What Does an Indie Author Do…

Over the years, many readers have asked me to talk about my experience as an indie author. Here is my answer.

I tried to keep the post as short as possible so as not to overwhelm you with too many details.

Step 1 - Writing

Writing is a complex process that may require a lot of research and numerous drafts.

None of my books have been sent to an editor and/or proofreader without going through at least six drafts.

Time involved per project: between two months and a year.

Step 2 - Editing and Proofreading

Editing involves "correction, condensation, organization, and many other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate and complete piece of work." (Source: Wikipedia). There are at least five different types - developmental, structural, copy, line, and mechanical.

Proofreading is all about taking care of grammatical errors and typos.

I tend to put myself in my readers' shoes a lot during the writing and revision processes. My beta readers also know that I expect honesty from them. All that helps make the editing / proofreading process cost-effective. When my editor and my proofreader receive the manuscript, much of the work has been done.

Time involved per project: between two weeks and a month.

Step 3 - Cover Design

As a professional photographer, I have a large archive of images I can use for my covers, which I design myself. But that archive did not fall in my lap. I have spent hundreds of hours taking photos in numerous places - and processing them afterwards. The gear I have also cost money.

I create my book covers with Canva Pro, which requires an annual subscription.

Time involved per cover: 5–10 hours.

Step 4 - Video Trailer(s)

I love creating video trailers! I used Animoto for years, until Canva became a more affordable and useful option for me.

Time involved per trailer: 5–10 hours.

Step 5 - Uploading the Manuscript to My Distributor

Draft2Digital makes the distribution process very straightforward. For an ebook, the step is completed in a matter of hours.

Things takes a little longer for print books. That is because you have to order a proof copy of your book to check if everything looks right before launching distribution.

Time involved per project: 5–10 hours.

Step 6 - Strategy and Marketing

I create a strategy for every book release. One of my tactics is to have as much fun as possible.

Unfortunately, no matter how enjoyable I try to make it for myself, time and money are vital for success. For example, virtual book tours have become an essential marketing tool these days, but they can be very pricey. And the quality of services varies widely.

Time involved: about two hours a day.

Overall Costs

Thanks to the skills I have acquired over the years, I take care of many of the steps in the publishing process myself: cover design, video trailers, strategy, and marketing. I also practice bartering when necessary, offering my services in exchange for other people's. All that has allowed me to keep my expenses around $300-$500 per project. Finally, I tend to stay away from print books, unless enough readers ask for them.

If I had to hire a professional for each step of the publishing process, the overall costs per book project would be at least 5x the amount mentioned above. So, $1,500-$2,500 minimum.

Overall time involved: 6–14 months.

How Much I Am Paid Per Copy

• Ebooks: My distributor Draft2Digital keeps 10%, while the store takes about 30%. I am left with 60%.
• Print books: I will receive 45% of the list price, minus the base printing cost.
• Photography books (coffee table and trade books) are in a category of their own. Royalties are less than 20% of the listed price.

So, for an ebook listed at $4.99 or a print book listed at $10.99, I will take home $2.50-$2.99 per copy. To break even on my expenses, I will need to sell a certain number of them. For example, 130–135 copies for a $400 project.

For a trade book released via Blurb and listed at $50, I will earn an average of $2 per copy. I will need to sell 200 copies before I recoup costs ($400 project).

While this number may seem easy to achieve, some genres are harder to market than others. Poetry is a good example. It is very rare for a poetry book to sell more than a few hundred copies in its lifetime.

------

I hope that you found this information useful. If you are interested in learning about what goes on behind the scenes for other indie authors, check out the great roundup below.

That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

---

Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.