"Me, Myself, and I" or "Fully Staffed, Indie Style"

I decided to become an independent author when I realized I was a "Type A" personality in a "Type B" industry.

Type A personalities (for those whipper-snappers who were just being born when the phrase was coming of age) are characterized by a "Let's get this done NOW" attitude. Type B folks, however, are markedly more mellow with a "Chill dude. It'll get done" world view. (Don't know which one you are? Take a test here.) Industries embody these traits. Think 'high tech' versus 'government.' Hmm, better make that 'indie' versus 'traditional' publishing.


Okay, so I'm genetically wired to jump into the deep end. I'm not good at waiting for something to happen, like waiting for a response from an agent or publisher. But it takes more than genes or impatience to make an indie. It takes mad skills . . .and I'm not just talking about writing . . . or marketing.

In between the end zone dance of completing your final draft and collecting the cash from your first sale, there is a whole world of publishing skills an indie needs to become an expert in. One reason many people see a difference in quality between an independently published work and a traditionally published one is traditionally published works have teams of people dedicated to bringing a work to life. The team begins with agents who provide feedback and suggestions to tweak your work. Editors run the spectrum from line editors and grammar cops to developmental edits to sharpen characters and plots. All the while, valuable insight is gathered on what resonates with the reader and what doesn't. The manuscript is worked, vetted, and sculpted. Next up are interior designers to format the text and chapters of your books to enhance the overall reading experience. Do you want your chapters numbered? What graphic would look good? How about a do-dad in between POV or scene shifts? What font looks best? What color paper? Along with that are the experts on cover design. Not just front covers, back covers, too. French folds, anyone? Let's see what the designers and production folks say about feasibility on that, right after they run it by the budget guys. What about inside flap content? Do you want images here, too? No worries, photographers and artists will generate some ideas and the team will decide what to use based upon what marketing research says. Oh, right. Let's get some early reviews and begin positioning the book in front of the book's target audience. Great! Ready to go? Just upload your epub, mobi, and correctly sized pdf to your carefully chosen distributor.

You get the idea.

Like any major corporation, the indie can outsource any one of the tasks. Hiring for each step is an expensive proposition but it doesn't eliminate key facts: An indie is CEO of their book. All decisions are the fault (or the triumph) of the CEO.

Image from: http://successorsabotage.com/self-sab..., I am President, Chairperson and CEO. Chief Business Officer. Chief Operating Officer. Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. The Supreme Commander. Queen. Khaleesi.

. . . or simply indie author.