Indie Author Blog Tag

Time to discuss one of my favorite things... indie publishing. Okay, so I only just found out that I was tagged for this by R.M. Archer even though I was actually tagged forever ago. But better late than never, eh?

Rules

1. Link back to the original tag (idk where the original tag is from, sorry)
2. Link to the authors you mention (or their books) in your answers
3. Tag 5 other indie authors (I tag Jes Drew, Grace Morris, RES, Bryn Shutt, and HSJ WIlliams)

Questions

Why do you publish indie?

At first I published indie because it seemed like the thing to do. I figured that it was good way to gain some experience, but I always planned on someday switching over, perhaps permanently to traditional publishing. At least, that was until a few years back, I noticed that a lot of publishers were dropping authors mid series if they weren't selling enough. And that was when I realized just how much power a publisher could have over an author.

After that I decided there was no way I could do that. I would be devastated if a publisher were to drop my story, and even worse if they had the rights to it then I couldn't even finish the series and publish it myself. I write because I have stories that need to be told. I'm not going to leave it up to some company—that is in it for the money more than anything else—to determine which ones deserve to be told and which ones don't.

Also, I started realizing all of the aspects that I have sole control over when it comes to my books. From how the interior will look to who will design the cover and what that design will even be to the title. And call me stubborn or a control freak, but those are things that I don't want to relinquish control on. If my book can't have the title that I spent hours coming up with or the cover I have daydreamed about during the months of writing it then what's the point?

What’s your favorite indie standalone?

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos by Janette Rallison

What’s your favorite indie series?

The Black Mage Series by Rachel E. Carter

What’s your most anticipated indie book release?

Illuminare by Bryn Shutt

What was your most recent indie read?

Actually, the only books I've read this year have been indie published. Coincidentally enough they have also both been King Arthur retellings. What's with that? Not too long ago, I finished Legends of Avalon: Merlin by RES

And I've been reading Jody Hedlund's Knights of the Brethren series as well and really enjoying them.

What is your favorite part of being an indie author?

As you have probably already gathered from my previous comments it is having full control over my books. Titles, cover concepts, how long a series will be. Those are all 100% up to me. Will there be spinoffs? Yeah, if I want to. Should I add another book to the series? Why not?

What’s the hardest part of being an indie author?

The flip side of my last answer. I have to do everything or hire out. And it can get both exhausting and expensive.

Do you ever plan to go hybrid?

You know, I'm not going to say never. But I see it becoming less and less likely. There is however an artist who is a fellow indie author who opened up her own publishing business, and I might someday query to her. But other than that, no I don't have any real plans to go hybrid.

How many books have you released?

Twelve now! The thirteenth is coming out next month and my fourteenth in November.

Where are you with your current project?

Currently I'm working on 4 projects. Rage Like the Gods I'm working on the second draft and I'm about 1/3 of the way through having finished the longest section. And I'm gearing up to start the final read through of Harbinger of the End.

Then I'm working on drafting two other projects, The Gods Created Monsters (which is nearing 20k) and An Apprentice of Death (which is sitting steady at 1k but we're getting there slowly yet surely). At this stage, I'm not only writing out these books, but figuring out a blurb, and brainstorming since I'm such a pantster, figuring out the direction I want the series to go, spending too much time on Pinterest aesthetic boards, the usual. TGCM is actually my Camp NaNo project this month (which I failed to talk about at all before this point, whoops), so I'm definitely writing that one more than AoD. I hope to have it finished by the end of the month, but I'll let you know if I manage to accomplish that.