Going Indie is a scary endeavor for most writers. On occasion things don't work out. Books don't sell. The genre dead ends. Bad timing. Worse luck.
But indie authors can find a small amount of success due to the book blogging community, which is so incredibly supportive. And I sincerely thank the bloggers who have embraced and heartily praised my debut novel.
Obviously, most indie authors have worked extremely hard to get their novels published by traditional means (through an agent or through New York publishing house) but when that didn't happen, they published with a small publisher or decided to self-publish their work. (Blog post on why I decided to go Indie HERE 
) Several predictions have stated that 2012 will be “The Year of the Indie author” and let's hope so! And I've always been a person that roots for the underdog. (Even in movies and books! Movies like Erin Brochovich, Avatar, and The Blind Side allow us to root for the underdog.) Indie authors are the underdogs of the publishing world. They are taking a risk against the odds.
Let's support them!
Although, I may never reach the success of other self-published or indie authors, I won’t look back at my life someday with regret. At least I’ll know I tried. And that’s something, right?
Of course, we can't all be as successful as Ms. Amanda Hocking. If you haven't heard of this talented, self-published writer (though you'd have to be a writer living under a rock--not to have heard of her), she is 26 years old with 9 self-published books, and sells thousands of copies of her eBooks per month. Amazing. I know.
Most writers that decide to go indie (term for both small publishers and self-published) can now make a significant amount of money, if they’re determined, have a marketable product, and they are clever enough to take advantage of the online self-publishing tools available to them. Such as Createaspace, Kindle, and Pub it!
And I cannot stress enough how important it is for writers seeking publication to hire professional editors to review their work BEFORE they publish or submit to agents. (It doesn't mean that you might not still overlook a few typos but by hiring an editor, you should catch most of them.) Okay, I'll stop lecturing. For now.
I recommend hiring a freelance editor to critique your MS and make sure all your grammar is correct. They will give you great, solid advice on improving your prose and story structure. One editor(s) I highly recommend is EDITS [that] ROCK . (This awesome editing agency will work with you on pricing, too.) They sincerely want to help new writers, especially indie authors. I consider Rochelle French (author and editor extraordinaire) a wonderful writing coach. Her approach to editing is dazzling and superb.
Wanna help the underdogs of fiction world?
It's easy! Just recommend your favorite indie books!
Once someone acquires an e-reader device , like an Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo eReader, or whatever, they will want to add lots and lots of books to their new device. But eBooks by most big name authors are expensive. Yet an established indie author's books are much cheaper.
Remember, Indie books are cheaper -- between .99 cents and $4.99 per eBook and between $9.99 and $12.99 for a trade paperback. By recommending an author, it works out great for everyone involved. Your friends get cheaper books, your favorite authors get new readers, and you'll get the satisfying knowledge that you've helped an underdog of fiction find a small amount of success. A win—win. :-)
Root for the underdog!
Do you read Indie authors?
Who are some of your favorite writers?
