Why independent publishing is so tough for many authors

The transition from traditional to independent publishing has been a mixed bag for authors. It has opened up a wealth of opportunities — but it’s also created a ton of competition.

Talented writers who couldn’t get published in the past, either because they were overlooked or didn’t fit into publishers’ marketing plans, can now get their books into print (and onto Kindle) all by themselves. But not-so-talented writers have the same access. That means the publishers’ slush pile has turned into a readers’ slush pile, and good material can still get lost in the shuffle.

But that’s not the only fallout from the new Wild West of publishing.

The decline of traditional promotional outlets like newspapers has taken a toll as well. When it comes to marketing, social media sites have taken the place of old-line media. Independent authors don’t have access to the promotional tools used by traditional houses, and even those signed to publishing contracts need to do their share of the legwork these days. They’re expected to have a social media presence, and know how to use it — to engage with readers on a personal level.

Many authors, however, are not comfortable doing that.

Writing is, as the saying goes, a lonely profession — and many authors like it that way. J.D. Salinger, William Faulkner, Emily Dickinson, Harper Lee, and others shunned publicity and preferred the comforts of home to the discomforts of the cold, cruel world. Some write to escape that world, and others escape the world to write.

I do both.

A lot of us are introverts, and the increased levels of isolation during the COVID pandemic only reinforced our detachment from the world “out there.” Our books are our babies, and as hard as we may try to let criticism roll off our backs, we’d rather spend our time writing than having to deal with feedback from readers who think they know more about our books than we do.

When I worked in newspapers, I always wanted to respond to criticism with: “If you don’t like how this turned out, you try it. I dare you!” There’s a reason they used to call newspapers “the daily miracle,” and books are no picnic to write, either. If I had a dime for everyone who’s told me they always wanted to write a book...

Many of us have learned to look stop obsessing over (and responding to) Amazon reviews, and we venture out of our seclusion to attend book signings like bears emerging from hibernating in our own creative caves. To mix metaphors, we’re lone wolves, not party animals. When I leave the comfort of home, it’s to hit the open road and find pieces of history on the side of the road, not to interact with other people. Maybe that’s one reason I enjoy visiting abandoned places so much.

Even online, I’d rather be researching than interacting. For many authors, social media sites aren’t our comfort zone, and we’re not necessarily built for making YouTube videos or hosting podcasts. But such things are part and parcel of marketing in current publishing age.

So we’re faced with a few choices: We can hire someone to do that stuff for us. (Like we’re independently wealthy, right?) We can eat into our writing time by doing it ourselves. Or we can say to hell with it and just write for our own enjoyment. But again, it helps to be independently wealthy if you want to do that, or at least retired.

I don’t have any answers on how best to deal with this. It depends, I suppose, on each author’s goals and comfort level.

But these aren’t easy choices.

Some authors don’t have to make them, of course. There are talented writers who get a kick out of promotion; it comes naturally to them. They’re as skilled at marketing, or nearly so, as they are at writing; some enjoy it as much and perhaps even more. More power to them. For most of us, though, it’s not nearly as much fun dealing with the real world and real people as it is creating characters and building our own worlds.

A lot of us wish you’d get to know us through our books because we’re shy, and that’s how we communicate who we are. It’s safer that way.

Indeed, many of us can relate to this quote from author Lauren Myracle: “I live in my own little world, but it’s OK, they know me here.”

That may not be an option in this brave new world of publishing, but we authors aren’t necessarily brave when it comes to social interactions. Some of us have become pretty good at faking it, but most of us would prefer to let our writing speak for us — and for itself.

Stephen H. Provost is a former journalist and the author of 40 books. He’s also an introvert, which is why he’s been able to write 40 books!