Why Do I Bother? The Trials and Tribulations of an Indie Author

I sometimes wonder if people think indie authors just wake up one day, dash out a novel in a few evenings, upload it to Amazon, and sit back as the royalties roll in. If only.

In reality, being an indie author is a glorious, exhausting, wallet-draining exercise in stubbornness and hope. If you’ve ever considered doing it yourself, or just want to know why your friendly neighbourhood writer seems slightly frazzled, here’s a (semi) humorous look at what it actually takes.

First: Actually Writing the Thing

Six months. Minimum. And that’s with actual discipline. It involves coffee-fuelled nights, deleting entire chapters, realising you have four characters with the same name, and asking yourself daily if you’re a genius or a fraud. (Spoiler: both.)

Then: Endless Edits

“Just one more pass,” you tell yourself. Except that was 27 passes ago. Line edits. Continuity edits. Emotional tone edits. The “does this make any sense at all” edits. And then there’s begging someone, anyone, to read it before you embarrass yourself publicly. Good luck finding a volunteer who finishes it.

Publishing Platforms: The Fun Part*

*Not actually fun. Do you want to use Amazon? IngramSpark? Both? Neither? Each has its own arcane rules, pricing calculators from hell, and sudden demands for things like "print-ready PDF files" that might as well be in ancient Greek. Oh, and heaven help you if you want different pricing in different regions.

The Joy of ISBNs

“International Standard Book Number” sounds so official, doesn’t it? That’s because it’s an official way to extract money from your pocket for a 13-digit code that looks like it was generated by a cat walking on a keyboard. Necessary. Expensive. Fun!

Subscriptions Galore

Because clearly writing isn’t enough. You need tools. In my case? OpenAI here (hi!), MidJourney for images, ElevenLabs for narration and ElevenReader because apparently voices cost extra. Not to mention your website hosting, SSL certificates so Google doesn’t think you’re a scammer, and your domain name so you can seem at least mildly professional.

Speaking of Websites…

Ah yes, the author website. A beautiful front to hide the panic. Needs design, copywriting, images, constant updates, and SEO so that Google might, if you’re lucky, show you to someone besides your mum. And don’t forget the newsletter signup no one uses.

Pricing Your Book

Here’s the really funny part. Say you price your paperback at £17.99 (which feels extortionate already). Amazon or IngramSpark takes their cut. Printing costs take another chunk. Distribution fees eat more. And you, the author, the person who bled onto the page? £1.50. Maybe. If you're lucky. Before the costs of everything above. It’s fine. We’re fine.

So... Why Do I Bother?

Because despite all of that, the edits, the costs, the hair-pulling formatting nightmares, I love it. I love these characters. I love the world I’ve built. I love the idea that someone, somewhere, will read it and feel seen. Or comforted. Or challenged. Or just entertained on a long train ride.

And that’s why indie authors do it. For the love of story. For the hope that it matters to someone else.

So next time you see a self-published book, know there’s a person behind it who put their whole heart into making it real. And if you want to support us? Buy indie. Leave a review. Tell a friend. It truly makes a difference.

Thanks for reading, and for being here on this ridiculous, beautiful, infuriating journey with me.