Indie or Not?

The topic for this month is -  Indie or Not? Some of us have tried both. Some are one or the other. What do you like about being traditionally published? What do you like about being an Indie or a contrast if you've done both?

My first experience of Indie publishing was also my last. However, I have to say that if it had not been for that first foray into the great unknown world of Indie publishing, I might not have been published at all. Few people knew about self-publishing back then, circa 2010. Articles on self-publishing cropped up in trade magazines and nascent online forums, but I honestly believe my writing group was way ahead of the game.

Spearheaded by our president, who said she could write a book with anyone, we created a town, characters, and plot lines. And so the Bandit Creek project began. We could ‘borrow’ anyone’s characters, and each story had to include the mysterious character, Jack. The project covered all genres to accommodate such a diverse group of writers. Our fictitious western town was founded in 1867 after a gold strike and ran through to the present day, so the project covered all genres to accommodate such a diverse group of writers. From historical to sweet romance, paranormal and mystery, we published two books every month, on the first and fifteenth, for twelve months.

My book was due to come out on the March 15th, 2012. I had uploaded it to Amazon Kindle, following their instructions (as I thought), but every time I checked it, the title page was missing, or the formatting had shifted. I was at the end of my limited experience, and it showed. I remember printing out the instructions, ticking off each item as I addressed it, and double-checking before I clicked ‘publish.’ My publication date drew nearer. I had nightmares and sweated buckets, but thanks to another group member helping me with my upload, I did not miss my deadline.

The Bandit Creek project served many of us well, some not so much. Several writers dropped out altogether after the fact. Some, like myself, kept writing. I didn’t want to repeat what, to me, was a stressful process, so I looked for a traditional publisher when my next book, a Regency romance, was completed. My first attempt at signing on with an agent was short-lived. I met her at a writers’ conference, and after my pitch, she invited me to send her the full manuscript, which I did. It came back with a ‘love, love, love your writing’ comment, but she suggested I add a strong sub-plot and re-submit. As encouraging as that was, six months had passed by the time I did that (I am not a fast writer) and resubmitted. In the first instance, she responded two weeks after my submission; the second time, I received a thank you note from her assistant the day following my submission, with a comment that the agent ‘could not connect with my writing.’ Go figure.

I tidied up the manuscript, and after receiving a positive response to a query letter I sent to an editor at Kensington Press in New York, I sent it off again. I received a gushing response from the entry editor, who said that as far as he was concerned, it was publication-ready, and he was sending it ‘upstairs.’ I took that to mean it was going on to a more experienced editor. Then Hurricane Sandy hit, shutting New York City down for weeks.

Now, not being a spring chicken, I was not prepared to wait for months, maybe a year or more, and watch another birthday or two come around before knowing if Kensington Press would say yea or nay, so I found another publisher. After listening to my pitch, she asked if I would send the book to her. I did. Three days later, I was offered publication. Ten days later, the book became available as an Amazon Kindle e-book, and I’ve been with that publisher ever since.

Several of my writer friends are totally self-published. They love working with a cover artist, finding editors, uploading their manuscripts, and being almost fully reimbursed for their efforts. They can check their Kindle account and see how their sales are progressing or where their books are being sold. They like being in the captain’s chair and having total control.

But, speaking for myself, I’m not so adventurous and don’t mind paying a percentage of my sales to have all that work done for me. Had I been younger when I started writing and publishing, I’m not sure what my attitude would have been. Right now, I’m happy to stick with what I know best: the writing. I wonder what my Round Robin colleagues will have to say.

Connie Vines  http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Bob Rich  https://wp.me/p3Xihq-3l0

Diane Bator https://escapewithawriter.wordpress.com/

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea