It's Not Easy Being An Indie

As many of you know, I've considered myself an independent author for close to 6 years now. While one would think I should know all of the ropes by now, the truth of the matter is there are quite a few things I need to learn.

One thing an independent author needs to learn is patience, and I admit, it's one thing I have struggled with throughout my life, let alone one as a writer. I see other authors churn out books ad nauseum, and I want to have that same capability. Unfortunately, most of these authors have a huge support system in place, whether it be personal assistants (PAs), editors, and beta-readers. These are things I am slowly attempting to obtain, but it's not easy. The thing I'm concerned about is the probability where these cost money, and when one is not really the master of his own budget (which I admit, is due to some bad life choices caused by personal demons), it's tough to "keep up with the Jones's," per se.

It's funny; I liken myself in this industry to a pro wrestler on the independent circuit. A worker who toils away at their craft, waiting for their big break. I know it's all a matter of exposure, and creating a fan base. However, I can't help but feel envious of those who have a decent following. I figure it's because they have been able to have their support system for a while. That being said, I like to believe I have a support system, but not a devout one. My sales have lagged in recent months, save for last November when I had a new release. I get the reading audience can be fickle in the aspect of "what have you put out lately?" But, when you're a person (with a multiple-author personality disorder) who has released a dozen titles over three genres, it's difficult to tap into that "sweet spot" niche.

I still do my best to improve my writing, and having someone beta-read one of works-in-process helped. I appreciated their feedback, but felt a little disheartened about having to rewrite a huge chunk of it. This is where the patience comes in. I need to learn to be patient, and not inflict self-pressure to churn out my stories at a record pace. My only concern is alienating my readers because it's taking so long to pump out new material. The long story short, I'm intimidated by the current marketplace where the line between quality and quantity is blurred. I want to please my audience with the stories I tell, but the fact it has taken longer than expected is frustrating.

I'm probably beating a dead horse here. I want to build a following and an audience by attracting them to the books I've already put out, while toiling (albeit slowly) on new material I will release in the future, but when there are more and more books out there for consumption, I can't help but feel lost in the shuffle, though.