After having the chance to
participate in an indie author panel titled "Putting the We, in Indie" over at Go Indie Now’s YouTube channel last Friday, I think it’s a great time to talk about this topic. As an indie
author, I’m aware of the wonderful things within the community just as much as I’m
clear that not every apple in the barrel is spic and span.
Indie authors have a mixed up
sort of reputation and it all goes down to the very nature of how we do things.
Since we do it on our dime and under our own rules, there’s ups and downs and
some perceptions that are a challenge to overcome, because although some people rock, others suck BIG TIME.
Being indie can mean a lot of
things and I’m very fortunate to have a variety of indie author friends in a degree of
levels in their career. Some are fully independent, others struggle to pay
bills, and many juggle jobs and responsibilities jumping through hundreds of
hoops if only to get a few minutes of doing what they truly love (oh how I can relate). I’m working on
my fifth year as an indie author and for me it certainly doesn’t get any easier
or hasn’t gotten so for X or Y reason. This might be perception or might be new challenges that keep popping up. The good news is that the more people
read me, the more people seem to genuinely like my work and find something completely
new in the variety of work I do. Some people might say I’m a jack of all
trades, but a lot of people like to see what new ways I’ll pivot with my next
work while gently harassing me to finish the third book in my Human Cycle
series as well as other projects.
Throughout all these years I’ve
gotten to know some high caliber writers who share aspects of my vision while
embedding their journey with their full creative criteria. That said, although
I know these people, they have my love, respect, and support, because I know
them as authors, as humans, and as creators and they go for it. Some of my
favorite books are by indie authors and I’m not saying that just because I’m an
indie author or these are my friends. Some of the most powerful poetry I’ve ever read comes from
authors who have less than 10 reviews on their work when they should be
discussed in widespread fashion because their work is of that caliber and can
have that much of an impact on readers and large chunks of audiences.
But it’s not all rosy, it’s not
all nice, and some people, truly, intensely, and genuinely suck.
The variety of reasons why people
suck vary as much as the people you come across. For some, the level of
bragging and being overly obnoxious would be bad enough, but then they harass
you to read, buy, review, nonstop… as in NON-STOP. Every opportunity is exploited
to talk about THEIR writing and what THEY are doing and THEM. It’s real smooth
too because they ask about you once in a while and then comes the avalanche of self-promo.
For these people, it’s all about quid pro quo, I give and you give something
back. They don’t care about your work or if it’s any good, or if there’s a typo
you could fix. It’s all a setup to get back to what matters, THEM.
To add insult to injury, there
are SEVERAL practices by indie authors that leave a bad taste in the mouth and let us remember, I'm not only a writer, I'm a reader. One
of these practices is buying followers/reviews/likes, etc. How have I noticed, you may be
asking yourself? Well for starters, some people come off as disingenuous and
then you see they’re on some top list. They offer to exchange reviews so you
see the amount of reviews, sales numbers, feel a disconnect, can even be bummed that you don't have that level of "success" and go, what the
hell, let me read a couple of pages…. And then you do… and it becomes clear how
much of a scam it is.
I know indie writers who can go head
to head with some of today’s best-selling authors. Honestly. Their work is that
good and I often recommend it. I know some who are pretty good but could use a
little editing, but offer something fresh and different. I know some who are
middle of the road and don’t do a disservice to the community by writing but
don’t really add new things to it either. Then I know some who I slowly and
systematically unfollow on as many channels as their behavior calls for and who
are not only a disservice to the community, but a downright insult to all things indie, and I’m
not exaggerating.
The hardest thing to swallow
about people like this is that by finding other people who will play the copy
paste fake review game and bolster their numbers, indie authors get a bad rep
because what they put out in regards to literature, promotion, and overall community
is in my opinion, utter garbage and unfortunately, people love to generalize.
But I’m here to say it’s not all
trash. Actually, I would scream it but I don't want to seem desperate. It might also be a reaction to that oily sensation from dealing with people like the ones I mentioned. Sure I know some people think going indie is a cop out and some think we can’t
cut it with the big boys who get their work published anywhere. But maybe some
indies had bad experiences and were taken advantage of by a small or mid publishing company. Or maybe it’s just that
having someone suggest we edit something to appeal to the market can quite
honestly suck it. The reality is that there are some amazingly talented people
I know who write from the heart and go for it with every book. Some are decent,
some are good, some are fantastic, and all deserve a shot, because they support
other people, because it’s not all about them, because it shows that they care
and that they’re not passing receipts for any support they offer.
As an indie author, I take a lot
of pride in my work and I bust my ass so that every single book is worth your
time and offers something you won’t easily find elsewhere, because it covers
topics that aren’t typical, because it pushes and challenges an audience rather
than pander or belittle them. I write a variety of topics and I strive every
day to craft things that express aspects of who and how I am, be it in poetry,
essay, short story, novel, song, or blog post form. I am proud of what I do and
how I do it and I am always happy to help and support others, but not because I’m
supposed to do it. Any support I offer comes as a direct result of believing in the worth of other people’s real
work, which holds pieces of their heart and soul and deserve to be read by as many people as possible.
But it's not an easy sell because people still associate those bad things with indie authors. What’s saddest is that people
ONLY associate this with indie authors, when in fact, ANY creator in any field
can be a hack but know how to promote themselves. Not only that, but being published or picked up by a big house means absolutely nothing, because I've read some AWFUL things that went through all the channels and the process and quite frankly still sucks all the balls. The reality for indie authors is that we each walk our own path and
it is ours to walk as we best think it’s worth walking, while inviting the
people we want on the way.
This means that I won’t be exchanging review for
review with everybody I read. This means I will always review honestly. This
also means I’ll support the people I believe in. There’s a lot of them and
there’s always room for more. The rule is simple, push yourself, don’t push others to support,
offer something new and polish it, and don’t be an asshole.
If it sounds simple, it's because it is. And even so, it needed to be said.
Peace, love, and maki rolls
