Does indie have any special appeal?

[MariaESchneider]

I find some of the comments amusing, especially those saying that traditionally published stuff is somehow not as unique, or is homogenized, safe, not exiting etc. As someone that reads 100's of books a year and a large majority are from traditional publishers I say not so. Not at all. And I am a picky reader with a huge passion for books and reading. I like to be surprised, cry and laugh.

I read many many fantastic, exiting, fresh, unique stories. But I do see these comments a lot, usually from self publishers. Here is the thing, they are all authors, period. Just because someone happens to have a contract, does not make them somehow some slave to anything. They write with just as much passion as a SP.
And I as a reader am not somehow settling with going trad published for most of my reads.

Indies aren't re inventing the wheel here. And pretty much everything has been done before, its all in the way its being presented and the journey the author takes me on. If a SP writes in a genre, they will follow what defines that genre, or they aren't writing in it.

Some authors will do it better than others, and it has nothing to do with if they put it out themself, or if they have a publishing contract. Or had one, as I put back list re released by the author in the trad category if it has been published as such.

I gotta say I totally agree with most of this. BUT, there are particular authors that I think get branded into a niche and they aren't allowed to break away from it--their publisher won't let them (Janet Evanovich I'm looking at you.  Although she may be there by her own choice too.  Patterson to some extent, although with others "writing for him" as the rumor has it...)

As someone who reads quite a few cozies, I think getting cornered is fairly frequent in trad publishing.  If an author writes a successful... say "Cat Who" series, she is not going to be encouraged to go off and write "Dogs" or "Tea" or thrillers.  And as a writer, I think a lot of us probably have a few genres in us.  There's a love of exploration that I think gets shut down to some extent after a certain level of success is reached especially in the trad world.  I hear cozy readers gripe and moan and complain if an author takes her characters outside the beloved location (be it Maine or Britain or wherever.)  They want the FULL experience in each book and that often means the same characters, the same seaside, homey location and by God, just bring in someone else to murder no matter how improbable it is that a small town has already had 30 people die by the hand of...30 different perps! 

The publishers know this and they aren't going to encourage (and often refuse to publish) anything different from that "brand."  I've heard authors complaining about it (trad ones, not indies.)  They have a book sitting there ready to go or maybe two or three--but the pub will not even consider it. Or the give it lip service consideration and then say, "We'd like you under contract for 3 more..."

So while I completely agree that there are fresh voices, fresh stories and great stuff in both realms, I do think that as a whole the industry could do a better job "moving" the brand to new series and also taking a chance on letting a known author try something new.

[Selina Fenech]

I find some of the comments amusing, especially those saying that traditionally published stuff is somehow not as unique, or is homogenized, safe, not exiting etc. As someone that reads 100's of books a year and a large majority are from traditional publishers I say not so. Not at all. And I am a picky reader with a huge passion for books and reading. I like to be surprised, cry and laugh.

I read many many fantastic, exiting, fresh, unique stories. But I do see these comments a lot, usually from self publishers. Here is the thing, they are all authors, period. Just because someone happens to have a contract, does not make them somehow some slave to anything. They write with just as much passion as a SP.
And I as a reader am not somehow settling with going trad published for most of my reads.

Indies aren't re inventing the wheel here. And pretty much everything has been done before, its all in the way its being presented and the journey the author takes me on. If a SP writes in a genre, they will follow what defines that genre, or they aren't writing in it.

Some authors will do it better than others, and it has nothing to do with if they put it out themself, or if they have a publishing contract. Or had one, as I put back list re released by the author in the trad category if it has been published as such.

I'm sorry my meaning wasn't clear. I certainly didn't mean that self published authors write better work than traditionally published authors. More that what the agents and publishers are choosing to put out seemed to me to have a smaller range. But like I said, that might just be what I've managed to pick up recently. First it was the range of books from publishers trying to get in on Twilight success, now it's all dystopian (I'm reading a lot of YA books). They publish what seems to be popular at the time, and among that it's rare to find a novel in a genre or style that publishers don't think the mass market is currently into. But indies can, and will publish anything, which, as I said, can be good or bad.

[jumbojohnny]

Ultimately, the answer is yes and no, but seeing as there is a yes in there, then that has to be the priority answer. I think the appeal, whether an indie author wanting exposure, or a reader wanting something different is, the formulaic limitations are not there. Now to be fair to the mainstream / trad industry, they are in business and they want and need to be successful so risks are not something they undertake lightly. But in this world of new methods of publishing, the indie can do what the mainstream cannot, not just because it's shackle free, but because the risks are not as great, you can start with ebooks or POD printing from an outlay of zero if you like, and build from there. Now that's the business and the technical, but the art also plays its part. Vagueness re genres, readerships, categories, a big problem for the mainstream, no problem at all for the indie. If someone wants to write a book about a Monday to Friday burger flipper in Driffield, Yorks, England, who spends his weekends yodelling on top of Mont Blanc apart from the odd Sunday when he referees bouts of wrestling fishwives from Felixstowe, then the indie can easily do this, he or she may not make a single penny, but he or she may make a million. And it is this latter aspect most of all which can be appealing to those willing to give indie authors a chance, not yodelling and wrestling fishwives, (although if that's your bag. . .), but the lack of formulaic constraints.

[Atunah]

I'm sorry my meaning wasn't clear. I certainly didn't mean that self published authors write better work than traditionally published authors. More that what the agents and publishers are choosing to put out seemed to me to have a smaller range. But like I said, that might just be what I've managed to pick up recently. First it was the range of books from publishers trying to get in on Twilight success, now it's all dystopian (I'm reading a lot of YA books). They publish what seems to be popular at the time, and among that it's rare to find a novel in a genre or style that publishers don't think the mass market is currently into. But indies can, and will publish anything, which, as I said, can be good or bad.

I don't read YA, so you know more about that genre. But I have to say I see plenty of YA indy stuff popping up that sounds and looks just like Twilight stuff. Indy's jump on the bandwagons just as much, if not even more as there pay off is more.

I think that is of course one of the best things about self publishing, most of the money goes straight to the author. And they can be more flexible with publication dates and such.
Of course that might not always be a good thing as a SP in many cases does not have anyone telling them its not ready or never will be ready, it just goes out.

I just don't think that Indy's are any more inventive or imaginative, than an author with a contract. And I assume that ever signed authors situation is different. Are some unhappy? Of course, but then there are unhappy indy's that now struggle to get editors and covers.

Popular tropes, are attractive to both kind of authors. Both want to be successful and get readers.

I just never get this "one or the other" kind of views. Just seems like to elevate Indy publishing, one doesn't have to denigrate signed authors. I just sense that tone sometimes. Not your comment in particular, just in general 

As a reader that reads ebooks only, I want both to succeed and provide a healthy and competitive environment. Books are precious to me, so I want good ones to be written 

[Atunah]

I gotta say I totally agree with most of this. BUT, there are particular authors that I think get branded into a niche and they aren't allowed to break away from it--their publisher won't let them (Janet Evanovich I'm looking at you.  Although she may be there by her own choice too.  Patterson to some extent, although with others "writing for him" as the rumor has it...)

As someone who reads quite a few cozies, I think getting cornered is fairly frequent in trad publishing.  If an author writes a successful... say "Cat Who" series, she is not going to be encouraged to go off and write "Dogs" or "Tea" or thrillers.  And as a writer, I think a lot of us probably have a few genres in us.  There's a love of exploration that I think gets shut down to some extent after a certain level of success is reached especially in the trad world.  I hear cozy readers gripe and moan and complain if an author takes her characters outside the beloved location (be it Maine or Britain or wherever.)  They want the FULL experience in each book and that often means the same characters, the same seaside, homey location and by God, just bring in someone else to murder no matter how improbable it is that a small town has already had 30 people die by the hand of...30 different perps! 

The publishers know this and they aren't going to encourage (and often refuse to publish) anything different from that "brand."  I've heard authors complaining about it (trad ones, not indies.)  They have a book sitting there ready to go or maybe two or three--but the pub will not even consider it. Or the give it lip service consideration and then say, "We'd like you under contract for 3 more..."

So while I completely agree that there are fresh voices, fresh stories and great stuff in both realms, I do think that as a whole the industry could do a better job "moving" the brand to new series and also taking a chance on letting a known author try something new.

I wonder if Evanovich is quite happy where she sits, she seems to sell like hotcakes and now a movie  . I only read the first so I don't know how the later ones are.

I wonder if in the future, traditional contracts will evolve. As in, more options for authors, pen names for other works, etc. I see in my reading quite a few trad authors that write under very different names and write various genres and sub genres, so some publishers are already letting their authors try different stuff.

I am just a reader, so all I want are good and great books to read. And mostly I do achieve that, even with it being mostly traditionally published stuff. This Indy (SP) stuff is fairly new to my reading life.

And I am just ecstatic about all the back list stuff being put out now. It has for me the advantage that it has been formally published, so it fits in my vetting process, and I get to save some money 

I think growing has to happen on both ends and in between.

[Michael S]

But the indie community is not putting out highbrow literary fiction.  The most successful authors are genre authors, and all genres have their own tropes and formulae.

Until recently, yes -- but I see that changing quickly. Indie as a 'genre only' phenomenon already feels 2011 to me!

[mooshie78]

I wonder if Evanovich is quite happy where she sits, she seems to sell like hotcakes and now a movie  . I only read the first so I don't know how the later ones are.

Yeah, I'd have to think a lot of successful authors are very happy to just keep writing the same kind of things as it's easy for them to do (as they have the formula down pat) and it's making them a ton of money.  Not much incentive to do something different which would involve more work and maybe lesser sales if it doesn't appeal to their core fanbase.

[Michael S]

It might just be the run of books I've managed to choose lately, but it feels to me as though published books normally fit within the adequate to good range, while indie books can be anything from awful to fantastic.

That's a great way of putting it---and it again reminds me exactly of indie music. I live for the fantastic, and that's why I love it (the books & the music).

[MariaESchneider]

I wonder if Evanovich is quite happy where she sits, she seems to sell like hotcakes and now a movie  . I only read the first so I don't know how the later ones are.

I wonder if in the future, traditional contracts will evolve. As in, more options for authors, pen names for other works, etc. I see in my reading quite a few trad authors that write under very different names and write various genres and sub genres, so some publishers are already letting their authors try different stuff.

I am just a reader, so all I want are good and great books to read. And mostly I do achieve that, even with it being mostly traditionally published stuff. This Indy (SP) stuff is fairly new to my reading life.

And I am just ecstatic about all the back list stuff being put out now. It has for me the advantage that it has been formally published, so it fits in my vetting process, and I get to save some money 

I think growing has to happen on both ends and in between.

Sadly, the most common reason for a pen name is to hide sales of previous books/series and to try to break an author into debut sales records and the like.  A pen name is most often a 'new start" not publishers actively letting or wanting authors to try something new.  I read that Nora Roberts was asked to use a pen name in case the J.D. Robb series failed and that it wasn't until after the first printing that the books mentioned her as Nora Roberts writing as..."   I do not know if that is a true story or not.

Publishers do often suggest an author try a new start with a different series--they like the work overall, the sales have been decent, but just not good enough to extend a contract for a particular series, and the publishers are willing too look at something new.  That is generally the case with a series that is doing so-so--NOT one that is super successful. 

I"m sure Evanovich is pretty happy where she is.  Although I don't know how she can keep writing that series.  It's got to be a lot of work and less fun now.

I'm pretty excited to see the backlist available as well.  There were some series that I didn't even know had books out because in the old days if you didn't happen to see it in a bookstore when it was out--it was there and then gone.  I could have tracked down used copies on Amazon, but never knew they existed!  WIth the backlist coming out now, I have heard of two series that I didn't know had more books!

[LilianaHart]

I agree about the covers. That should be the first thing that grabs your attention. The second thing is the blurb, and that'll make or break my decision to buy at that point.

A good story is a good story, no matter where it's published from. I've read a lot of great indie books this year. And I've read a few not so great. Just like with trad pubbed books.

[Steven Stickler]

I feel about indie books the same way I feel about indie music: some really do it for me, but many don't. The attraction is finding that one true gem that only a few others know about...

[Lursa (aka 9MMare)]

I find some of the comments amusing, especially those saying that traditionally published stuff is somehow not as unique, or is homogenized, safe, not exiting etc. As someone that reads 100's of books a year and a large majority are from traditional publishers I say not so. Not at all. And I am a picky reader with a huge passion for books and reading. I like to be surprised, cry and laugh.

I read many many fantastic, exiting, fresh, unique stories. But I do see these comments a lot, usually from self publishers. Here is the thing, they are all authors, period. Just because someone happens to have a contract, does not make them somehow some slave to anything. They write with just as much passion as a SP.
And I as a reader am not somehow settling with going trad published for most of my reads.

Indies aren't re inventing the wheel here. And pretty much everything has been done before, its all in the way its being presented and the journey the author takes me on. If a SP writes in a genre, they will follow what defines that genre, or they aren't writing in it.

Some authors will do it better than others, and it has nothing to do with if they put it out themself, or if they have a publishing contract. Or had one, as I put back list re released by the author in the trad category if it has been published as such.

Well said.