The Indie Author: honest interviews with self-published authors

by Jasraj Hothi

Writing a book will change your life. This book will help you do exactly that.The Indie Author puts you inside the hearts and minds of regular folks who have stepped into their identity as writers and done something quite extraordinary… written and release a book into the world.Discover the raw and honest accounts of writers of self-published works that include fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, plus other genres and sub-genres.Carefully put together over the course of two years, The Indie Author will help you navigate the different parts of the writing journey and gently move you along it.Thousands of writers across the world have bravely taken the indie path, writing their unique stories and publishing them without permission.The Indie Author will help you write and release that book inside of you, and experience the unexpected joys that come with the self-publishing journey.—“Learning indie publishing grew me up in a lot of ways, including in areas I’d been avoiding owning as my true self. The control, the pursuit of my own vision, the responsibility of having to make so many decisions and making them—it all made me a better, more self-loving, more empowered, more generous, and happier person.”~Alice Archer“I’ve always loved detective stories. The first books for grown-ups I read were the Agatha Christie novels. I must have read them all by the time I was fifteen. In my own writing, I like being able to throw up all kinds of clues, put in twists. Crime seemed to offer the best medium for me to do that.”~ Blair Denholm“Undoubtedly, that agent’s rejection letter pushed me to become a better writer. But once I’d written and polished it for publication, I couldn’t stand the idea of losing years querying again. I needed to get my book out there. So I self-published and never looked back.”~ Cynthia L. Schneider“I realize that I’m essentially doing the same thing now that I did then; I’m writing about people who have histories of abuse and trauma finding and learning to love themselves.”~ Katherine Turner“I never expected to be a writer until I started hearing the voice of Addie Mae Aubrey, the Southern, African-American narrator of my novel. She was very insistent that I tell her story, so I began to write her words that I heard in my head.”~ Lynnda Pollio“Writing fills me with joy. It lets me feel creative and challenges me every day. Not long ago, I had to give up my profession because of medical reasons and I never thought I’d find that kind of passion in my work again. Writing has brought that spark back into my work life.”~ M.C. Sheridan“Find a writing group. Find a group of people you click with and you like interacting with. They can be in the physical world or just online. And then just talk with them. A lot. Share the journey together.”~ Mike Ripplinger“I am a slow writer. It took me around four years to complete it, from draft to editing (and more editing, and more editing) to shopping it around, to more editing, and finally choosing to self-publish.”~ Patricia Correll

520 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2021

Reviews

[Lauren Sapala · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a short book, but I binge-read the whole thing in less than 72 hours. I started reading with the intention of only consuming a few pages and then, hours later, I was still lying on my bed with eye strain, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading just one more interview…and then one more, and one more after that.

I’m an indie author myself so, yes, of course the 50 interviews with indie authors in this book resonated with me. But I think this book is also a hidden gem for those who are unpublished, or who are not writing at all as they are still getting over the fear of starting. The people in this book come from all walks of life—and I mean ALL walks of life—and from all over the world. One of the things I found the most fascinating was hearing about all the different jobs people are working at while they pursue their writing dreams. Translators, accountants, scientific researchers, teachers, stay-at-home parents, school bus drivers, you name it. It gave me so much hope that writing a book really can be accomplished no matter what kind of unconventional life situation you might be in.

The other thing I loved (and the reason I’ll be recommending it to all my writer friends and my writer clients) is that it is a true treasure trove of information on marketing. The authors in these interviews share the nitty-gritty of what’s worked for them, what hasn’t, and how they feel about all of it. You can save yourself hours of research on Google simply by reading this book and experimenting with what you find inside. The authors interviewed write in genres ranging from fantasy to literary fiction, to self-help and business, to poetry and memoir, and you’ll find marketing tips and information covering everything, as well as how to be a one-person book marketing team without losing your mind.

Finally, what touched my heart so deeply was how each author answered the question: “What would you tell your younger self as a writer?” Just about every single person said some variation of, “Don’t be afraid. Just do it. Write. Follow your heart and write the stories inside you. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, because you are a writer.” It brought tears to my eyes when I read someone’s answer to this question, every time.

The description of this book is right on target and more true than anything I can say here: “If you call yourself a writer, if you are an aspiring writer, or you are someone who wants to write a book one day, this book is for you.” I’d like to add, “Even if you are someone who is still too afraid to claim yourself as a writer but you know you have a story inside you, this book is for you too.” I think this book will give so many writers so much inspiration to follow their dreams and never look back.

Truly an invaluable read.

[Katherine Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a real treat! I suppose I expected on some level to read a lot of stories that sounded very much alike, and was I ever wrong. Each author who was interviewed had such an incredibly unique story, many of which will sit in my heart for a long time. There are authors who began writing late in life as well as those whose earliest memories involved wielding a pencil, and everything in between.

As an indie author myself, I found enormous value in reading what all these other authors had to say about the things they'd tried, what worked and what didn't and why, their favorite tools and platforms, and even their favorite books. It took me longer than I expected to read this book, but not because it's a long one... because I kept needing to set it aside to jot down notes about different things to try and ideas sparked by these incredible interviews.

If you're an indie author, do yourself a favor and read this book - you'll be so glad you did. And if you aren't, you should read it, too, in order to learn a little more about all the hats an indie author must wear. Regardless of who you are, you're likely to come away with a better understanding of and deeper respect for writers in the indie scene.

[Gurpreet Dhariwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are struggling to publish your first book on your own then this is the book for you.

I started reading it last year and since then I have been reading one interview a day and today in the afternoon I happened to complete it.

It's full of answers and your quest questions like "Is self-publishing a great way to start your journey as an author"?

It will give you many tips and information about how to go about becoming an Indie Author. By the blessings of God, my interview too got published in this fantastic book. I wish I did it at this moment when I have three books in my kitty but never mind, I am still able to do more interviews as they are coming my way.

I genuinely loved the interviews by J.A.Plosker, Katherine Turner, Mark Pierce, Nikki Marrone, and Steven Morgan.

Please do read this book and become your own boss by taking all the creative control in your hands.

[Eline Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reads like a box of chocolates. 50 writers share in interview-style about their journey in self publishing. A lovely read for every (aspiring) writer.

Especially recommended if you’re an INF on the MBTI. As an INFP myself I recognized a lot in what was shared in this book about workpace and writing processes.

The stories inside motivate and inspire, and are also a treasure of resources and information. As the authors share about their favorite books, software and marketing methods. I found myself frequently pausing my read, and search for those sources.

By reading this book you can also pile up your TBR-list, al those background stories tinker curiosity to read the books those writers wrote.

[Elisabeth Valienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF.

I really tried to force it, but this felt super dry and awkward. I wasn't engaged with most of the interviews.