Writer’s Workshop: Indie Publishing Woes for In Search of a Salve

In an age of curated information and toxic positivity, I want to be as honest as possible about my experience as an indie author. After all, everything hasn’t been rainbows and unicorns.

BOOK BLURBS

One of the first things that disappointed me is when I used my six degrees of separation to ask a well-known author to blurb In Search of a Salve. The answer was no. I wasn’t given details, and honestly, I prefer it that way. Not a big deal, I thought. I’ll just move on to the next ask. I was good, until I saw that the author had blurbed a book, which I didn’t think was very good. Months later, I saw the author’s written blessing on another book that I thought was not great. It hurt to see the author cosign others’ books and not mine. And although you shouldn’t, it’s hard not to take these things personally. It’s the kind of thing that causes imposter syndrome to resurface. However, I forced myself to move through this emotion. Ultimately, I received the blurbs that were made just for me. Thank you to Erica Garza, Marnie Ferree, Camille Hayes, and Josh Shea.

INDIE BOOKSTORES

As an indie author, I thought it would be seamless to shelve my book at independent bookstores and to hold events there. I was wrong. All independent bookstores do not support independent authors. Not only can garnering their support be more challenging, but also, some owners are not very kind.

For example, there was the Detroit bookstore owner who said, “If you want to talk about your book, then you should just have a house party with your friends and family. You don’t have to have it at my bookstore.”

A Kalamazoo bookstore owner told me to email him the details of the book reading. Then, he never returned the email. When I followed up, he instructed me to email again. A month later, he replied and said they were booked and that I should’ve contacted him sooner.

A bookstore owner in Charlotte, North Carolina said she doesn’t shelve indie books at all. One requirement for a bookstore owner in Jacksonville, Florida to carry an indie book is that it has to have 100 Amazon reviews, a goal that seems to be nearly impossible.

Thank goodness I didn’t focus on these responses. It opened space for places like 57th Street Books, Tall Tales Bookshop, Chamblin’s Uptown, Medu Bookstore, and Happy Medium Bookstore & Cafe to support my art and me.

PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS

I knew prior to publishing how important it was to attain professional reviews. Therefore, early on, I chose Kirkus. Kirkus has an independent publishing section, which means your book is not rated against traditionally published books. It is a paid review that is respected in the literary community.

When I submitted my $450, I understood the fee was for an honest review, not necessarily a good one. However, I didn’t think the commentary was going to sound a bit judgy and include spoilers. Thankfully, two things helped me not to brood over these results. First, my sister suggested I reach out to the company to see if the review could be revised. I was happy when the answer was yes. I completed their process to request a revision; subsequently, they made a few changes. Next, I submitted to the BookLife prize. Similar to Kirkus, BookLife has an indie section, and in addition to being entered into their contest, you can receive a critic’s review.

Not only was my BookLife review much more pleasant, but I also received an 8.2/10, and Salve was rated #32 in a long list of entries.

I would not be truthful if I said I’m grateful for these experiences. I am not. However, enduring them has reinforced lessons I still needed to learn, like how to move through challenges without taking things personally or agonizing over disappointments when things don’t go my way. And I’ve learned not to dwell on the so-called bad, so I can move through and receive what’s meant for me.

It’s Salve’s one-year anniversary. I’ll be sharing thoughts, impact, and commentary all month!

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