So as I venture into this new frontier of being an indy author, it is easy to lose sight of the reason I write. There is a revolution happening in how people select and read books. It is forcing big publishers to reconsider what they publish. A conservative approach may well be the most dangerous thing they can do. Nevertheless, they are printing fewer books and looking for brands they can build. It makes it more difficult for an unknown to break into this world, hence the attraction of becoming an indy author.
There are many of us out there, peddling our wares for free hoping to gain notice. We save our pennies to hire independent editors or risk typo's by taking the plunge without one. It is possible to sell a book on the amazon market place and other etailers without a distributor. It is a positive to have control over your work but a negative to think that anyone can do it or that it is easy.
I keep posting on Textnovel I see all levels of skill. I see budding young talent reaching out and making a community. I see people who write because they have a computer or phone and therefore equate it to skill. There are also consummate fan fiction writers who know how to turn out mainstream commercial plot lines. And lastly I see a trend of extremely talented authors eager just to get their ideas out there.
The point is, electronic publishing is like the ultimate democracy. It is exciting to see what new voices will arise out of all this-and not just from the plethora of fan fiction sites, but real talent that might otherwise never be seen or heard.
Out of it all I want to always remember why it is I write. I write for the love of words, for that feeling of being swept away to another world and presenting that character that makes us step outside of ourselves. I write for the same reason I read. It is an exploration, an experiment and a means to comprehend the world we live in.
Beutifully put, I really relate to the last comment, as to why one writes and reads.
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