It’s out there.

Independent Publishing.

It’s both a beast and teddy bear.

Publishing, in any form, can gobble you up and spit you out.

Nothing is equitable or necessarily fair, but it’s a business.

So be business headed.

As a traditional (hence known as “trad”) published author, who loves her publisher and publishing team, independent publishing is not a large consideration for me.

I have a couple of back lists titles published with my agent’s Forget Me Not romance line, but I’m happy with the trad publishing world.

But going indie has been the best road for some of our favorite authors such a Brandilyn Collins.

Some authors partner together for a compilation and actually hit the major best seller lists such as USA Today and NY Times.

An honor I haven’t had… yet.

Most authors would like to be hybrid — a blend of traditional and independent.

Unless an author has an exclusivity agreement with a trad publisher, hybrid is a way to diversify and create other revenue streams.

As independent publishing grows, and mind you, changes, more authors are pounding the table saying, “Why give all the rights and lion share of the money to the publishers?”

But let’s talk about a few things before you jump out of the boat into the Indie Waters.

Recently I spent the day with a couple of formerly trad now indie authors and learned a few things.

• Study the craft. Have a book/series with a hook. Do the best you can to put your best foot forward.
• Have a plan and stick to it. Map out your year (for the less detailed folks this will be hard but necessary!) and do NOT deviate from it. My friend Roxanne St. Claire went indie in the fall of 2013, and mapped out 2014 before she wrote word one. “I had offers to be a part of different projects but I turned them down,” St. Claire said. “I had to stick to my plan.” By the end of 2014, her efforts paid off.
• Write a series. A lot of trad authors have closet books or “ones that didn’t get finished” and try to publish them as stand alone. No good. You’ll get minimal return for these books. Indie publishing thrives on series. You need to produce a book every 3 -5 months and preferably a series.
• Pay for good covers. Study covers and what a good cover requires. Covers are conceptual not literal.
• Pay for editing. Please. In the trad world we have a substantive edit, a line edit and at least two proofers. There are a slew of professionals who can do the job for you for a reasonable fee. Do not neglect this part of the job. If  you don’t have the money, consider waiting to publish until you do.
• Promotion and marketing. Have a plan. The best is to be present on 2 – 3 social media platforms and have a good looking web site. As you prepare to publish, write a blog. Keep people coming back to your site. Have a newsletter and a sign up on your web site. Use your newsletter well.
• Network. No better time than now to start networking. Build relationships with other authors and readers to help you get the word out for your novels. This process must be genuine and sincere. Not “Hey, I just published my first book. Will you spread the word for me?” If I’ve not read a new author’s work, I won’t promote it. So network! Let others offer to help you. Offer to help others.
• Back to the first point. Have a plan and stick to it.

If you’re a trad author considering indie, join some of the indie sites and email loops. Study up.

Several of my friends who’ve gone indie say it’s a lot of work but they have made in a year what they would’ve made in two with trad publishing.

Some say the headache and heartache they had in trad is gone and their love of writing has returned. Some trad authors like me are happy and healthy with our publishers. I think indie would kill my love for writing. LOL. So, know yourself.

While this post has focused on indie, there is a lot of benefit to traditional publishing. I’ve talked about that in other forums but for now, if you are considering indie, look before you leap.

Go write something brilliant.

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