I have so much to be thankful for this month! I’ve been published in traditional commercial fiction for twenty-two years now so I had to go kicking and fighting into Indie publishing. That word “independent” has taken on a whole new meaning as I venture into this new territory. But I have to admit it’s fun and a definite learning experience.
First, I want to clarify that I will always publish traditionally (unless no one wants to publish my work anymore.) I write for Love Inspired and that imprint has given me a wonderful career writing the stories that I love. But I’ve learned how to roll with the punches and follow the publishing trends. We all do this because it’s part of being a published writer. But learning about Indie publishing brings a whole new world to light. You have to be your own boss even more! It takes discipline and an almost around the clock vigilance that requires marketing, technical knowledge, editing knowledge and a strong sense of public relations. You learn all the jargon and you learn all about the major players. But you also learn that this is really fun if you can get over your jitters and learn how to hit the right buttons.
So … now that I’ve had a year of so of this new venture, I think I’ll continue to publish a few Indie projects here and there. But right now, I want to celebrate two projects that I’ve been part of by showing off the covers of both. Rodeo Knights is a three book series with my friends Lisa Mondello and Margaret Daley. Mine is Book 3: One Knight In Vegas. The other project is a multi-author anthology from Redbud Press. You might recognize some of the other names on this cover. In the meantime, I’m celebrating my 60th book with Harlequin with the release of “Cowboy Who Came for Christmas”. So I want to give away a copy of that book to one of you. Just leave a comment and tell me what you think about independent publishing? Love or hate? Do you read both traditionally published and independently published books? Or do you have a preference? I’m beginning to love both. That must make me a hybrid author!
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I believe I have no preference for either one. I just enjoy a good book:).
Thanks, Mary. So do I!
Since I don’t pay any attention to publishers, I don’t know if a book I’m reading is commercially published or independently published. When I look for books in a store or online, I am usually looking for the author & not the publisher.
That’s good to know, Becky. Most Indie books are e-books with Print On Demand options to receive the book in paperback or hardcover. But you bring up a good point. Do most readers follow the authors or the publisher? Or both. Following the author is always a good option! And we authors love that people follow us and read our books. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
I have not thought about how the book was published. I look for a good book or an author I know.
Thank you, Mary. That seems to be the reader’s choice! And we appreciate that.
I love reading an assortment of books, so it doesn’t matter to me how they are published. If I find an author I like then I’ll read them no matter how the books are published.
Thank you, Cassie. Some people prefer a book in hand and some people love their e-readers but either way, a good book is still a good book 🙂
Back before I had a ton of favorite authors to read, I did look for certain publisher symbols on the books at the library. But even publishers come and go. These days I follow the authors and a lot of them will recommend their friends books. I also love when authors collaborate in these series and boxed sets because they tend to lean towards the same type of writing and I find new authors that way. I do think indie authors need to have a little help from other authors and friends who can keep them grammatically honest. 😀😀😀 I’ve loved all your books so far (pretty sure I’ve read them all) and look forward to reading many more. God bless you on your continued journey.
Thank you, June. Your answer helps me to see how a reader thinks about the changes in the publishing world. Indie does require a fine-toothed comb with editing as I’m learning. Readers seem to love the boxed sets since it gives them variety. Thank you for reading my books. I appreciate your kind comments 🙂
It doesn’t matter to me how a book was published as long as it is a good book. I love Christian fiction whether it is contemporary, historical, mystery or just romance.
Thank you, Dana. I so agree!
I’m so impressed, Lenora! 60 books!!! That’s outstanding. What a prolific career. Congrats on #60!
I read a slight bit on my Kindle these days, but I still mostly read print or listen to books via audio. Because I’m a print/audio person, almost all the books I read are traditionally published.
Thank you, Becky. I read a lot of traditionally published books and I have a Nook that I use when traveling. I love both choices but I still love the feel of a book in my hand and those pages I can touch 🙂
I read a mixture although I typically do a little more investigation if I know it’s independent because quality is all over the board. With traditional publishing, I expect a certain standard of quality.
Carolyn, I think that’s the key. Publishing independently still requires a solid group of proofreaders and editors. And still, we miss some of the typos and mistakes. Quality is important in both traditional and Indie books.
It really doesn’t matter to me as a reader who publishes the books I read. I do admire those who do it independently.
Thank you, Nancy.
I personally follow the authors I like and trust them to tell me about other Christian authors. I am part of a group helping an independent Christian author to spread the word about her books. I really enjoyed her first book and the second one will be sent to us to read on Kindle and then we start giving our reviews. Her covers of the book are not what I usually see. Can’t judge by it cover. I am not a kindle fan but I do read a few. But, her books also come out in books also. You’re books are so great and I always look for your books when I am at the bookstores. Good luck with this new adventure.
Can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Haha! I have probably have been reading independent books for awhile now and didn’t realized it. Lol
Thank you, Pam. It’s nice to know readers are willing to try new authors. We depend on our readers and our author friends to help us spread the word. Literally!
I read both, but I like the fact that indies don’t wait a year between books!
Good point, Margaret. The ability to get the books out faster is certainly nice 🙂
Personally, I have no preference since I just love to read. However, I do appreciate independent publishing because it gives authors an avenue to publish their work if it’s not picked up by large or traditional publishing houses. I’m not sure how it’s decided, but I believe there would be many many less great books for readers out there if not for independent publishing. =)
Thanks, Annie. The beauty of Indie publishing is that the author has control over the project. But with great power comes great responsibility, to quote a line out of Spiderman 🙂 The author has to be the boss, the editor, the decision-maker on all aspects of the book. A lot of great writers have been discovered with Indie books!
I read both traditionally and indie published books, mostly because I read both physical books and ebooks. I don’t really have a preference. I think it’s cool that you can do both!
It is cool, Alyssa!
I have no preference either way. As others have stated, I love to read and how its published doesn’t weigh in when I choose a book to read.
Thank you, Karen.
I love them both!
Thank you, Shelia.
I don’t pay much attention to the publisher so I’ll definitely read both.
I read both. I am quicker to buy a book from one of the publishing houses that I am familiar with but if the description of the book sounds really interesting and I can tell from it or from reviews that it is a “clean” romance then I will buy/read an indie book as well.
Thanks, Karen!
Thank you all for your comments.
June is the winner of a copy of Cowboy Who Came for Christmas!! June, please e-mail me through my website http://www.lenoraworth.com
I tend to prefer ‘traditionally’ published books in general. If only because 99.9999% of the time when you pick one up, you know you can expect a certain quality. SOMEONE who has a clue what they’re doing has gone over it, and decided if the writer is dreaming or actually has some skill. SOMEONE has sent it back for edits and made it go through umpteen rewrites to make sure its all polished up and the idiot-mistakes are (mostly) out. (I say mostly, because I HAVE seen typos and misprints – and misspellings! The ‘window pain’ being one I remember from fairly recently. lol – in traditionally printed books. But. . .they are far rarer than self-published books.
I would not be against self-published books at all if there was some sort of quality control. But people who think they can sit down and whip off a novel in two weeks, with no prior writing experience and no editing afterwards, yet they want to waste your time and take your money for it. ..that’s flat out annoying. And I’ve hit far too many of those not to approach self-published books with extreme caution.
In theory, though – if someone knew what they were doing I wouldn’t care HOW it was published. IE, I’d probably pick up one of yours, regardless of what publisher/press it came from. But you already have a clue what you’re doing, and how to write/clean up your work so I can trust you would not self-publish a first-draft novel. 🙂
So, yeah, I think that’s the only ‘protest’ I have against the whole self-publishing/indie thing.
Thank you, Elentarien 🙂
I love a real book! There is just something about the way it feels in your hand. That said, I enjoy using my NOOK at certain times. When searching for ebooks, I have discovered some good reads by also looking at who’s the publisher (if I don’t know the author). I’ve read both types, but mostly traditional.
I buy books by my favorite authors and love to find new to me authors. . It does not matter who published it.
read both