Chapter 1: Welcome to the Future of Publishing

In the past, writers had to depend on the approval of gatekeepers to get their work published. In 2025 it’s a whole new ballgame. Welcome to the future, where you can take control of your own destiny as an independent author.

This book will empower you. You’ll learn everything you need to know about publishing, marketing and managing your author business.

Let’s get started.

“The most helpful quality a writer can cultivate is self-confidence – arrogance, if you can manage it. You write to impose yourself on the world, and you have to believe in your own ability when the world shows no sign of agreeing with you.

If you are unpublished you can still say to yourself, “I am a writer.” You should define yourself as such.”

HILARY MANTEL

ALL ABOUT INDIE PUBLISHING

Embrace Your Inner Velociraptor

I’ve been researching indie publishing for a decade now. I know this because I was out for an afternoon walk with my earphones in, pregnant with my daughter – who is now nine – when I listened to my very first “Creative Penn” podcast¹ and my life irrevocably changed.

It sounds melodramatic, but on that very normal day I left the house and by the time I came back an hour later I was nervous and excited, knowing my life would never be the same. I told my rather concerned-looking husband that our lives were going to change, and I was right.

I knew without a doubt that this was the career for me, and what a rollercoaster of a time it has been. Demanding, frustrating, disillusioning, wonderful and thrilling.

It’s not for the fainthearted, but we’re authors, after all. We know all about the hero’s journey.

Before that fateful day, I used to think of self-publishing as a last resort for rejected writers, but now I wouldn’t dream of approaching a traditional publishing house with my manuscripts. I see them as heavyset troglodytes, slow to move, impossible to pivot, while indies are more like … velociraptors? Quick, nimble, with a birds eye view of infinite opportunities. Also, we like snacks.

Today’s independent authors are savvy business people who make a conscious decision to take ownership of their books and careers. For many successful indies, self-publishing has proven far more lucrative than traditional publishing.

Some people still rail at the lack of quality in self-publishing, but I find this stigma backward indeed. No matter how you look at it, digital publishing is the future. I don’t spend my energy worrying about inferior books in stores and I’d urge you to do the same. Poorly written publications won’t sell; AI slop won’t sell; they will sink to the bottom of this very lively ecosystem.

I’d rather spend my time focusing on my own craft and growing my author business.

Indie publishing is a good option for authors with an entrepreneurial spirit, who are resilient, adaptable, and able to learn new skills — and people who want to control all aspects of their book’s publication.

Authors who enjoy writing in genres also benefit from indie publishing. Traditional publishers tend to focus on mainstream books that appeal to a wide audience – they need to, in order to cover their bloated overheads and the high costs of bulk printing. However, authors who write experimental or niche fiction are no longer constrained by this and can successfully reach their smaller audiences.

Today we can send our books to anyone anywhere in the world if they have an internet connection.

It’s incredible if you think about it. Our stories, delivered like lightning. Didn’t I say we are already living in the future? We don’t have to worry about stock levels or warehousing costs, and we can sell the same product a million times a day without lifting breaking a sweat.