Guest Post: A.F. Stewart

Today's guest post comes from fantasy author, A.F. Stewart, and explores the growing industry of Indie Publishing and the many obstacles it still faces. You can find out more about A.F. Stewart and her latest release, Killers and Demonds, at the end of the blog. Thanks for a great post, A.F. Stewart, and let me be the first to bid you a warm welcome to The World According to Dave.

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Why Indie Publishing Isn't a Dirty Little Secret Anymore

I am an indie author and I'm proud of that fact.

The world of independent publishing is flourishing.  The ease of getting a book or ebook self-published through companies like Lulu.com, CreateSpace, Kindle or Smashwords has pushed indie publishing from the shadows into the spotlight.  More and more writers are going indie and doing it right, with edited manuscripts, artful covers and shrewd marketing ideas.  Some of them, like John Locke and Amanda Hocking are even making the big bucks with their books.

So why do some people treat indie books like second class citizens?  Probably because some of the old attitudes are still prevalent and like many things are slow to change.  Now as the naysayers constantly point out, there are bad, sloppy indie books out there, but with the increasing popularity of free excerpts and previews they are becoming easier to avoid. And more and more, great new writers are using this arena to test out their audience and marketing skills.

As well as being an indie writer I review indie books and I'm reading innovative and creative books, far more than being published by bigger traditional publishers (I mean you can only read so many cookie cutter paranormal thriller/romances/YA before you need something different).  Not all these books work, but at least chances are being taken, new and fresh ideas are being experimented with and explored.

The recent indie sensation, John Locke, calls the term "vanity publishing" in reference to self-published writers "hogwash" and I agree.  The majority of independently published authors are not indulging their vanity, or "cheating" or any other derogatory term I've seen used to describe the industry and its writers.  We work as hard, if not harder, than the mainstream writers.  Maybe some of our books are a bit rough around the edges, but the talent of the indie writers I've read is genuine and worth giving a shot.

 

Author Bio:

A. F. Stewart was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, and still calls it home.  She has always had an overly creative mind, and an active imagination.   She is fond of good books (especially science fiction/fantasy), action movies, and oil painting as a hobby.

Ms. Stewart has been writing for several years, her main focus being in the fantasy genre.  She also has a great interest in history and mythology, often working those themes into her books and stories.  She has authored and published several books, including Killers and Demons, Chronicles of the Undead, Shadows of Poetry, Passing Fancies and Once Upon a Dark and Eerie…

Website:

http://afallon.bravehost.com/

Blogs:

http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com/

http://afstewartpromotion.blogspot.com/

Killers and Demons Book Link:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/59000