Indie or Trad: Finding your path like a Disney princess

For a lot of aspiring writers, the idea of publication can seem impossible. The mere suggestion of sending queries makes them want to hurl. Understandably so--it's a daunting task! Who do you query to? How many queries do you send? The possibilities are endless. And so are the anxieties.

In sapphic fiction, the options are usually small (traditional, or trad) press, or going independent (indie). As of writing this, the most well-known publishing houses are Bella Books, Bold Strokes Books, and Ylva Publishing. These presses are dedicated to printing sapphic fiction across genres. One can try their luck with some of the bigger publishing houses, like Penguin, SImon & Schuster, HarperCollins, etc, but it can be hard for a new author to gain any traction. Smaller presses mean more attention on you and your project, and a bit more connection for the publisher itself.

Many popular authors choose to publish independently. With the rise and ease of Amazon's KDP program, it's become much easier for an author to self-publish. Many of the top 10 sapphic authors in our community are self-published! It's no longer considered second-rate to trad publishing--self-publishing is a legitimate route for any author to take.

You may be thinking, "Okay, TJ, that's great but that's not helpful! Just tell me what to do!"

Well, I can't make that decision for you. However, I can get you a pros and cons list as I see it, and you can decide which route fits best into your life.

THING TO CONSIDER	INDIE	TRAD
COST	Higher cost upfront	Almost no cost upfront
PROFIT	More profit	Less profit
TIME	Much more labor-intensive	Less labor-intensive
SOCIAL MEDIA	An absolute must. Frequent, somewhat-professional posts and imagery sells books! Engaging with the community sells books.	Not required, but certainly helpful.
MARKETING	Good to know market trends, keeping up with other authors in your genre, creating engaging and professional imagery	Not much knowledge needed--the publisher may guide you.
RISK	Higher risk, higher reward	Lower risk, lower reward

So, what to do?

For me, the decision to go indie after traditional publishing for several years was complicated and nuanced, but ultimately it came down to two things: time, and skill.

I signed a contract with Bella Books in 2021 for my debut novel, Beyond the Blue. At the time, I was working full-time, living in a one-bedroom apartment with my then-girlfriend and our cat. By the time my second book, To Be With You, was published, I had a new house, a newborn, a wife, and the same full-time job and same cat. Suffice it to say, I did not have a lot of time on my hands. For that reason, trad publishing was perfect. I could not invest more time into writing, marketing, and publishing.

As time went on, and I got a little more time back, I realized I had both the time and the skill to take on independent publishing. I met several indie authors who encouraged me to take the leap. Their support, in combination with my wife's, gave me the courage needed to strike out on my own.

It's a LOT of work. I'm only just at the beginning and it's quite a consuming second job. (Or, really, third job. First is being Mom, then my day job, then writing.) It requires technical knowledge, multi-tasking, constant follow-up, a million subscriptions to places like Canva or BookFunnel. It's expensive! However, it also has given me full control over my journey as an author. I'm beholden to no deadlines but my own. My effort is rewarded with my profit. There's no middleman! There's just me.

• Engage with the community. Follow authors, readers, bookstagrammers, etc, on your social platforms of choice. Engage, engage, engage!

• Familiarize yourself with Canva or an image-making software.

• Find your method--are you a plotter or pantser? Do you use an app like Scrivener, or are you a Word purest?

• Hire an editor. Cannot stress enough how much you need to hire an editor. It's hard to tell a trad published book from a self-published book, but VERY easy to tell when a book has not been edited.

• If you don't know--ask! Not sure if you need a beta or sensitivity reader? Ask! The sapphic fiction community is a good one; people are always looking to help.

• For the love of all that is holy, DON'T FUCKING USE AI. Don't use it to write, to outline, to make art, to do ANYTHING. Generative AI should never be anywhere near a creative pursuit. If you're inclined to use generative AI, you should maybe reconsider a career as a writer.

So, what's right for you? Only one way to find out--WRITE THAT BOOK. The journey can't start until you put your brilliant words to page.

Let's see how far you'll go!

Sorry, my kid's been obsessed with Moana for like almost two years. There is no more silence. There is only Moana.