April is Indie Author Month

Happy Indie Author Month! Yes, that’s right, April is the month of indie authors. Indie authors may have a variety of reasons for why they decide not to take the road more traveled, but no matter what the reason, I can say without a doubt it takes a lot of grit and determination.

When I chose not to seek an agent and skipped the traditional publishing route, I was terrified. If it wasn’t for my dear friend and author mentor, Author A.A. Lewis, I’m not sure I would have ever taken the plunge into the indie author world. She guided me through all the steps of the process and was there for me when I had countless questions along the way.

Being an indie author means you manage all aspects of your writing business. You’re not just the author making magic happen on the page; you are the social media expert, website manager, public relations coordinator, business guru, and more. If you’re lucky, you have family and friends that you can guilt into helping you with different aspects of the business. But still, at the end of the day, all the responsibilities fall on your shoulders.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade being an indie author for the world! This control freak loves managing all of the above tasks, even if I do appear frazzled at times. But I have loved every minute of the last four years.

I have learned so much about the book business and met countless fellow indie authors along the way. I truly believe my writing has improved because of the amazing and talented wordsmiths around me.

So, this month, perhaps you should support more indie authors. We truly put our blood, sweat, and tears into our work. We juggle daytime jobs while we stay up late writing the night away. We skip weekends of relaxing so we can share our books at festivals and shows.

Need a good indie author recommendation? Follow me on Instagram, where for the rest of the month, I will be sharing fellow indie authors I have the honor to call friends and have had the privilege to read their amazing stories. I promise you, your next indie author is out there, waiting to sell you, their book!