Authors In Oz

Being an Indie Author means being a human author. Not that other authors are robots or reptilians. But they're a bit like Dorothy going through the gussying up in Oz before they meet the Wizard. They have a host of line, copy, and story edits, before they have an art department and marketing team slap, spit, and polish the work so it can shimmy into a pair of red slippers.

Indie authors are wearing a more fallible frock. I'm not saying they're less talented or capable. I've read a number of Indie books, and there are many as well done as traditionally published works. But these noble authors must rely on themselves to sort out the edits, covers, formatting, and marketing. They are the end all be all to their own universe.

It's part of why I admire Indie authors. It's a passion that propels them to work to such a degree. A mad and uncomplicated love of story. Why else would they put the weight of their world smack down on the crown of their head?

My hope, with the ever-shifting landscape of publishing, is that Indie Authors will continue to seek the wizard. They will work harder yet, spending more time and money on editors and honing their craft. That the books that come out electronically will continue marching towards the grammatical and shaped quality as the traditional books.

And that hope crosses over to traditional authors. That they will continue their tireless efforts in creating the best story they can. Each and every time, so they wow us levels above what we know now.

It's a wonderfully exciting time, and I admire all of the gutsy, talented authors. But at the end of the day, when I turn to a book, I don't think about where it came from. I'm simply after the story. For the escape, the entrance into that rare new world, and that connection to a higher sense of self and possibility.

Because what matters most is that inside a story, there's no place like this new home.


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