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Writer's pictureGrace A. Johnson

Why I Became an Indie Author (Indie Author Week)


Interestingly enough, I think I’ve been asked why I self-published more so than I’ve been asked about indie authors in general...so maybe this should have been my first post. *shrugs* Either way, buckle up, because I have quite the tale to tell!

Actually, I’m going to keep it short, because I’m supposed to be writing Bound and Determined right now…

From a surface level, I became an indie author (in other words, I self-published my books) because there weren’t really any other options. As a thirteen-year-old girl with a raw, unpolished manuscript who didn’t know jack-diddly-squat about the publishing industry except that I’d have to sign a contract, what was I supposed to do? My first attempt at a proposal was absolutely horrendous, and there were virtually no publishers in my genre who accepted unsolicited queries. Scratch that. If you’ve read one of my books, then you know that there are virtually no publishers in my genre period.

So when my aunt suggested publishing through Amazon, I set aside my dreams of traditional publishing and began researching Kindle Direct Publishing.

(Let it be noted that my idea of research is watching one video and reading 300 words, deeming that sufficient, then immediately jumping right into the trial-and-error stage of exploration and discovery.)

A week later, what was I doing? Uploading my manuscript and clicking Publish.

Now, that might not seem like much of a publishing journey, but at the heart, I was more than an impatient and clueless child who went after the first thing that came her way. Nay, I strove for freedom and independence, for ease of operation and simplicity, for uniqueness and creativity.

I didn’t want to sign a contract. I didn’t want to abide by the rules of the publisher, who dictated how many books I could write in a series, how and where and when my books would be sold, what I could do with my books. I didn’t want to be without control or authority. I didn’t want to be told what I could or couldn’t write, or to feel forced to write for an editor, agent, publisher, or market.

I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to wait until I’d completed Novel #84 before an agent ever took an interest or a publisher ever accepted it. I didn’t want to wait on responses and rejections. I didn’t want to let my book—no matter how bad it was—to sit on a shelf (figuratively speaking, of course, as it was technically on my computer’s hard drive at the time) for thirty years.

No, I wanted to be myself. To be in control. To have the final say over what happens to my creative endeavors and intellectual property. To work by my own deadlines and at my own pace. To publish what I wanted, unpublish what I wanted, and rewrite what I wanted. I wanted to put a story out into the world that I believe is Holy Spirit-inspired and God-breathed (the typos I will take credit for).

That is why I became an indie author.

What about you? Why did you become an indie author? Why did you not? Why are you considering becoming one? Do you want to know more about the process? If so, you’re in luck! Wednesday’s post is all about becoming an indie author!



Bookishly Yours,

Grace

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17 Comments


Saraina Whitney
Nov 12, 2021

I love that so much, that you just WENT for it!! I'm not decided yet on which path I want to take (that is, trad or indie) but also it's very true that I crave control over my own creative works - I hate the thought of letting my work be put in a box and have my stories be structured the way the crowd apparently wants. Not that I know everything about traditional publishing, but what I have heard about it boils down to the fact that you really don't have control over your stories. Soooo I think it very likely that I will end up going indie, lol. Your posts for this Indie Author Week are really encouraging…

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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Nov 13, 2021
Replying to

Thank you so much! Yes...one of my friends is a hybrid author, and she's talked a lot to me about how stifling traditional publication is and how much more freedom and control she has when she self-publishes her books. I definitely recommend it! Praying about it always helps! Aw, you are so welcome! <333

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Issabelle P.
Nov 12, 2021

Oooooo, Grace, I LOOOOVED reading about your whole story to going the indie author path!!!! Personally, I'm glad you chose to self-publish Held Captive, cuz I wouldn't have gotten to meet mah boy Xavier if you hadn't, and I can't possibly imagine life without him now. (Okay, I could. I just have to think about my life in May before I read Held Captive than the life afterward. 🤣) And honestly, I think having the title "indie author" just sounds waaaaaaay cooler than "traditionally published author." I mean, that's a mouthful and doesn't have the same catchy sound. XD I've honestly gone back and forth over if I want to be an indie author or not. I just don't like…


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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Nov 13, 2021
Replying to

Awww, thank you, sista!!!! <333 Haha, so am I! Ooh, you have a good point there! It's definitely a lot less to type! XD Girl, I feel ya! It is a lot of responsibility, but it's so worth it! *is silent* Welp, you pray about it, girl! ;) Thank you!!! *bows to the applause* XDD

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Kristina Hall
Nov 08, 2021

My way of researching is so, so similar to yours!

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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Nov 08, 2021
Replying to

Great minds research alike, eh? ;)

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Edna Pellen
Nov 08, 2021

I absolutely love and relate to your researching method.

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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Nov 08, 2021
Replying to

Haha, thank you!

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Vanessa Hall
Nov 08, 2021

That's such a good story, Grace! I love it. And I totally agree ... I think it's very hard to get published by traditional publishers unless you have contacts and a really good agent. Looking at Christian fiction, a lot of the same names are the ones that are published. Nothing wrong with that, but not many new authors are published each year.


Anyway. Ramblings aside. Lovely post! I'm so glad you decided to publish when you did! ❤️

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Grace A. Johnson
Grace A. Johnson
Nov 08, 2021
Replying to

Aw, thank you!! You're right - traditional publishers tend to be extremely selective (that said, a lot of what they're selecting these days wouldn't make my cut). I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Vanessa! Aww, so am I! And I'm glad you decided to self-publish as well!

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