These Indie Authors Prove that Success in Self-Publishing is Possible

Note: This post was updated to remove an interview with author Freydís Moon due to concerns around them misrepresenting their racial identity.

Authors now have more options than ever before for publishing their work. Outside of traditional publishing, there are small presses, hybrid publishers, and the option that gives them the most control of all: Self-publishing.

Though stigma still exists in some traditional publishing circles, gone are the days when self-publishing was easily laughed off as a waste of time — indie authors are building audiences, making sales, and creating fresh, exciting art. What’s more, recent data collected by the Alliance of Independent Authors found that the incomes of self-published authors are rising, with 28 percent of those surveyed earning more than $50,000 in a year.

Success in self-publishing is possible, and these indie authors are proof. Read on for their thoughts on breaking into the self-publishing industry.

M.A. Wardell

M.A. Wardell lives near the ocean with his husband and cats. When he isn’t writing, he’s snuggling those cats, reading all the rom-coms, walking to unravel plot points, and taking long hot baths. Teacher of the Year is his fiction debut, and he’s plotting to play matchmaker again soon.

As an indie author, what does “success” mean to you?

Success means writing the stories I want, how, and when I want. Wow, I sound like a control freak. Ha! But that is part of it. A massive draw for me to self-publish was just that—control. Naturally, I have a vision for my book, but also the marketing, the cover, all of it. My goal is to support myself with my fiction writing, and I am still determining how long that will take, but I’m optimistic.

What accomplishments are you most proud of so far in your self-publishing career?

I’m blown away by people’s reactions to Teacher of the Year. I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it. Knowing I’ve written a story that has touched people, that causes them to write reviews, create videos, bake cakes, and draw fan art, overwhelms my heart. Engaging with readers, reading reviews, and hearing how my book touched people makes me incredibly proud.

What misconception about self-publishing do you most want to debunk?

That you can only reach readers with a traditional publishing house behind you. The fact is, most traditionally published authors still do the bulk of their own marketing. If you believe in your book, your passion will sell it.

Another misconception, if you give your book away for free before publication, nobody will be left to buy it. Yes, each ARC is the loss of a potential sale, but the fact is, you need people who love your book to champion it. There’s a reason traditional publishers give away HUNDREDS (sometimes thousands) of ARCs on NetGalley. It’s a numbers game. As indie authors, we play the game on a much smaller scale, but we need to play it.

What is your best piece of advice for aspiring indie authors?

Make author friends! Most authors (indie and traditional) are incredibly gracious, friendly, and helpful. Writing can feel solitary. The key has been to have friends I can go to with ideas, venting, and support. They've done it before, are going through it now, will go through it, or know someone who can help.

Rachel Bowdler

Rachel Bowdler is a freelance author, editor, and sometimes photographer from the UK. She spends most of her time away with the faeries. When she is not putting off writing by scrolling through Twitter and binge-watching sitcoms, you can find her walking her dog, painting, passionately crying about her favourite fictional characters, and co-hosting the Swords and Sapphics podcast with her best friend. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @RachelBowdler_. Head to her website: rachelbowdler.co.uk.

As an indie author, what does “success” mean to you?

My idea of “success” changes often depending on where I’m at in my journey. As a young indie author, I try not to peg too much on the end goal. Success was completing my first novella, then releasing my first paperback, then getting my first sale/review, etc. As a queer writer, I think the thing that makes me feel “successful” is just to have my books reach their intended audience, and hopefully for the stories to resonate and inspire the feeling of warmth and acceptance in the way that LGBTQ+ books often have for me. Of course, sales are a huge part of it too, but even during the slow months, getting tagged in a random review or receiving a kind message from a reader who enjoyed my stories is something to be proud of. It’s easy to feel disheartened if you look at the numbers, and in an ideal world, mine would be much higher—so to sustain my passion for writing, I try to focus on the feeling I leave my readers with and can only hope one day my books will be loved widely.

What accomplishments are you most proud of so far in your self-publishing career?

I always have a real moment of pride when I receive my physical author copies. When I was younger, I always loved to imagine holding my own book and smelling the pages (I love that book smell!), so the fact I now get to experience something I once only dreamed about makes me happy. Also, any time I’m invited to do a blog post like this or appear on a podcast, etc., I have a little moment where I realise that my writing isn’t just contained within the few people in the community I chat with, but it’s reaching beyond that slowly too. People I don’t know are reading my books without me pleading for them to! In a more general sense, I’m just proud to be part of the conversation in whatever way I can, whether that’s on social media or through the characters in my books. It’s easy to forget how important it is to see underrepresented identities having their stories told, so that I even have the opportunity to contribute to that pride is something special.

What misconception about self-publishing do you most want to debunk?

That we are failed authors unable to get an agent or book deal! Many people in the community never entertain the idea of traditional publishing simply because of the restrictions it can impose on their creations, so while I’m lucky to be a bit of a hybrid author, with an agent and publisher and my own indie career, most self-publish as a first choice, and neither option is worse than the other. There are pros and cons to both! Another thing that irks me is the stigma surrounding self-published books; the idea that it’s automatically lower quality because it hasn’t come from a huge publishing house full of industry professionals. People seem to be searching for typos and mistakes when it comes to indie books, whereas we skip over ones from traditional presses every day! Indie authors still put in a great deal of time, money, and effort to get their stories to the highest standards and it’s unfair that many readers don’t want to give them a chance because of preconceived ideas.

What is your best piece of advice for aspiring indie authors?

Don’t forget to put your love of writing first. There are lots of genre conventions and tropes in mainstream literature that people assume they have to adhere to in order to be successful, and in that, they lose sight of the story they originally wanted to tell. I’m guilty of it. But when it comes to writing, you have to put the external factors aside and write for yourself. You can focus on the rest once the draft is done, but it’s going to be difficult to even get that far if you aren’t enjoying it—and difficult to market that book once it’s done!

That, and be sure to engage with the community. I’ve found that if you support authors, they will support you right back, and it’s been proven recently that shouting loudly about indie books can have a huge impact on the industry. It’s such a welcoming place to be, and so lovely to be able to share this passion with others, so don’t be shy—chat with people, share their work, make a few friends, stay inspired and true to yourself, and you can’t go wrong.