This post, by John Austin, originally appeared on his Writers Welcome Blog! on 12/9/11.
More insight from writer-publisher-entrepreneur-businesswoman Joanna Penn (Please visit my post Future Publishing and Book Selling – An Insight RE Joanna on my Publishing/Writing: Insights, News, Intrigue blog) for even more background.
Confusion is evident in the fast changing world of publishing … especially in understanding just what in the hell is an ‘indie’ author and an ‘indie’ publisher … I know I get mashed potato brains thinking about it at times! 🙂
Here is a post by Joanna Penn from her Creative Penn blog that brings clarity and is one of the best, all-inclusive explanations I’ve heard to date:
Self-Publishing And The Definition Of An Indie Author
I’ve been at two publishing conferences in the last week and it’s evident that myths and misconceptions abound when it comes to independent authors and self-publishing.
Book Machine’s Publishing Now even had a debate on the motion “Self-publishing is devaluing publishing.” In a heated discussion afterwards, I could see that the definition of ‘indie’ as it applies to authors is still misunderstood. Of course, when mainstream publishers like Penguin announce their own self-publishing arms, it can be difficult to know what the hell is going on!
Read the rest of the post on Writers Welcome Blog!. Also see How Darcie Chan Became a Best-Selling Author on The Wall Street Journal and How to Self-Publish an Ebook on PC Magazine.