Getting closer to readers in independent publishing
In many ways, writers have never had more choice. They can choose to go down the traditional route, the self-publishing route, or a combination of the two. They can publish their work in e-book format, print format or simply put it online on a forum, blog or other site for people to read. They have their pick of genres and styles.
And, perhaps in even more ways, readers have even more choice than writers. Not only do they get to choose from all of these publishing options and platforms to access and read creative work, but they also get to choose which authors they want to read.
This relates to one of the key aspects of the writing life; the relationship between writer and reader. It has always been an important element of the industry, which writers needing to engage readers and keep them interested in order to have a successful writing career, but arguably this relationship is now more important than ever. More and more books are being published, readers have more choice, and writers need to do everything they can to hold onto the people who read their books.
In a lot of ways, I think independent publishing can help to bring writers closer to their readers. Without the need to respond to the requirements of a publisher, independent authors can respond directly to readers. They can write what they want, and they can market their work to readers how they want.
Of course, plenty of traditionally published authors have excellent relationships with their readers, but the creative control given to authors in independent publishing means that indie writers are perhaps better able to respond and adapt to what readers want.
It is by no means an easy feat to get and hold a reader’s attention, no matter how you decide to go about publishing your work. However you decide to do it, the reader-author relationship has a lot to do with luck as well as effort. Still, anything that helps to bring the two closer together can be seen as a positive thing, and independent publishing is one good way for many authors to build on that relationship.
