Marji Laine

I Love a Good Mystery!

Indie, Not Lonely

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Grime Beat cover5aI’ve been feeling pressure to independently publish for a while, now, but have struggled with self-doubt and fears. It’s hard enough to send my stories to my agent or to editors, but at least with traditional publishing, I can be comforted that other professionals will be laying their eyes on my manuscript before I send it out for the world to see.

With Indie publishing, all of the manuscript is up to me. Every comma,, typoe, misled word, duplicacation. (Yes, I did all that on purpose, but I bet you’ve seen errors in some of my posts before.)

I tend to excel as a team player. I love brainstorming, and I’m great at listening to instruction and advice. Would that Indie publishing allowed for such. (That’s what I used to think, and it had me terrified!)

The truth is, there are Christian authors near and far who love to collaborate, either as co-authors, brainstorming partners or critique-ers. I have some excellent critique buds who helped me immeasurably with my current novella. Carole Towriss and Jennifer Slattery were in on the first draft, helping with decisions and ideas as I started sculpting the characters and initial story line.

Then when I finished, Patricia Pacjac Carroll and Jackie Castle asked the hard questions to sharpen the plot and clean up my loose prose. After that, my beta-readers took on the manuscript. Particularly, Christa Upton who turned out to be the essence of excellent in proofreading!

So publishing my book as an independent author didn’t mean I was all alone, even though I was solely responsible for my mistakes. Thankfully, I had buds who had my back!

Your Turn: Have you ever read an Indie published e-book? Was it obviously different from regular books you’ve read?

By the way, have you grabbed your copy of Grime Beat yet? Here’s the information on it!

Her best friend missing, every cell in Dani Foster’s body screams something is wrong.

Crime scene cleaning is the perfect job for relocated Dani Foster. But her orders to maintain a low profile and stay out of trouble mean little when her friend goes missing. Suspicions point to the handsome crime scene specialist, Jay Hunter, but he’s also the only person willing to help Dani. Dare she trust him even when lies seem to surround him?

Dani amuses Jay. Her penchant for speaking and acting without regard to the consequences land her in the funniest situations. But her latest moves have thrust her into serious danger. As he learns more about her circumstances, the stakes rise until her very life is on the line. He has no time or inclination for romance, but this girl needs him, and she seems to have no one else. How can he turn his back?

Author: Marji Laine

Marji is a recently "graduated" homeschooling mom whose twin girls have blessed her by sticking around the nest for a little longer. She spends her days directing the children’s music program at her church and working with the authors of Write Integrity Press to put out the best possible version of their books. Raised in suburban Dallas, she got her first taste of writing through the stories of brilliant authors of their day, Mignon Eberhart and Phyllis A. Whitney, and through stage experience. After directing and acting in productions for decades, Marji started writing her own scripts. From that early beginning, she delved into creating scintillating suspense with a side of Texas sassy. She invites readers to unravel their inspiration, seeking a deeper knowledge of the Lord’s Great Mystery that invites us all.

5 thoughts on “Indie, Not Lonely”

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  1. Katherine
    2015/April at 7:58 pm

    Marji, My Christian fiction book, Sheltered by an Angel’s Wings is published independently and I felt your same apprehension. I learned a lot from the experience, especially about marketing, which will be valuable no matter how my next book is published. In answer to your question, I have read a number of self-published e-books and most have been very well-done. Best wishes with Grime Beat. I’m going to check it out soon (got to catch up at work before I can read, though!) Wishing you many blessings! Katherine

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  2. Joanna Aislinn
    2015/April at 9:40 pm

    “It takes a village” is a great adage to apply to indie writing. (One has to create the ‘village.’ 😉 ) Self-publishing can be quite the misnomer.

    Indie vs. trad publishing differences: I’ve read some decently polished self-pubbed work, but many of the books I’ve picked up could use some help. One author mentioned having had her book edited professionally; not sure I’d ever work with that editor, but what do I know? (Then there’s that name-with-held, trad-pubbed train wreck I blogged about a few months back…)

    IDK, I believe it’s all about the time one takes, and the experience one has. Having at least one trad-pubbed novel, which entailed working with an editor I liked very much–helps give me a sense of how to better prepare a book for indie publishing (or so I hope).

    All the best, Marji!

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    • Marji Laine
      2015/April at 11:49 pm

      Thanks, Joanna! I’ve never published by myself traditionally, though I have enjoyed that experience with the collaborative novellas I’ve gotten to participate in. Talk about a village! Things are just so much easier with awesome supportive people around!

      And if you get the chance to read my indie debut, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

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