Cherish your indie status before you succeed…
There is a lot to be said for being a big name in the ‘look, I’m an author’ (aka publishing) world, and a good deal of it rightfully deserved. But there is so much have-to in that world, that I would postulate some of ‘the best’ of these authors have let their imaginary friends shrivel from a form of malnutrition, crawl off into a dark-forgotten corner, and grow a layer of dust a foot deep. Don’t misunderstand me, I have my favorite contemporary authors who I will devotedly read whenever they publish, but at the same time – I can’t help but wonder what the book might have been like if they weren’t a ‘big name’? What if they still had the freedom to write anything they wanted to without contractual obligations or a need to deliver on a deadline? Would a book that I liked, but maybe didn’t love, have been much better if it wasn’t for the success-imposed fate that it and the author have been trapped into supporting?
You see, I want a Golden Goose too… and do I want it now? Okay, I’ll take it if you’re offering. But I’m willing to work for it. My work involves seeing to it that the world gets to have a taste of something different, something a tad off-center, something a bit not-so-norm. I’m not talking about my own writing; I do that for pure enjoyment and a need for emotional release, not as work. You guys, the indie authors, you are my proverbial Golden Goose. Not one of you, but each one of you together who still have the drive, determination, and maddening devotion to your work to let it all out, hang from a limb, and scream Me, Me, Me!
You still have a chance to take a giant snarling bite out of that edge and spit it straight at those of us willing to publish it. So do it – grab the edge, sharpen it, and ram it down our collective throats. The truth is every writer evolves, and those that achieve fame, or infamy on the way, tend to end up with a diamond studded collar and leash they thought they were begging for. But once chained, soon realize that what was their own ‘work’, is now part of the mass consumption monster that expects, demands, and come holy hell, delivers – like it or not!
Spread your wings before someone realized that you’re actually talented enough to have them clipped. Don’t fight success, that’s not my point. If it comes your way, grab it, hug it, lick it, and choke it to death if it tries to get away. But right now, while you still have the chance – express yourself freely, openly and give anything you get your hands on a good hardy squeeze! You never know what will pop out. No fear, no hesitation, no holding back because you ‘may’ succeed, but don’t wish to be judged. Grab that edge and give it every last drop you have to offer. You don’t need to do it my way, or anyone else’ way – do it your way, and if you manage to become a ‘big name’, don’t forget to play with your imaginary friends, you may no longer need them, but they’ll still need you.
Yeah, sad – I know – the NFL, NHL and MLB know nothing of my powers of persuasion. Guess you chumps are just gonna have to hear me rant my lunatic ravings here on the road to nowhere.
This is Duck Dodgers, signing off … ;}
Jack Wallen said:
Brava! This needs to be shouted out to the entire world. Thank you for saying this so beautifully. Indie artists should be united in their quest to be seen and heard — on all fronts. We are an unstoppable force and one day the publishing industry will look to us how best to move forward.
Nina D'Arcangela said:
Thank you Jack! There are so many talented authors out there that measure their own worth by what the collective expectation of success is, that it needs to be said. Be an Indie Author, and be great at it! Travel happily down your path of success, don’t worry it like a stone with a hole rubbed through the center. 🙂
blazemcrob said:
Great post, Nina! I’m at a stage in life where I write for me. If my fans like it I’m happy. Maybe I’ll make more. On the other hand, if only I enjoy the words I have written, then at least I am happy. I’m having fun, and I feel by being unshackled, I can still create my best offerings.
By the way: you are a super talent in my book!
Blaze
Nina D'Arcangela said:
Thank you Blaze, that’s very sweet of you! I’m happy to hear that you write for yourself, then share that enjoyment with others. Its a very free and relaxing way to express yourself – and I’m happy that you’ve achieved it! 🙂
Joseph Pinto said:
Hi Nina!
Excellent post. I stated a long time ago that writers & musicians are much alike. There are many excellent musicians/bands that will never nor want to be mainstream, yet their talent is unmistakeable. Same goes with the writing community. Yet, and unfairly so, I believe that when people hear “indie musician,” it does not carry the same stigma as “indie author” – for some reason that conjures images of a writer who simply hasn’t “made it.”
You of all people know the chip I carry on my shoulder. The fire that burns within my belly. And I’m very cognizant of the expression: “Be careful of what you ask for; you just might get it.” I have & always will beat to my own drum. My writing has & always will be an untamed beast. Still, I wonder…what would happen if I finally arrived upon the shores of what I’ve worked & yearned for for so many years? I hope to have that answer for you one day. And I hope that you hear through your many channels: “That Joe Pinto, man, he’s a talented writer…but he’s one nonconforming sonofabitch!” 😉
Thank you for sharing your great insight! 🙂
Nina D'Arcangela said:
True, the comparison between an underground or indie band and an indie author is very skewed. But if you grow long wavy hair, that might help change the global perception! (cheap shot… but funny, and meant in good jest)
Honestly, I don’t think you have a ‘chip on your shoulder’ about your writing, I think you have the necessary confidence and required drive to take it… anywhere. My point in this post is that for all the authors who are writing to conform (and I know you’re not one of them) in the indie world, be sure to at least love what you are doing, and enjoy the ride. Because if they do become successful ‘big names’ (and I hope all who have talent and drive do), then those ‘advance checks’ will start to seem like a noose compared to the royalty checks that accompanied freedom. That might be a very snugly, happy noose for some – and more power to them – but a ‘big time’ author really has no choice other than to appease his or her fan base, or they risk losing it. And as a horror writer, you know as well as I do that horror fans are some of the most devoted, and fickle out there. I freely admit to being one. I like my horror a certain way, and if I don’t get it that way, I can get pretty pissy about it. Call it Thriller, and I may love it; call it Fantasy, and I’m all over it; call it Other World, and its got free rein to go almost anywhere; but call it Horror – and I expect horror. That’s just how I’m wired. I have a great appreciation for mass market and mainstream authors who try to cross genres, and if it works – that’s fabulous. But the reality is that many of them exist under multiple Pen names for the sake of not stomping the integrity of their reading public’s expectations. I respect that as well. I wear four professional hats, I have no need to choose only one. I see no difference between that and a ‘pen’ name to protect a cultivated image. Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, what are the odds you’ll walks into … the right one. You won’t, you’ll work your way there and cherish it all the more for it, because if you don’t earn it, (Firefly reference) then its not shiny!
So instead of calling it a chip on your shoulder and putting a negative spin on it, lets say its an unrelenting drive to achieve the goals YOU set for yourself, not ones that someone else set for you. I like the sound of that better, and I think you’ll like the feel of it more as well.