Indie by Choice? Abso-Freaking-Lutely.
I recently commented on a post about indie authors choosing to publish independently. There seems to be an assumption that we publish our own books because we couldn’t get a traditional publisher. For me, independent publishing was a choice—and once I realized I could do it myself, there really was never a question.
I am too impatient to wait on a traditional publisher. That might sound funny considering how many years I spent writing Anywhere But Here. That story had been with me for a long time. By the time I finished it, I wanted to share it with readers. I was ready to move forward.
I also wanted control over my intellectual property and the creative decisions that would bring my books into the world.
These stories have grown in ways I couldn’t have planned at the beginning. Michelle inspired the revisions to The Space Between Songs. Then side characters in Songs demanded their own story, and Midway Saints took shape. Sometimes I think I’m deciding what to write next, and sometimes the characters seem to have already made that decision.
Being an indie author lets me follow those stories as they develop. I can take the time to revise, listen to what a character needs, and decide when a book is ready to share.
That creative freedom extends to my covers. I love photography, and using my own photographs lets me bring two parts of my creative life together.
For Anywhere But Here, I went out at sunset to photograph the Sandia Mountains. Those mountains are such a huge part of the book that I wanted them on the cover. Finding the image meant going out with my camera and looking for the light that felt right for the story.
For The Space Between Songs, I went looking for trees. Again, I wanted to find and photograph something that belonged with the book I had written.
And for Midway Saints, I went to my family’s ranch for the cover photograph. There is something especially meaningful about bringing a place connected to my own family into the presentation of that story.
Those photographs are part of what I love about doing this myself. I get to write the books, go looking for their covers, and make the choices that connect the words inside to the image a reader sees first.
There is plenty of work involved. Revisions, formatting, covers, publishing decisions, and helping readers find the books all take time. I’m still learning, and each book teaches me something new. But I enjoy having a hand in the whole process.
Traditional publishing is a path many writers want, and I respect that. My choice came from knowing what mattered to me: ownership of my work, creative control, and the freedom to share stories I had already spent years bringing to life.
From the Sandias at sunset to a search for trees to my family’s ranch, these books carry pieces of my creative life before a reader even opens the cover. I’m proud of that. Indie by choice? Abso-Freaking-Lutely.
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