Have I ever told you how much I like being an indie author?
Sure, you have to do everything yourself, and often you feel that you’re not qualified to do it. And there are no guarantees you will sell even one of your books.
But I am the kind of guy who is bored easily. Being my own boss means I get to not only write the blamed thing, but make sure it is edited, formatted and sent to the publishers (in my case, Kindle, Smashwords and CreateSpace). In addition, I get to come up with the cover concept, find and hire an artist for said cover, and negotiate a deal with said artist. And then there’s the marketing, something I feel highly unqualified to do.
But if you are doing it for fun (as I am), and making money is not your primary thing, it can be a rush. When it goes well, you can sit back and smile, knowing that you did everything. When it goes bad, you have no one else to blame.
Right now I am between projects. I am working on the storyline of a new book co-authored by Celeste Perrino-Walker, and putting some thought into one of my own, which to this point is only a glimmer in my mind’s eye. In addition, my son and I are turning one of my short stories into a short film. He has his MFA in film and even though he isn’t working in the film industry, we look forward to doing projects like this together. He has named me Producer, which means I pay the bills and do logistics such as finding a location for us to shoot. This morning I am going through music online to try to find a theme song. It’s fun, as long as you’re patient and don’t have to do it in a hurry.
That’s another bennie of being an indie author. When my book on end times If Tomorrow Comes came out, two young men in California wanted to make it into a feature film. But the copyright was owned by my publisher, who promptly turned their offer down. Were they to approach me today, I would work with them–because I could. That’s the beauty of being your own boss.
The bad side, as I have said, is having no one else to blame. My latest book, Chosen, has yet to sell one copy. That’s not good. I had in the back of my mind making it into a series, but at this rate, it may never happen. Anyone want a free book? I will gladly send you one in exchange for a review.
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend, and make sure you stop by Amazon and get a free copy of The Heretic (before Sunday).
The Great Adventure 
Mr. Robinson, your life as an indie author sounds exciting. I’m going for a writing degree and am still in school, but when I graduate, I hope that I can, like you said, do it for more than the money. I also love the idea of having freedom to collaborate with other artists! Best of luck in your future projects!
And best of luck to you too, Charnell! Writing is notoriously a lonely task, but being an indie writer makes it a little less lonely. Make sure you network with other indie writers, and don’t be afraid to fail…once in a while.