I've been a self-published "Indie" author for almost a year. A year in which I've had plenty of time to think about the best and worst of being a self-published writer.

Above all, I love the freedom to write what I want, when I want. I love the direct connection with my readers. I love the feedback I receive, in the form of comments and posted reviews. And, I love my network of fellow Indie writers, who are so generous with their support and advice.

What don't I like? That's easy: the self-promotion that is an integral part of an Indie author's life. Posting tweets; asking people to buy my books; asking people to request that their local libraries add my books to their collections; asking - BEGGING - readers to post reviews on Amazon or goodreads.

We Indie writers don't have publishing house publicity departments to pave the way to bestseller status. We don't receive a batch of ten or twenty 'courtesy' copies of our books to give away. We are our own publicity department. If we want to give away our books, we must pay for them ourselves.

All of this is a roundabout way of asking all of you who read this post to support an Indie writer today. If you want to read his or her book, don't download a pirated copy. Buy it! If you like the book, please leave a review. And, above all, if you like the book, tell your friends. Word of mouth from a satisfied reader is an Indie author's best advertising.

Now, I shall climb down off my soapbox and go back to work.