Being indie means figuring out your own process

June 9th, 2010 | By Ovi Demetrian Jr | Posted in DistributionPromotionPublishingWriting

As we all know being a successful writer means more than just writing. People have to also be made aware of your work. There are many factors typically involved in publishing a successful book, including:

• Writing Process – Write and revise, work with an editor for polish and get feedback from people you know
• Illustration – Work with a graphic designer for a good cover and/or a more stylized layout, and/or an illustrator for accompanying visuals
• Publishing – Work with someone to meet certain technical preparations required for printing and digital output
• Sales and Distribution – Work with brick and mortar book shops for print, and online marketplaces for eBooks
• Promotion – Work with someone knowledgeable of marketing, get reviewed by professional critics and get interviewed in various publications

Besides the writing part, it’s everything else that can make going with a traditional publisher still a viable choice. However, technology and the internet have given us tools that change the entire process. It’s paved the way for the independent self-published writer. But going the indie route isn’t necessarily about doing it all yourself. Even though you could, collaborating with other people can give you an edge to compete with books still published by big companies. In fact there are services available that offer different approaches to doing this.

But beyond all the tools, the one greatest asset, the internet, allows you to choose how you want to do things every step of the way. As companies try to reinvent the publishing model, ultimately it’ll be the writers that will be in control of the process. Because that’s the best part of being indie, doing things your own way!

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