Want More Time to Write? Go Indie

I’m busily editing away this week, so have invited another indie author to guest post for you guys. Actually it’s a pair of indie authors writing together as M.H. Mead. They’ve just released their science-fiction novel Taking the Highway and are here to argue that self-publishing means you have more time to write. Here’s what they have to say:

Want More Time to Write? Go Indie

by Margaret Yang and Harry R. Campion

We’re always surprised when indie superstars like Amanda Hocking take a traditional publishing deal, claiming it’s because they want to spend more time writing. Here’s the dirty little secret. Publishing with a big company does not give you more time to write, and in many ways, it steals writing time from you. Forget, for a moment, the dollars and cents questions. Looking at it only from a days and hours perspective, indie publishing is a better deal.

What makes us qualified to say this? We’ve been on both sides of the publishing fence, having published short stories both traditionally and indie. We also used to have a high-powered agent, one of the best in the business. He was on the verge of selling our first novel to traditional publishing when we pulled the book and decided to go indie instead.

So let’s examine the ways that traditional publishing does and does not give you more time to write.

Day-to-day writing

Indie publishing easily wins this one. A big publisher releases books on their schedule, not yours, which means you have to do things like finish edits and proofread galleys when your publisher wants you to. Also, agents think nothing of calling during productive working days. Or they send emails that must be answered right away (while you spend three days waiting for a response to a single question).

We also need to talk about stress. Studies have shown that the jobs with the most stress are the ones where the workers have the least power and the most responsibility. Publishing houses will change your book any way they want and publish it on their schedule (no power), yet put your name on it (most responsibility). Also, writers are solitary creatures. Inviting editors and agents into our working life is hard, even when things are going well. When things are going badly, it’s a nightmare. One memorable week, we reached such an impasse with our agent that Harry couldn’t sleep and Margaret couldn’t eat. Not a healthy way to live. Sure, our agent was a bad fit for us, but even the best agent is going to cause you stress at some point. Remember: time spent freaking out is time spent not writing.

Interpreting royalty statements

Those publishing traditionally should be prepared for long, fruitless hours trying to interpret royalty statements from big publishers. An indie writer spends hardly any time at all reading her easily-understandable statements from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the other the other indie distributors.

Help with Publicity

You’d think, with all that infrastructure behind them, that the big publishers would win this one. Unless you are a household name, not so much. New writers still do all of their own publicity, and yet, they have to seek permission from their publisher for every bit of publicity they do. Publishers get snippy if you arrange book signings without consulting them. They have, in many cases, paid for author tours and/or better placement in stores. They don’t want you stepping on their superstars’ toes. Even blog tours can become problematic if the publisher is trying to get book blogger attention for other authors in their stables. Indie authors don’t have this problem. They can contact anyone they wish, at any time. The worst that can happen is that the blogger or bookseller says no.

Editing

This one is a wash. Big publishers edit for you, but again, on their own schedule. And it’s not as if freelance editors are hard to find, so indie authors can get the same services, usually more quickly, or at least more conveniently. It’s not unusual to wait months for galley proofs from a big publisher, and then have your editor say “I need these back in a week.” One friend of ours canceled his family vacation because galleys came that same week and needed to be sent back in a matter of days. To say no to the publisher was unthinkable, as it could have “bumped” the book back a year or more. An indie author would have finished the proofreading before vacation, or waited until she got back.

Distribution/Uploading to sales channels

Big publishers win this one. A traditionally-published author will never have to touch source files or deal with sales outlets. But how much time will you save? If you do it yourself, it takes about half an hour to set up accounts. After that, uploading each new book takes maybe five minutes.

Formatting

This one goes to the publishers, too. Indies can hire this job out, but if you decide to do it yourself, it will cost you quite a bit of time. However, even if you let your publisher do the formatting for you, you have to double check to make sure your ebooks are the same quality as your paper books.

Cover Art

A traditional publisher can save you time here, too. If you do it yourself, you will have to either hire and instruct a designer, or make your own cover. However, if your publisher makes your cover for you, you will have watch them to make sure they don’t whitewash or plagiarize your covers. You may spend as much time looking over your publisher’s shoulder as you would doing things yourself.

For us, the conclusion is clear. Being an indie author is a much more efficient use of our writing time. The time we spend in formatting and making covers is more than made up for with a more streamlined schedule and less stress. We are writing more than we ever did under a traditional system, and we’re happier too. Do you want more time to write? Maybe you should be going indie, too.

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If you want to hear more from Margaret and Harry, check out their site or catch them on Facebook. You can find their latest book, Taking the Highway, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. You can also try their Riding Fourth for free at Amazon and Smashwords.

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Tips for Dealing with Bad Book Reviews (have any to add?)
How to Streamline Daily Tasks to Make More Time for Writing by ReGi McClain