Six Great Reasons to Consider Author Independence

I am proclaiming my independence!

Okay, to be honest, I proclaimed it way back in 2015 when I decided to be an independent author rather than a traditionally published writer. But this week is Independence Day in the United States, and I felt the need to examine my choice once again.

As I get to know more authors, I bond with Indie authors, traditionally published authors and hybrid authors too. So first, some definitions–Madison Michael style:

DEFINITIONS, MADISON MICHAEL STYLE

Indie Author: An author who is stuck doing it all from writing to publishing to marketing. This is the author who likes multi-tasking and maybe has a thing about authority. Maybe not.

Traditionally Published Author: This is a patient author who takes time to find an agent who will promote the author’s manuscripts to a publishing house. Then the publishing house will invest in the book and the author, if they are lucky. Much of the work an indie author does, from editing, to selecting a title and cover design, will be done by the publisher, but they don’t do everything for an author the way they did in times past.

Hybrid Author: This is the writer who straddles both the indie and traditional worlds, selecting books for a publishing house and publishing others themselves.

Someday I might consider changing from indie to hybrid, but for now I am an indie author all the way. First, I bore easily, so shifting from writing to editing to marketing helps stimulate my brain. Second, I hate someone telling me what to write, how to write it or when.

WHY I CLAIMED MY AUTHOR INDEPENDENCE

How many deadlines have I missed since you discovered me and my Beguiling Bachelor series? Yeah, can you imagine if they were imposed by my publisher instead of me? The stress!  But that’s not the only reason I like being an indie author. Here are five more:

1/ I write what I write. I once considered submitting my novels to Harlequin Romance. But they told me which tropes they were accepting at that moment, how many pages my book needed to be, how old my characters. Well, you get the idea. Too many rules stifled my creativity. Still do.

2/ I am not known for my patience. Submitting a few chapters of a book to agents and then waiting? Not for me. Then finding an agent who circulates the books to publishers so that I can wait again? No way that is happening. I would climb a wall while I waited for answers. I did this routine with college applications. Been there, done that.

3/ I make more money. Okay, probably this one isn’t true, but per book I make more money, even if I am selling fewer books than a traditional publisher would. Publishers take their cut, agents do too. Distributors want a few cents per books…you get the point. What’s left for the author usually circles the 15-20% number. Amazon starts at 35% and goes up to 70%! If I can connect with enough readers, that makes a big difference.

4/ The US is celebrating freedom and so am I. Freedom to select the cover design I want, to format the book as I choose, to slip eight ‘bad’ words into the manuscript. I select my own editor and how I will distribute my book, and when.

More importantly, I can give away books when I want to, run promotions and contests at will, respond to my readers without a middleman or woman. I love that ability to connect, that freedom!

5/ To sequel or not? I am a terribly demanding boss, but as an author, I get to decide my publishing schedule, and when or if I will publish a sequel. No one dictates that to me except feedback from each of you, my readers. Haven’t you noticed those big name authors who put out a book each year until they all feel like the same book repeating itself?

THE PROS AND CONS CAN BE DEBATED

Don’t get me wrong. John Grisham and James Patterson are laughing all the way to the bank, and they should be. But that pattern is not for me. I write standalone novels time travel stories like Broken Time , two-book series small-town romances like my B&B Billionaire series, four book series and am even tackling a 12-book series with All’s Crazy in Love.

So…with all that freedom, here’s what I have done. I have made Bewildered, the prequel for my Beguiling Bachelor series free to readers who choose to join my Insiders team. Insiders receive a newsletter twice a month, cancel any time, and bonus content and deals exclusively for them. Insiders are my VIPs and I try to treat them that way! Want to be an Insider? Join here and get Bewildered, and more, today.