By Cami Walters-Nihipali
Here’s a few things I’ve come to understand about independent publishing since starting on this journey in 2016:
It’s hard work. Not only are you the author, but you’re the publisher and the marketer (and any other hat that might need to be worn).
It’s expensive.
An alternate form of income (besides just book selling) will be important for a while, maybe forever.
There are a lot of people out there interested in being published.
Traditional publishing is a slow moving industry. It doesn’t like change. At all. But change is happening.
There’s still a stigma attached to independent publishing, but this is slowly changing.
There are a lot of people out there who are trying to get a foot in the door to freelance gigs (graphic artists, editors, writers, illustrators, voice actors, book coaches, so on and so forth).
Which also means there are a lot of predators out there in both the traditional and independent scope of things preying on artists’ dreams (because they don’t know better… yet).
So, that’s what I figure needs to change, my friends. We need all of us to know better as we step into this realm. We need a common vocabulary, industry standard language for independent contractors (editors, cover artists, graphic designers, etc). While all of this exists in many various corners of the world wide web, many independent writers (and perhaps artists) are struggling to find the information.
My goal with this next blog series, my friends, is to support a common framework so that we’re speaking the same language and hopefully keeping one another from getting swindled. And hopefully it will help alleviate some of the confusion (because I sure know I felt it when I first started out, and still battle with bouts of it from time to time).
First, here are a few Author and Publisher Organizations that can help answer questions:
Independent Book Publishers Association (ibpa.org)
Alliance of Independent Authors (allianceofindependentauthors.org)
The Author’s Guild (theauthorsguild.org)
Early on my journey, a writer friend shared she’d hired a “publisher” to help her with her book. The publisher presented a contract, promised things like a cover designer, an editor, formatting, and the like. The author paid a percentage for the initial work to get done. And suddenly the “publisher” was gone with her money. I also saw a TikTok recently about a newer author who’d found a freelance beta reader on Fivver who claimed to also do light edits (whatever that means), read the manuscript and gave it back with minimal notes and very few editorial marks (having missed a bunch). The author had paid hundreds of dollars for the work that failed to meet her needs and expectations.
So here are 3 tidbits of advice I have for all indie artists when looking to contract outside work:
Know what you want and what you need. Be very specific with yourself about what work you need contracted. This way, you can be very clear and concise with any possible freelancers what you want and need. I would suggest writing it down! For example, your book is done, but you need a copy edit. Know what a copy edit is and what you want to see in a copy editor. Or maybe you’re stuck on the second draft and you don’t know how to climb over the obstacle to keep moving forward, you might need a story coach. What would you need in that kind of person. The best thing to do when walking into a situation where you are looking to pay someone for help, is to be very clear with your needs and your expectations. So know them up front!
Look for professionals! One way to do this is to visit professional organizations like Editors Freelance Association, or the Author’s Guild. People who register with these sorts of organizations have access to professional knowledge and standards. While a fraud could be a member, the cost to register with these organizations might weed out some of those kinds of predators.
Ask for references and samples. Anyone can throw together a website, say they do a certain kind of work or provide a service, and offer you a “contract” they’ve pulled from the internet. As for references you can contact, work samples that showcase the kind of work you are looking to contract, and any testimonials that might accompany the work.
If you have another bit of advice, drop it in the comments!
Here’s an example of industry professionals who front load the advice above: NY Editors
Next Blog: the 4 kinds of readers versus the four kinds of editors. It’s important to know the definitions of each and difference.
I’ll be live on Instagram on Wednesday (3PM Eastern, 12PM Pacific) answering questions about indie author life. Got a question, drop it in the comments, or visit me on Instagram @mixedplatepress and dm me.