Why I Read… Self-Published Stories

Self-published stories are only growing in popularity. Instead of going the traditional route of querying agents and editors, and submitting their books to publishing houses, many writers are opting to do it themselves, printing their books and distributing them through places like Amazon or Barnes & Noble on their own. The authors are often called ‘independent authors,’ or just ‘indie authors.’

There are mixed feelings about this indie trend- some people think it’s the best way to share an original vision with readers, while others feel that the lack of ‘gatekeepers’ produces low-quality works.

While I can definitely sympathize with both sides of the argument, I keep finding myself buying more indie books. I like the rawness of the writing in many stories, I like the flexibility of length, and I like the community around it.

The Rawness

Let’s be real- editors are worthwhile. A professional editor will do wonders for your story, from pacing problems to grammar issues. And while many indie authors work hard at taking care of this aspect themselves, whether by running it past writing partners or even hiring an editor, the majority of these books aren’t as polished as traditionally published books.

But this isn’t a bad thing.

Will everyone like reading books like this? No. For some, it’s an aspect to ignore, and for others, it’s a reason to avoid indie books altogether. But many people, myself included, this clearer view of what went into writing the story is fascinating. As long as a decent amount of time and effort was put into editing, I enjoy the rawness visible in the indie world.

The Flexibility

One of the biggest draws to the indie world is the flexibility authors have in presenting their stories. With traditional publishing, there’s several guidelines that writers, especially debut writers, need to follow. For example, novellas are almost impossible for traditional debut writers to publish. They’re too long for magazines and too short for bookstores.

But in the indie world, there’s way more flexibility in length and form. Some stories are only meant to be forty thousand words in length, and indie publishing is a great choice those stories. Plus, there are lots of different ways to tell a story than the traditional book series.

Look at Kyle Robert Schultz, who writes the awesome Beaumont and Beasley series. He has at least one spinoff series, several connected short stories, and has several more plans for expanding this Afterverse.

Or how about Hannah Heath. She’s in the middle of publishing The Terebinth Tree Chronicles, which are a series of short stories introducing the characters in an unpublished book.

These are both super fun series, and they wouldn’t exist in the same form if they were traditionally published.

The Community

Finally, it’s awesome to be able to interact directly with an author you like. All of the authors I’ve read so far have been super approachable.

I love reading Daley Downing‘s updates (she writes The Order of the Twelve Tribes). E. B. Dawson (author of The Traveler and The Creation of Jack series) has always answered my enthusiastic questions about her worlds. Hannah’s writing tips are always fun, and her youtube channel #chatwithindieauthor is a great way to discover new writers to follow. There’s more, too, that I don’t have space to list.

Whether you prefer twitter or blogging or some other social media, there’s several awesome authors to connect with.

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Why do you read self-published stories?