The life of an indie author.

19/9/2025

As a child, I loved writing and escaping to the stories I’d write down in my notepads. I’d take pleasure in filling up the pages with numerous different fictional work, now I’m an adult, not much has changed, only that now I have my first novel published and on shelves of major bookstores and Amazon. It’s a surreal feeling, to have my blood, sweat and tears on pages that people have loved to read.

I not only have used bookstores like Waterstones to fill my time, but to escape from the real world whilst disappearing in the shelves of the romance section. And now, Picture This is on that shelf. I found out less than a week ago, and still can’t comprehend that it’s real.

As an indie author, trophies like this are so important, and are quite frankly (most of the time) a one woman/ man show. So let’s talk about what it really is like to be an indie author.

In my opinion, because that’s all it will be in this blog, it is the most rewarding job I do, but also the most hard.

You’re doing it solo, alone. With no publishing house or agent. It’s really hard, and I don’t think it’s spoken about as much as it should be.

Okay. You wrote the book, drafted it about five hundred times, (maybe that’s a bit dramatic) changed a characters name six hundred, and now, you choose to edit it yourself, which could take months, or you decide to pay out heeps for an editor. Then after that, send it out to alpha readers, beta readers and then send out advanced reader copies but not before creating the forms and sending out all the information in personalised emails.

And then you scroll endlessly looking for some information about how to self-publish, who to self-publish with and what sort of costs you’re looking at for all of that, plus book covers, formatting and character art, and sometimes, it’s about who you know, or where to find them.

On top of all of that, you have to promote.

PROMOTE! PROMOTE! PROMOTE!

But how can you do that when the algorithm is swallowing you whole on social media? As of right now, I’m currently drowning in the depths of shadow ban on Instagram as many other small businesses and indie authors I know, are too.

When I’m not creating a social media calendar for the weeks ahead, i’m communicating with an amazing street team of mine that I created through Instagram, and continuing my current works in progress.

So, no gatekeeping here!

For my debut novel Picture This, I found Georgia, who owns and works at Pixel and Quill studio on Instagram. I was lucky and fortunate enough to work with Georgia twice, once for my book cover, and another for paperback formatting, and when I tell you she goes above and beyond EVERY SINGLE TIME! This cost me around 300 GBP in total.

My editing however, was done by a family member who specializes and works as one, I also had numerous readers looking out for spelling errors and plot holes, as well as myself. I asked this of them again, on Instagram, which I find to be the main source of communication with readers.

I then came across Valery’s art on Fiverr after another fellow indie author recommend her work to me, and immediately knew her art was the vibe I wanted to go for. That cost me around 55 GBP.

I then created a link tree, so that my readers could access everything in one space. I paid premium and that cost me 7 GBP per month. I then decided to cancel this and go with this website, which as well as my own domain, I get to completely make it my own, the domain cost me 8 GBP, and 16GBP a month for a website.

I also found that using Book funnel for 10 GBP a year, helps me broaden my search for ARC readers, and is pretty simple to set up and use, downloading a e-book straight to their library.

I use Bowker to maintain my own ISBN’s over both my E-book and paperback version of Picture This. This means that I have rights to where I put my books, I published with Amazon KDP, and they do give you the option of their own, free, ISBN. I recommend reading into this on your own, I also know that Ingram Spark is another rated self-publishing company, but I find it best with Amazon, just as a personal preference and it’s easier for me to navigate. Bowker usually have various deals on for packages with ISBN’s, and are definitely worth owning.

And then after all the hard work is done, and your baby is out in the world, it’s review time.

For my own mental health, I have decided not to look at my reviews obsessively anymore, but I’ll be honest, sometimes my curiosity does get the better of me. I’ve taught myself that everyone is open to the own opinion and able to share that, not everyone is going to love it, not everyone is going to hate it. And that is okay.

But it’s still disheartening, for all authors I’m sure, when we get a bad review. Sure, you could have a hundred good ones, but that one bad review can make you question you’re writing and who you are.

I’m slowly making my way through Mel Robbins’ book, The Let Them Theory, after my mum recommended it to me, and so that’s what I’m doing. Letting them leave their reviews, and letting me not worry about them. It’s a bit different to what I usually read, given that I love fictional novels better than non-fiction, however this is one that truly has my attention, and so I recommend it onwards.

Everyone’s journeys are different, but this is mine, it’s one of my favourites but it’s been hard and is still hard to get there.

If you told me this time last year that I’d have my debut book shelved in Waterstones, I would have told you that you were crazy. But hard work really does pay off, and I urge you, however small your dream is, however out of reach it seems, to reach for it.