Comments on: Persistence Pays: For Indie or Traditional Publishing

By: Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 16:07:11 +0000

Thanks, Orly! I'm so honored to be part of your wonderful ongoing conversations on writing and publishing!

By: Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 16:06:19 +0000

In reply to Susan Jennings. Susan, pay attention to those niggles--but, at the same time, if you've got a good team around you, that will go a long way toward helping you succeed no matter what path you choose. Best of luck!

By: Orly Konig Lopez

Orly Konig Lopez — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:39:42 +0000

I'm late to the party! Great seeing you on WITS, Holly!
Definitely sounds like you've hit your stride as a hybrid author. Looking forward to getting my hands on your books!

By: Susan Jennings

Susan Jennings — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 13:37:18 +0000

Holly, Thank you for a wonderful article. I am sitting on the fence right now trying to make an informed decision. Traditional publishing scares me; the rejection, rewrites, time and losing control. I am gradually gathering a good team together as an indie writer and learning how to market a book. After reading your article I have a little niggle at the back of my mind that is suggesting that choosing indie, which I am leaning towards, could be an easy way out.

By: Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 19:47:17 +0000

In reply to August McLaughlin. Thanks to you both, August & Chris, for weighing in. You make great points here about self-publishing and traditional publishing. I think you're right that hybrid offers the best of both worlds right now. Best of luck in your writing.

By: chrishollisauth

chrishollisauth — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 16:19:44 +0000

Good article. I think trad publishers can face a bad rep in certain circles, but they offer experience and expertise which many of us would struggle with alone. Hybrid authors seem to strike the right balance of being able to write commercial fiction with broad appeal, weed out the errors, and still find a platform to experiment with style and structure. Definitely the best of both worlds right now.

By: August McLaughlin

August McLaughlin — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 20:40:18 +0000

Thanks for this post, Holly! I'm in the midst of deciding whether to self-publish, or continue to wait it out with an interested publisher who first expressed interest well over a year and multiple revisions ago. It seems to me that self-publishing can be a great way to prove our audience capabilities--assuming we work smart and our books are well-received. Then, traditional publishers may want to leap on board, and we can decide whether to stay indie or not. Your insight is really helpful!

Wishing you continued, ever-expanding success!

By: Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:37:51 +0000

In reply to Mike Wells. Thanks, Mike, for reading and sharing. You are SO right that it's possible--and desirable--for indie authors to collect their own trusted people around them to help edit and design their work. The most successful self-pubbed people all do this. The only down side is that you really have to do your research to find people you can trust to do the job right, but once you've got them in place, in a way it's better, because they're "yours" and work closely to make your own vision of the book come true. Thanks for pointing that out.

By: Mike Wells

Mike Wells — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 16:51:46 +0000

Great post, thank you for that. I would disagree with one point, though--"Your book will ultimately be much better than you could make it on your own." Not necessarily. Indie authors can build a team around themselves (story editor, copy editor, proofreader, etc.) just as strong as that at any major publishing house. In fact you can use some of the same freelancers they use. It does take time, but I've managed do do it, and I would put my books up against any that come out of the Big 5 now in terms of quality on all levels. Anyway, very informative post -- I will share.

By: Holly Robinson

Holly Robinson — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 16:32:21 +0000

In reply to Jean. Hi Jean, First of all, congrats on finishing your memoir! That's a huge step. Indie is definitely a possibility. Good luck, whatever you do!