Indie or Traditionally Published Books?
@dramagirl26 (3259)
Ringgold, Virginia
July 22, 2017 3:56pm CST
There's a bunch of writers and readers here on MyLot and I want to get everyone's opinion on the ongoing debate of indie vs traditionally published books.
With traditionally published books that means the story has been created through a publisher, either big or small. Indie books means that the author has created it and published it by themselves through online book retailers.
In recent years, there's been an increase in authors choosing self-publishing, although they may not get as much attention as traditionally published writers.
So authors, do you prefer to publish your books independently or through a publisher?
Readers, do you read indie books or prefer books from a publisher?
10 people like this
12 responses
@valmnz (17099)
• New Zealand
22 Jul 17
Many of my writing friends, myself included, prefer to publish independently. You're not just restricted to online retailers, but independent and local retailers are good outlets. Many of us believe that current contracts are too restrictive. And it takes too long to get your book out into the market. We do have a strong self-publishing culture here in New Zealand though.
2 people like this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@valmnz Self publishing has become a huge market for new authors. With the way some publishers are, I think many writers don't want to deal with all the hassle.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
22 Jul 17
@Ithink Wow! You read more than me lol. It's good that you read both, I know some readers may have a preference.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@LadyDuck The main thing is if you like the story.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458829)
• Switzerland
24 Jul 17
@dramagirl26 Exactly, self publishing is very expensive here in Europe, this is why most authors try to go through a publisher.
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@DianneN Some indie authors tend to rush things thus making the story bad.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@RubyHawk It's great that your grandson is a writer and he's doing well in his career.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@maezee I've found a lot of self-published books and authors through social media.
@Letranknight2015 (51536)
• Philippines
24 Jul 17
I thought the word indie usually done in the movies, I didn't realize that some people doesn't really publish the books on their own.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
24 Jul 17
@Letranknight2015 Within the last couple of years, writer of have self-publishing their books. Thanks to sites like Amazon, Createspace, and Smashwords; authors can easily publish their books.
@KristenH (33352)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
22 Jul 17
There's a difference between the two. For small and traditional publishers, you have to query agents and/or editors. That's the route I'm doing, since I have agent interest--even from 3 small pubs too. For indie pub, you might need a query, depending on their sub guidelines. Or via Createspace, you don't need one. As a reader, I sometimes do a mix.
1 person likes this
@KristenH (33352)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
22 Jul 17
@dramagirl26 That's true. Some publishers like Tor don't need an agent. A friend of mine landed her publisher SMP via a contest years ago. But you do need an agent these days. True. For me, it's a last resort.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
22 Jul 17
@KristenH Many publishers have different guidelines for submitting manuscripts and sometimes require an agent. I think many writers stick with self-publishing to skip the hassle.
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
24 Jul 17
@HazySue I've found that book promotion can be a problem if you self publish.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@HazySue That's the main thing is finding a book that catches your attention. There's been plenty of good book recommendations here on MyLot.
1 person likes this
@dramagirl26 (3259)
• Ringgold, Virginia
23 Jul 17
@Courtlynn It's alright, I know not many people are big into reading.
1 person likes this
