Since I started this journey, I’ve learned a lot of things. I’ve learned that as an indie author – I can’t always do it alone, that the finished product I thought was ‘awesome’ was only mediocre at best. I’ve learned that there has to come a time when I realize I can’t do it all – that there are others around me who know how to do it better than I.

I’ve also learned that being an indie author means freedom. Freedom to write what I want to write, to experiment in different genres before realizing what you knew in the first place is where you need to be. I’ve learned how important it is to write for me and my readers and to always remember who my readers are.

I’ve learned that being an indie author means having my dreams come true. It means writing for a living and being able to see a debt-free future that isn’t too far off. It means loving my career and feeling satisfied that the steps I’ve made are the right ones.

I’ve said this before and I’ll keep saying it until we hear it more often from other authors. I am in no ways anti-agent or anti-publisher. I’m ALL for being successful in any venue and that includes whether it’s epublishing, self publishing or traditional publishing. I’m excited when I hear of authors who experience success in any venue and I am a firm believer that there shouldn’t be any ‘this or that’ grouping. It’s sad when you hear of indie who are in the ‘screw the agent/publisher’ grouping and you hear of traditional authors who are ‘screw the indies’ grouping. It shouldn’t be that way. We should all be there for each other to support one another. We all have the same dream, the same goal. Right?

Currently I’m published through epublishing and self publishing. One day perhaps traditional publishing. An indie author means realizing that this is a journey that I can’t do on my own. I need editors who know their craft. I need people who know how to market to help me. I need someone to help with foreign rights. I need someone to write a script and sell to producers. Sure – I can learn these things, but then it pulls me away from writing – and let’s all be honest – I’d rather be writing 🙂

What about you? What does being indie mean to you?