We are always willing to help out authors to get their work out there. Although there have been instances in the past when some independent authors muddied the self-published category because of bad behavior and unedited work, we do not judge a whole industry for a few people's actions. We have personally read a number of self-published gems and some of them we've reviewed with high ratings.
Today we invited independent author S.C. Barrus to share his reasons for choosing independence.
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Over the last few months, as I finished writing my steampunk adventure novel Discovering Aberration, I found myself forced to make an important decision choice. Did I want to shop around for agents and pursue traditional publishing route or take on all the responsibilities, challenges and rewards of pushing headlong into independent publishing.
Both come with their own unique set of pros and cons. Trad publishing is a long time accepted route offering the backing of a major corporation, while staying independant offers complete hands on control but is paired with the risks a corporation would take on for me.
I’ve always been an indie at heart. Even so, these two sides waged war within my mind. When the ashes settled, it simply came down to the fact that I wanted firsthand knowledge of everything that goes behind publishing a successful novel. Not just the writing of it, but the whole process.
But with this decision came a vow I made to myself: my novel would be held to the same high standards as a traditionally published work in every regard.
I began to dive into the strange publishing world, tasking myself with learning everything I needed to know. I was submerged into a torrent of information, forced to reconcile with a thousand different viewpoints on hundreds of topics. Gargantuan is the best word for the task I had laid out for myself.
So much goes into making a professional quality novel, it can make your head spin. Cover design, print and electronic formatting, line editing, copy editing, content editing, not to mention finding your audience, raising funds, and finishing the book.
Indie Publishing is all about taking control of your project and treating it the way it deserves. Many self published authors have given this method a bad reputation by simply throwing their work out there without polish of any kind. Maybe they are daunted by all the work, maybe they just don’t know any better, and maybe they just don’t care.
But it really doesn’t need to be as difficult as it all sounds. Just because you’re in control doesn’t mean you need to go it alone.
The cool thing about diving into the indie community of writers, editors and designers is you’ll find thousands who are so willing to support you without ever asking for anything in return. The more time you spend with these awesome people, the more you realize how to take this all in stride. It may be a lot of work, but there are writers out there like Mathew Matther, Hugh Howey, and many more who have done it all and shared their knowledge with the world.
Focus on the things you’re great at, build a team of people around you who can do the rest, and reach out to your fans for support. Oh, and believe that with a lot of work and a little luck, it will all come together.
About S.C. Barrus
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