7 ways independent publishing gives authors more control
Control. It’s something that we all like to have over our writing, and one of the great things about independent publishing is that it gives you fantastic amounts of control. Of course, we can’t control everything – you can never be certain how many copies your book will sell or the reviews it will get, for example – but in many other ways, it gives us tools and freedom that we might not otherwise have. Here are seven ways independent publishing gives authors more control over their work.
Write what you want
If you go indie, there’ll be no one telling you what you ought to be writing. You get to write what you want, rather than having to worry about fitting someone else’s specifications.
Write when you want
You can also write when you want. So, if you want to write and publish three books in a year, you can. And if you want to spend three years on each book, that’s OK too.
Write as much or as little as you want
You also get control over how long your writing is. You’re no doubt aware that even though traditionally published books vary dramatically in length, there are still general rules about how long certain genres tend to be. That goes out of the window with independent publishing; write something that’s as long or as short as you want.
Control your pricing
Independent publishing also gives you more control over how much your books cost and, when it’s only you involved in the publishing process, you get to keep more of the profits.
Market how you want
Taking control of your marketing can seem daunting at first, but it’s actually really rewarding and satisfying. You can decide how much or how little you want to market your work, and decide how you’re going to go about it.
Find your own system
Perhaps one of the most important ways in which independent publishing gives authors control is that it allows us to develop our own systems of working. If you want to do everything by yourself from start to finish, great. If you want to hire people to help you with certain aspects of the process, that’s also great. Developing your own model of working can help you to be more productive and really take ownership of your writing, so it’s certainly a big reason to consider indie publishing.
It doesn’t rule anything out
Finally, independent publishing doesn’t rule anything out. You’re not tied into any contracts to write more books, so if you decide to just do it the one time, that’s OK. Equally, it doesn’t have to rule out the possibility of trying to traditionally publish your work in the future if that’s what you want. That’s the beauty of it. You get to decide.
