I’m someone who has been on both sides of the fence in publishing. I started out as an Indie Author in 2009 after a student in Germany recommended that I try out the newly evolving Indie Publishing avenue. I trusted his opinions, as he was then the CFO of the largest bookstore chain in German-speaking Europe, Thalia. He and I had spent countless hours talking about books, book distribution, book marketing and publishing and he had expanded my already established love of books.

I self-published Thunder and Blood in April of 2009 and it was moderately successful. I had intended to publish a sequel in 2010, but became absorbed in family life and my son was born in May of that year.

In 2011, I met a fascinating man named Michael Antcliffe who had written a series of articles about his experiences as he faced death from Malignant Melanoma. I ended up helping him to compile his articles into a book that he used to raise money to help others walking the final path with cancer. I formed Split Tree Publishing with a few close friends after Michael passed away in August 2012.

Split Tree Publishing was in operation for just over two years. During that time, we published a total of eight books. During that time, I began to form a much greater understanding of why the Indie Publishing movement has grown so quickly.

Indie Publishing has never been easier and has been shedding its veil of stigma quickly. Print on Demand services have removed the financial obstacle of printing in large quantities and the marketplace has opened up as a result. POD began the movement that progressed into introduced easy eBook publishing for the individual. While this opened up opportunities for many authors, it has also had its own growing pains.

It became almost too easy for people to publish their work. Where traditional publishers once ensured that books were edited and produced with quality, these checks and balances went by the wayside and the readers suffered because of it. Readers became discouraged by seriously lackluster cover design and began to shun Indie Authors because of the prevalence of unedited work. This lead to massive fluctuation in eBook pricing and, when combined with the increased competition that emerged as the obstacles to publishing lowered, traditional publishers slid quickly into a fight to keep up with the changing technology while still making a profit.

I believe that we are finally at a point where both aspects of publishing are beginning to find a balance. Traditional publishing has its place, especially with authors who lack the drive or knowledge to publish independently, and will continue to be a lure with the prestige that is awarded to an author who has made it through the hurdles associated with going the traditional route.

Indie publishing is also a very valid route. It allows motivated authors to retain control over both the creative process and financial aspects that go into publishing. Where there are gaps in knowledge or skill, services have arisen that can fill those gaps.

But this is a cautionary tale; Indie Authors must ensure that they adhere to a high level of quality from the publication of their very first book. Readers are fickle and don’t look at a publisher’s logo when they pick up a book. If they find something lacking in a book, the author is the brand that they look to, and they have many others to compensate for the deficiency. Once an author is identified as producing shoddy work, that reputation spreads as quickly as the word of a potential bestseller. The number one resource to find new books to read is recommendations, or warnings, from other readers, and this is one idea that traditional publishers have grasped far more quickly than indie publishers.

I’m hopping back into the Indie ring and I have friends who are crossover authors–those who have some indie-published and some traditionally published works.

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for those of us compelled to create worlds and pour our souls onto paper (or screen). I’m happy you’re joining me in the adventure.

Tonight I’m going to be part of a workshop that will focus on Indie Publishing. If you’re in the Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada region feel free to pop by the Waverly Library tonight at 7:00pm.  I’ll be there with my crossover friend H. Leighton Dickson.