Authors often ask me to explain the differences and benefits of traditional publishing and indie publishing. All but three of my novellas started with traditional publishers, but as I’ve received my rights back to the books over time, I’ve rereleased them in ebooks, print, and audio. Along the way I’ve learned a few things that may help you decide which is the right path for you.
Traditional publishing:
- I love being part of a team. It’s great to know that a publishing team believes in me and my books. They are ready to get behind my writing and provide editorial support. I know I can take a book so far and then I need someone to come alongside and see the story and characters with fresh eyes. Through this process the book becomes more than I could make it on my own. The publisher bears the cost of the editing and that allows me to focus on other areas.
- Publishers have access to distribution channels – particularly physical stores – that it’s hard for me to access independently. I can pay for that access, but I tend to be conservative when it comes to where I spend my money, so I make sure my books are available broadly but to get into box stores, I need a publisher and its sales team telling buyers how wonderful my books are.
- Publishers have marketing teams that are much more adept at digital marketing than I am, and I can learn from them as they work on my books. I don’t have the time to invest to figure out the ins and outs of digital ads, but the publishers have teams dedicated to that process.
- There is always more I could/should be doing. Publishers expect authors to invest time and resources in marketing alongside what they are doing. It can be hard to find the right balance, but it is key to do so.
Indie publishing:
- I love data, and indie publishing gives me the ability to dig in and see what’s happening. For example, I can guesstimate how many books sold on Amazon equals a certain ranking by watching the numbers sold on the backend and monitoring the sales rank. It’s not a perfect match, but it’s data I could only guess at before.
- I still need an editing team for anything brand new, and have even hired proofers for my books that have already been through the rigors of traditional publishers’ editing. It’s important to make sure you still take this step because your current book a reader is consuming is what will sell the next book.
- It’s all on me. This can be exhausting, especially when I have a more than full-time day job. It can feel lonely trying to spread the word and help readers find my books. There is always more I could/should be doing. You’ll see this above as well. The difference is that here there is no publisher bearing part of the burden.
Other authors would lay the pros of each out differently, but for me I love a blend. I still haven’t written a full-length novel straight to indie, but I have many WWII romantic suspense ideas that may nudge me in that direction. However, I love the partnership of traditional publishing. It really is my favorite place to be.
Lethal Intent
If they expected silence, they hired the wrong woman.
Caroline Bragg’s life has never been better. She and Brandon Lancaster are taking their relationship to the next level, and she has a new dream job as legal counsel for Praecursoria—a research lab that is making waves with its cutting-edge genetic therapies. The company’s leukemia treatments even promise to save desperately sick kids—kids like eleven-year-old Bethany, a critically ill foster child at Brandon’s foster home.
When Caroline’s enthusiastic boss wants to enroll Bethany in experimental trials prematurely, Caroline objects, putting her at odds with her colleagues. They claim the only goal at Praecursoria is to save lives. But does someone have another agenda?
Brandon faces his own crisis. As laws governing foster homes shift, he’s on the brink of losing the group home he’s worked so hard to build. When Caroline learns he’s a Praecursoria investor, it becomes legally impossible to confide in him. Will the secrets she keeps become a wedge that separates them forever? And can she save Bethany from the very treatments designed to heal her?
This latest romantic legal thriller by bestseller Cara Putman shines a light on the shadowy world of scientific secrets and corporate vendettas—and the ethical dilemmas that plague the place where science and commerce meet.
“Intriguing characters. Romantic tension. Edge-of-your-seat suspense. And a fast-paced ending that will leave you exhausted (in a good way!).” —Robert Whitlow, award-winning author of Promised Land
Cara Putman
Since the time she could read Nancy Drew, Cara has wanted to write mysteries. In 2005 she attended a book signing at her local Christian bookstore. The rest, as they say, was history. There she met a fellow Indiana writer Colleen Coble. With prompting from her husband, Cara shared her dream with Colleen. Since those infamous words, Cara’s been writing award-winning books. She is currently marketing book 36 and dreaming up future books, not hard when she sees what-ifs everywhere. Cara Putman is an active member of ACFW and gives back to the writing community through her service on Executive Board. She has also been the Indiana ACFW chapter president and served as the Area Coordinator for Indiana.
Cara is also an attorney, full-time lecturer at a Big Ten university, and all-around crazy woman. Crazy about God, her husband and her kids that is. She graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!), George Mason Law School, and Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management.
You can learn more about Cara at
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