That’s fine. If you want to miss out on a bunch of really good books.

Cross-posted to Substack.

I’ve been seeing this sentiment a lot lately. People won’t or have stopped picking up indie books as a general rule. There are obvious reasons why I think that’s a bad policy to have (I mean, hello, I’m an indie author trying to sell books here), but I can also admit there are some issues with the industry right now. However, I do think if you don’t read indie books as a rule, you’re missing out.

More on that in a minute, but first…

This summer has been exhausting. Anyone else feeling it, too? (I know you are, because I’ve talked to a few of you over DM.) I love summer, so it’s not bad exhausting, per se, just different. Usually, we keep a much slower summer pace around here, but I feel like we haven’t stopped moving since the end of May. Pools, beaches, summer camps, dance performances, running and working out, parties, trips… we’ve done it all. And, while we still have many weeks of summer left, I’m almost looking forward to getting back into some kind of routine. (Almost. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.)

So, anyway, I’ve been mainlining caffeine to keep up, if we’re being honest. But I’ve also been very good about meeting my water goal for each day, and I’m pretty proud of that. Yay, me!

I’m seeing a lot of people say they don’t or won’t read indie books. Posts in Facebook reader groups looking for recommendations will say, “No indie books, please.” Flippant comments on Instagram posts about indie authors say, “I don’t usually read indie.” Talking to friends, they’ll say they had a conversation with a reader friend who has stopped reading indie books all together. And, while I don’t have evidence for this, it seems like it’s more prevalent than it used to be.

The funny thing about this, to me, is that when I started reading again, I got a Kindle Unlimited subscription and had no idea that indie publishing was even a thing. All I knew is that some of the books I was loving on there didn’t show up when I searched the public library for them, which didn’t faze me because there are often books that my library hasn’t purchased. As someone who regularly spends money on art of all forms, a $9.99 subscription (at the time) to have access to all these amazing books seemed like a steal.

Were there some books I didn’t like? Sure. But that didn’t faze me either. Not every book is for everyone, and as an English major and teacher, I’ve read a lot of books that have what I would consider poor writing.

I think it’s super cool that the average reader seems more likely to know what indie authors are now, but that clearly still comes with a stigma.

So, where does that stigma come from? That’s a good question. I’m glad you asked. As a disclaimer, I don’t have evidence for anything I’m about to say aside from just being the kind of person who consumes a lot of media and pays attention to trends like this. That said, it seems to be a two-pronged issue. On one hand, there are some readers who have never read indie authors on principle. It seems that they probably believe that indie authors are ones who just couldn’t hack it in the traditional publishing scene and therefore don’t deserve their attention. On the other hand, there are some avid readers who have read indie authors and have since stopped. Reasons for this that I’ve seen include a rash of books that have come out recently with bad pacing or plot, poor editing, a lack of proofreading, and an overall disappointing reading experience. Some others see indie authors behaving badly (attacking reviewers, policing ARC reviews so everyone only submits 5 star reviews, publicly trashing their beta readers, etc) and decide not to read any more of them because of that.

Here’s the thing that might surprise you. I kind of understand all of this reasoning. It’s an easy conclusion to come to that the indie author space is populated solely with writers who couldn’t get a trad deal. Frankly, that’s probably true for a lot of authors, even if it’s not true for me, personally.

As far as the disappointing reading experience, I’m with readers on that one, too. I have read a lot of disappointing books recently. Slow pacing, a promise of tension with no delivery, physical movement of characters through a space that doesn’t make sense. I haven’t read books lately with a ton of typos, but I’m sure they’re out there. I worried for a while that, because I’ve been writing and editing, I know how the sausage is made so to speak, and it’s made me picky. But I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s more a result of a boom in readers of romance and romantasy books and an industry that wants to grab that money quickly. For some (not all, I want to be clear), speed means sacrificing quality. Frankly, this is true for both indie and trad publishers.

But—and here’s what won’t surprise you—the argument for or against indie books is more nuanced than that. When we consider indie authors as those who couldn’t hack it in the big 5, we must also consider that there are many reasons why one might want to go indie despite or because of that. The traditional publishing scene has its issues like any other industry. They gatekeep. It’s basically part of their job description. It’s literally why people think trad books are better; because they’ve been gatekept. But what this usually means is that many groups of authors—authors of color, those with a disability, neurodivergent authors, and many more—end up woefully underrepresented in this space. Which also means we are being denied stories that need to be told—stories that will reach an audience who craves and deserves that representation.

And there are also those who, like me, didn’t want to even pursue traditional publishing. I have many reasons for this, and while the grass seems greener sometimes, I’ve rarely regretted my decision to publish myself. I can write the books I want, have control over things like cover design and editing, and publish as many books as I want in whatever timeframe I choose. I have a boss already (several, actually). I don’t need another one. I’ll never quit teaching, so this is something I’m doing for me. Indie publishing fits that bill, and I’m happy with it for now.

But the disappointing reader experience is something I feel deeply. I am an author, which means I am an entertainer. My job is to present a text that provides a good experience for the reader. This is different than a text that a reader will like; that is impossible to predict. But there are ways to ensure the book moves at a good pace, there are minimal overused words, and there aren’t any plot holes. My job as an editor is also to ensure these things, and to advocate for the reader when I see issues pop up in a manuscript.

Many, many indie authors employ professional critique circles and editors just like any traditionally published author would. I do! I select my early readers very carefully based on the feedback I need, and my books go through several rounds of editing. When I push “publish,” I am confident that it is a book that could stand in the trad crowd. Most of the authors I know are the same way. They take their art and their work seriously, and welcome professional feedback as part of their drafting process.

I don’t have any excuses to make for authors behaving badly, except to say that it happens in both indie and trad spaces.

When readers use any or all of these reasons to cut indie books out of their TBRs, it’s probably a case of confirmation bias. Indie anything has a stigma, after all. Any time an artist hasn’t made it through the pearly gates of an industry and tries to pave their own way around them, people have a tendency to look at that and think they only did it because they couldn’t get through… which also implies that they should want to try to get through, and that isn’t always the case, either. But when an indie book pops up that hasn’t been edited, or an indie author attacks a reviewer or makes a comment that their book sat on sub for years and didn’t get any interest, it’s easier for readers to say, “Yep! That’s why I don’t read indie.” Whereas when the same thing happens in the trad space, it’s more likely to be passed off as one bad apple.

Here’s the thing, and I know I’m preaching to the choir on this one (but choirs have to practice, too!). Some indie books are bad, but a lot are wonderful. Some trad books are rough, too, but a lot are fantastic. If you’re eliminating an entire segment of the industry when you select who and what to read, you’re really missing out. Indie publishing has been moving the needle of trad publishing for years now by meeting reader demand for the kind of stories they crave. It’s not an accident that we’re seeing so many indie books blow up and eventually shift into the trad space; readers are saying they want these books, and trad publishers want to distribute them.

So, since I know you’re reading indie because you’re here, what can you even do about this? Another good question. I’d urge you to engage with these conversations when you see them. Ask readers why they won’t read indie, or what is holding them back from giving these books a try. And then recommend a specific one you loved! Readers are far more likely to give books a try if the rec comes from someone they trust.

Christmas by Design is in the final editing stages, and is almost ready to be formatted! I re-read it after some time away from it, and it’s so cute, y’all. Don’t forget, I’m not doing ARCs for this one because it’s so short, and pre-orders open July 25. I’m also doing a cover reveal that day, so if you want to help out, just reply to this email and I’ll get you on the list!

The Write Time celebrated its first anniversary yesterday! We started a buddy read that you are welcome to still join if you want. Just let me know, and I’ll add you to the Instagram group chat.

The Write Choice audiobook primary recording is done. We’ve got editing and pickups left, but it’s safe to say that this book will be in your earbuds very, very soon.

Casting has also started for the Common Grounds audiobook with Tantor! I am so excited about bringing Emery and Trevor to life.

My new full-length novel is also coming along swimmingly. I love these characters beyond reason. I know I say this about every book, probably, but there’s just something so SWEET about these two.

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura was billed as Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone, and I’ve never bought a book so fast in my life. I finally got around to reading it, and it was a fun summer book. I expected a bit more adventure on the page than we got, but you can’t go wrong with a badass heroine and a smartass hero on an expedition in the jungle. “Your tent or mine,” indeed.

That’s all for now! I went a little different on the thoughts for this post, so if let me know what you thought in the comments! I have a whole series in mind about indie publishing, but I want to know if you want to see something like that first. So tell me!

Happy reading!