Living the Life of an Indie Writer

From my childhood, I always knew I wanted to become a writer.  It has been a dream of mine, yet I knew I would not have the patience or the time to wait for a large publishing company to notice my work.  So, I took the steps to become in Indie Writer.  I have published several children's books, a couple of motivational/inspirational books, and in the process of publishing a series of women's devotional books.  Yes, I still love to write.

Here are some things I have learned from self-publishing:

1. Freedom - I do have freedom of expression; I have some editing, but not extensive editing.  I knew I would not like having all my words changed until my work because unrecognizable, so self-publishing definitely gives me that freedom - good or bad.
2. Expression - I can choose topics that are important to me, like the growing years of my grandson or the devotional look at Biblical women of my choice.  
3. Time-management - I have the ability to set my own deadlines and shuffle projects to when I feel they should be completed. 
4. Cost effective - I don't have to order large quantities of books that may or may not sell.  I can print-on-demand, and that saves me space as well as resources.  
5. Revisions - I can make revisions in real-time and have a new print copy within 24 hours.  

All of these aspects of Indie Writing and Self-publishing are great.  However, I have also noticed a few limitations in self-publishing:

1. Lack of marketing - I am not a great self-marketer.  I don't do well with self-advocation, and it is really tough for me to spend the time, energy and resources in promoting my books.  
2. Limiting market - Because I am not known nationally or internationally (It's more like I'm known in my community, and that's about it.), it's hard to sell large quantities of books.  

Your family and friends can only buy so many books, and that isn't usually enough to support your dreams unless  you have a really large number of family and friends.  

Despite the challenges of self- publishing, I continue to write and self-publish.  It is my dream to one day have the notoriety (hopefully in a good way) that will help me sell more books and get the messages I wish to express out to the world.  Until then, I continue to look for ways to promote my materials beyond my immediate surroundings (e.g. Pinterest, Etsy,  & Amazon). 

Self-publishing is rewarding.  I am proud to be an Indie writer.  I am thankful for the gift of writing, and regardless of how my works are published, I will always do my best to remain true to the passion and love I have for the written word.

SBO