Indie Authors vs. Amateur Authors
A few months back I read yet another article by someone who doesn't enjoy reading indie authors. (By the way, many prefer the term 'indie' to 'self-published,' just in case you're not familiar with the reference.) That's because in some people's perceptions, self-published authors are just those who were too lazy or not good enough to be picked up by one of the big publishers.
In a lot of cases, that's far from the truth. Sometimes, indie authors have been published by publishers in the past and didn't like the process, the lack of control, or the lack of results they saw. Sometimes, it's an author who didn't know how to navigate the hoops to jump through in order to even submit (let alone get published) through a big-name publisher. It could be an author with a truly independent spirit who prefers to take control of the full process without depending on a publishing house.
But in each of those situations and many more, you have some amazing, talented authors with fantastic stories to tell. Thanks to the self-publishing technology now available, there are so many great books out there that might have never seen the light of day otherwise. These are what I would call indie authors.
And let's be honest... there are also some books out there that shouldn't have seen the light of day. Just like when your brother's friend's cousin's band released their own album of really bad music, sometimes an author who is not ready for release rushes to press the Publish button. This is what I would consider an amateur author.
In my mind, there are some very big differences between indie and amateur.
An amateur author finishes the book, puts a few finishing touches on it, and uploads it to the internet straightaway.
An indie author finishes the book, does a round of edits (or two or three or more), sends the book out to a group of beta readers for feedback, does some more editing, has the book edited by well-qualified editors and proofreaders, does more editing, carefully formats the book according to industry standards, and may finally at this point feel they have a finished product that is ready to upload to the internet.
An amateur author isn't worried about a great cover, because they know the story inside is the important part.
An indie author has seen that the cover is vital. No matter how great the story may be, you first have to catch and hold someone's attention with your cover. An indie author will often hire a professional designer to be sure they have a high-quality cover.
An amateur author presses Publish and confidently sits back to await the sales that are sure to come rolling in.
An indie author has learned that marketing your book is a BIG part of your job as an author. Indie authors spend time and money and lots of effort to get the word out about a new book.
In most of these cases, the difference between amateur and indie is just a matter of time and experience. We all start off as amateurs in one way or another. The key is to be open to learning more so we can keep growing and improving.
So if you encounter an amateur author, be kind. They're still learning. And if you encounter an indie author, try reading their stuff. I bet you'll enjoy it!
