So, you want to get into indie publishing? To have the ability to market and sell your own work directly to the readers, without any gatekeepers or corporate holdups standing in your way? To write what you want, when you want and publish it when you want? To have complete creative freedom?

To an aspiring author independent publishing may sound like paradise, and indeed the business has many highs. I'm definitely glad I made the choice to go indie. That being said, I have a question for all aspiring authors that are thinking of choosing this path?

What are you expecting from it?

To me, that's the most critical question an aspiring writer must answer before they even start. What are they expecting to get from independent publishing?

Parts of this may come off as overly harsh to some readers, but again, I feel that the answer to this question is absolutely critical for anyone who wants a career in the field. Far too many aspiring writers have run into the wall and subsequently quit because their expectations didn't line up with reality.

So what are you expecting from indie publishing? To become a bestseller? To achieve notoriety? To make a living? To get rich?

Anyone going into the field needs to define their expectations and then assess whether those expectations are anywhere close to reality, particularly relating to sales figures and money. I've seen it time and time again in blogs and on writer's forums. New authors, most with only one book under their belt, ask the same question:

Why am I not selling?

The answer is simple, of course. Visibility.

There are millions upon millions of books available, and more are being added to the mix every day. How is a reader supposed to find your one book, a needle in the massive haystack that continues to grow by the second?

That's not to say that you can't be discovered. On the contrary, you can and will be discovered by readers. Some will pass you over, and some will give you a chance. If you're any sort of a decent writer, then some will like you. Out of those, some will like you enough to recommend you to their social circles.

And as you can imagine all this takes time.

So, for the authors who want to know why they're not selling, I have a question of my own for them.

Just what were you expecting from this?

Were you expecting hundreds, thousands of readers to find your one book in the middle of the haystack, decide to purchase it, read the thing, like it, and tell their friends about it within the span of a few months? If your book isn't selling, is it because you're a failure? Is it because the system's broken?

Or is it because your expectations were completely out of whack?

I see some of the same issues in regard to earnings. Many an author has put their novel up for sale for $0.99, sold a thousand copies of their novel in the month, earned only a few hundred dollars and then claimed that the system is completely stacked against them.

What they fail to realize is that books can and will sell at higher prices, and that the earnings are much greater. I sell less than a thousand books a month but earn way more than a few hundred because I price differently.

Again, is it because the system is broken and unfair, or because your expectations are completely unrealistic?

And then there are those that seem to believe that self and independent publishing is little more than a get rich scheme. Throw something together, put it up for sale, sit back and relax as you rake in the dough.

Yeah, right.

Publishing is not easy. On the contrary, independent publishing is highly demanding. The author has to wear many hats; writer, salesman, marketer, quality control, distribution management, webmaster, social media manager, accounting, record keeper...

I've kept track of the amount of time I spend between the  various parts of independent publishing. Many weeks I've worked 50-60 hours. I've had stretches where I've worked 14 hours a day for a week straight.

What about any of that makes you think that this is easy money? Again, just what are you expecting?

Indie publishing isn't easy. There are no guarantees, no set rules, no formulas. In essence, it is purely an art, not a science.  You might be able to mimic successful authors to some degree, but copying them and their 'winning formula' step for step doesn't mean you'll succeed. Even if you do everything 'right' you may very well fall flat on your face.

I was not an overnight success. I'm still moving up and trying to establish myself even further. In the first four months, I sold less than twenty books. I didn't start seeing steady sales of even one book a day until six months in, and it took even longer to earn more than pocket change in a month.

But I made it through because I didn't quit. I kept writing regardless of whether I sold or not, allowing my fanbase to grow reader by reader over the months. Even though it was discouraging at times, I kept a realistic view of my prospects and kept pushing forward.

This path is not for the faint of heart. It can and will be cruel and unforgiving at times. Not everyone will make it. But does that mean we shouldn't try? That's for you to decide.

The road may be long with its trials and tribulations, but the freedom and the joy that comes with it may be well worth it. It certainly is for me.

Just make sure you go in aware of what you're getting into.