The hours, the water-skiing, and the adulation of the crowd. And that I am the final arbiter of what I do and produce.
Least: The stigma associated with the "indie" label, because of a lack of due diligence by new writers, and "real" publishers seeing indies as nothing more than a revenue stream to be fished at the WRONG end with outlandish, PublishAmerica-esque "opportunities".
SARAH MALLERY - http://amzn.to/1r3GUsZ
Most: Seeing how many books have been sold, downloaded, or pages read. Changing keywords, book covers, etc. whenever I want. Finally, getting royalty deposits on time without waiting.
Least: Having to constantly promote, but my former publisher did very little of that, so I don't feel a big difference! Also, getting into libraries and big bookstores has been slow in coming.
CINDY BLACKBURN - www.amazon.com/Cindy-Blackburn/e/B009...
Most: Indie means truly self-employed. I don't play well with others. :)
Least: I like to think this is changing, but indie still carries a stigma that I'm not a "real" author. Although I'm happy to report that my fans don't seem to worry about this distinction.
MARY D. BROOKS - http://www.amazon.com/Mary-D.-Brooks/...
Most: The freedom. I've been published my small press publishers before and it makes a huge difference in how I approach my work. I have complete control.
Least: Marketing drives me batty. It's a necessary evil and one every author should master. Suck it up, learn all you can and just do it.
SHARON WOODS HOPKINS - http://www.amazon.com/Sharon-Woods-Ho...
Most: The freedom of my own schedule, the artistic control I have over book design, and pricing my books for promotions.
Least: Not having my print books as available to all outlets as trad published authors.
BILL HOPKINS - http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Hopkins/e/...
Most: I can set my own publication schedule and my own promotion schemes.
Least: I haven’t run into any “like leasts” yet.
BRONWYN ELSMORE - http://www.amazon.com/Bronwyn-Elsmore...
Most: The freedom to make my own choices and follow my own feelings about my stories.
Least: All the work that comes after the writing is over. “I’m a writer, not a business person,” I wail constantly as I have to deal with the details of publishing, marketing and selling.
WENDY DELANEY - http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Delaney/e...
Most: The control. Now that I’m my own boss after having been traditionally published, I find that I’m really enjoying it!
Least: The “boss” is more of a taskmaster than I thought she’d be. That’s okay though. It means the next book will come out that much faster.
DV BERKHOM - http://www.amazon.com/D.V.-Berkom/e/B...
Most: I love making my own deadlines, having final say over my covers, better royalties, and success is 95% on me. I can take advantage of new opportunities when they come along. But I REALLY enjoy the support and friendship of the indie community.
Least: The ever-lingering stigma of going it alone, although it does push me to prove the naysayers wrong :-) Happily, that stigma seems to be slowly eroding as more authors are actually making a living doing what they love.
EFFROSYNI MOSCHOUDI - http://www.amazon.com/author/effrosyni
Most: The freedom and flexibility involved, from the cover and blurb, to the editor and launch time. Plus I can make changes to the published book as often as I wish.
Least: The huge amount of marketing. It takes a lot of time to read online and learn new approaches and tips. I just wish I had more free time to write books.
LESLIE ANN SARTOR - http://www.amazon.com/L.A.-Sartor/e/B...
Most: I love that I can write my story my way. And in my time frame.
Least: I dislike the fact that there is a lingering sense that indie writers are respected less than traditionally published writers. I get so frustrated at having to explain why I chose this route.
MICHELE DRIER - http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e...
Most: I write and publish at my own schedule and have total control of the look, read and feel of my books. And, oh, the money! I net between $2 and $5 depending on format.
Least: The constant marketing and promotion. I spend at least half my time on social media, library appearances, book festivals and group readings.
R.P. DAHLKE - www.amazon.com/RP-Dahlke/e/B004S2NJFO
Most: The freedom to write what I want when I want with no pressure to produce for a publisher--I'm my own pressure pusher!
Least: I don't think there's anything I don't like. I can find everything I need to provide a professional looking book from author groups and I can promote when and where I want to and not have to share the proceeds with a publisher who probably wouldn't do anything for me anyway.
DIANA HURWITZ - www.amazon.com/Diana-Hurwitz/e/B002BO...
Most: I love the creativity, to envision a final product and see it brought to life by your own hand.
Least: Self-promotion. I prefer to make the widget and let someone else deal with marketing it!
ELLIS VIDLER www.amazon.com/author/ellisvidler
Most: Control
Least: Lack of respect
CARMEN DeSOUSA – www.amazon.com/carmendesousa/e/B006PW...
Most: Control: That I can write what I want, when I want...
Least: I don't ALWAYS want to be in control: All the work falls on me. There's no one to keep me on track, telling me when my next book should be ready, or if my new book totally sucks.
EM KAPLAN - http://www.amazon.com/author/emkaplan
Most: Creative freedom! I have final say on the cover, the plot, the characters, the blurb, the release date...even the genre.
Least: The marketing learning curve. Yikes. So much to learn. So much trial and error.
MARILYNN LAREW - http://www.amazon.com/Marilynn-Larew/...
Most: Control of my product. (Plus not having to query anymore)
Least: Having to do all the marketing to get few sales, even if I were traditionally published. So would the heavy lifting in marketing. One of the reasons I went indie.
AARON PAUL LAZAR www.amazon.com/Aaron-Paul-Lazar/e/B00...
Most: It’s a rush to choose my own titles, cover art, and marketing strategies, then list my titles on Amazon Select so they are eligible for Kindle Unlimited.
Least: So far, there's no downside, Polly. I'll let you know if anything crops up!
SUSAN SCHREYER - http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Schreyer/...
Most: The lack of pressure to break out of mid-list territory. I may never earn big bucks, or even a living wage, but I’m not pushed forward by someone else's bottom line. Freedom to create, enjoy my family, and my life without added stress.
Least: The uncertainty and responsibility for finding my own way, without guidelines. The indie revolution has spawned a cottage industry of businesses whose aim is to take advantage of indie writers with promises of success, if you will just pay them enormous amounts of money.
KERRY DONOVAN - http://www.amazon.com/Kerry-J-Donovan...
Most: Freedom to write whatever and whenever takes my fancy. Retaining a huge portion of my royalty cheque. Complete control over my work
Least: Having to do everything from cover design to promotion - but it's a small price to pay for freedom. I'd love to have a PA. Nothing else
LAURIE BORIS - http://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Boris/e/...
Most: Having control over what and how I publish and how I promote it. It’s empowering to have the flexibility to respond to the market, choose opportunities, and make changes as needed.
Least? Exactly the same thing! The flexibility and control comes at a price: I have to put in the work and pony up the marketing budget. If everything goes south, that’s on me, too.
T.J. SHORTT - http://www.amazon.com/TJ-Shortt/e/B01...
Most: Control and freedom over every aspect of my writing career. I select, choose my cover art or book launch dates or how many books I’m ‘allowed’ to write or release in a year.
Least: Marketing. Indie authors have to be prepared to market and advertise your work because regardless of how good you are, if no one knows your work exists - then no one is reading it.
JINX SCHWARTZ http://amzn.to/QpYtAR
Most: Freedom! I write what I want, when I want. I am free to give away my books to introduce readers to my series, and have made many new friends on Facebook
Least: All that freedom. To be successful as an indie, you have to really work at it, and stay focused. While I push myself to produce a book a year, I am easily distracted by social media.
DAVID WIND http://amzn.to/15Pec64
Most: The ability to write what moves me, to write in any genre I feel confident about, and not be limited by a publisher’s need to keep an author set in the genre they need to have filled.
Least? The time it takes for PR; Social Media, Marketing, and Advertising. Finding the best editor and cover illustrator, etc. The biggest downside is the time spent not writing!
JACKIE WEGER - http://www.amazon.com/Jackie-Weger/e/...
Most: I make all decisions about my books from covers to editors, to formatting and promotion. Networking with other indie authors is a magnificent learning experience.
Least: Three things disturb me. 1. The indie author who balks at learning our industry, gathers misinformation and spreads it as if it’s the golden rule. 2. The author who owns a sense of entitlement to reviews and sales. 3. The unsavory promoters who hype an easy road to success.
FLORENCE OSMUND – http://www.amazon.com/author/florence...
Most: The control I have over everything—content, timing, pricing, title and covers—just about everything involved in publishing a book.
Least: That’s easy—the marketing. To succeed as an author, I spend half my time marketing my books or myself.
EILEEN HAMER - www.amazon.com/Eileen-Hamer/e/B0169VI...
Most: The freedom from being told what to write and when, from possibly being saddled with an unsympathetic editor, from working to someone else's timetable.
Least: Not having that supportive relationship with a really good agent and/or a great editor. Not having someone else worry about covers and publicity. And of course, not making much money.
GEOFFREY MEHL - https://www.facebook.com/Geoffrey-Meh...
Most: I can incorporate my publication skills: photography, editing, design, website development and book production management, as well as explore evolving technologies.
Least: Fragmentation of the market has to be the single greatest obstacle to all writers. As indies continues to gain acceptance, the flood of new work overwhelms market value and smothers recognition opportunities. This challenge faces both traditional and indie and is not likely to dissipate anytime soon.
JULIE FRAYN - http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Frayn/e/B...
Most: Total control and ownership over everything. I can play with pricing, offer my books for free, re-cover, re-name, re-anything I want. The next best thing is the community: like-minded authors who help each other and readers who contact me to tell me what my book meant to them.
Least: Marketing and promo! The time it takes to find the best sites with the highest return on investment, and the cost that often isn't recouped. They’re outshone by the good stuff.
JUDITH MEHL - http://www.amazon.com/Judith-Mehl/e/B...
Best: I have no deadlines. It allows the creative juices to flow.
Least: I have no deadlines. Nothing to shut off the creative juices and force the writing.
RICH MEYER www.amazon.com/Rich-Meyer/e/B004HV1GTM/-
Most: The hours, the water-skiing, and the adulation of the crowd. And that I am the final arbiter of what I do and produce.
Least: The stigma associated with the "indie" label, because of a lack of due diligence by new writers, and "real" publishers seeing indies as nothing more than a revenue stream to be fished at the WRONG end with outlandish, PublishAmerica-esque "opportunities".
SARAH MALLERY - http://amzn.to/1r3GUsZ
Most: Seeing how many books have been sold, downloaded, or pages read. Changing keywords, book covers, etc. whenever I want. Finally, getting royalty deposits on time without waiting.
Least: Having to constantly promote, but my former publisher did very little of that, so I don't feel a big difference! Also, getting into libraries and big bookstores has been slow in coming.
CINDY BLACKBURN - www.amazon.com/Cindy-Blackburn/e/B009...
Most: Indie means truly self-employed. I don't play well with others. :)
Least: I like to think this is changing, but indie still carries a stigma that I'm not a "real" author. Although I'm happy to report that my fans don't seem to worry about this distinction.
MARY D. BROOKS - http://www.amazon.com/Mary-D.-Brooks/...
Most: The freedom. I've been published my small press publishers before and it makes a huge difference in how I approach my work. I have complete control.
Least: Marketing drives me batty. It's a necessary evil and one every author should master. Suck it up, learn all you can and just do it.
SHARON WOODS HOPKINS - http://www.amazon.com/Sharon-Woods-Ho...
Most: The freedom of my own schedule, the artistic control I have over book design, and pricing my books for promotions.
Least: Not having my print books as available to all outlets as trad published authors.
BILL HOPKINS - http://www.amazon.com/Bill-Hopkins/e/...
Most: I can set my own publication schedule and my own promotion schemes.
Least: I haven’t run into any “like leasts” yet.
BRONWYN ELSMORE - http://www.amazon.com/Bronwyn-Elsmore...
Most: The freedom to make my own choices and follow my own feelings about my stories.
Least: All the work that comes after the writing is over. “I’m a writer, not a business person,” I wail constantly as I have to deal with the details of publishing, marketing and selling.
WENDY DELANEY - http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Delaney/e...
Most: The control. Now that I’m my own boss after having been traditionally published, I find that I’m really enjoying it!
Least: The “boss” is more of a taskmaster than I thought she’d be. That’s okay though. It means the next book will come out that much faster.
DV BERKHOM - http://www.amazon.com/D.V.-Berkom/e/B...
Most: I love making my own deadlines, having final say over my covers, better royalties, and success is 95% on me. I can take advantage of new opportunities when they come along. But I REALLY enjoy the support and friendship of the indie community.
Least: The ever-lingering stigma of going it alone, although it does push me to prove the naysayers wrong :-) Happily, that stigma seems to be slowly eroding as more authors are actually making a living doing what they love.
EFFROSYNI MOSCHOUDI - http://www.amazon.com/author/effrosyni
Most: The freedom and flexibility involved, from the cover and blurb, to the editor and launch time. Plus I can make changes to the published book as often as I wish.
Least: The huge amount of marketing. It takes a lot of time to read online and learn new approaches and tips. I just wish I had more free time to write books.
LESLIE ANN SARTOR - http://www.amazon.com/L.A.-Sartor/e/B...
Most: I love that I can write my story my way. And in my time frame.
Least: I dislike the fact that there is a lingering sense that indie writers are respected less than traditionally published writers. I get so frustrated at having to explain why I chose this route.
MICHELE DRIER - http://www.amazon.com/Michele-Drier/e...
Most: I write and publish at my own schedule and have total control of the look, read and feel of my books. And, oh, the money! I net between $2 and $5 depending on format.
Least: The constant marketing and promotion. I spend at least half my time on social media, library appearances, book festivals and group readings.
R.P. DAHLKE - www.amazon.com/RP-Dahlke/e/B004S2NJFO
Most: The freedom to write what I want when I want with no pressure to produce for a publisher--I'm my own pressure pusher!
Least: I don't think there's anything I don't like. I can find everything I need to provide a professional looking book from author groups and I can promote when and where I want to and not have to share the proceeds with a publisher who probably wouldn't do anything for me anyway.
DIANA HURWITZ - www.amazon.com/Diana-Hurwitz/e/B002BO...
Most: I love the creativity, to envision a final product and see it brought to life by your own hand.
Least: Self-promotion. I prefer to make the widget and let someone else deal with marketing it!
