A few days ago I received a mail from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, a call for a celebration of the indie authors and their choice to use their platform to market books. Well, it’s a good idea. But not only for the sake of Amazon, it’s about something more.
You see, I know that there are a lot of differences between a full-time author and a part-time writer. I also know that being published in a traditional way could bring much more money to an author, not to mention that part of the potential audience that will not read the electronic-oriented book formats.
Being an indie author today (or a hybrid, we will talk about it later) is about choices and opportunities. The basic choice is to stay on the market by your own, of course. You’re in charge, you decide about everything from start to end. In short, it’s up to you to have success or not. The opportunities are a consequence, with big players like Amazon that get a share of your income (far less that a traditional publishing house, that’s for sure).
Even a small player like me, with only a four-item serial available on the English-speaking market, is able to set up shop and do his best. It’s a choice in a million to become a well-known author, that’s it. But said chance exists and it’s more than valuable for me. I’m free to express myself in any conceivable way that applies to writing and I’m also free to sell the output of my creativity. It has been a revolution and it still rocks.
The downside is the proliferation of hundred of thousands, or even millions, of horrible books (you’re free to include mine in the list!). In this ocean of words, finding something valuable could be a serious task. Again, it’s a matter of chance. With small money any reader could try his/her luck with a new author anytime, without the limitations given by the industry. Who will you discover today? Or tomorrow?
It’s also true that the choice of being an indie author is not carved in stone. You may become a hybrid author, somebody who publish both in the usual way and by yourself at the same time. Or you may swing between indie and traditional, with no real problem to solve in this regard. To me, it’s all about being free. So be it, indie and proud!
#PoweredByIndie
Angelo Benuzzi 