Putting aside all the negativity lately regarding indie authors, I want to celebrate the fun side to this form of publishing. My first post on the subject is fitting since I published two very different books this week.

 

The first was a dark novella for my Bijou Hunter pen name. Violent, sexy, first person POVs in present tense (my 1st attempt at that), Gator will likely sell well. While it’s different than my Damaged books in some ways, I don’t have anyone telling me I can’t write outside of my brand. True, readers could hate it and say I shouldn’t write outside of my brand, but that’s a whole different matter.

 

My second book published this week is part of my Christian fantasy series. Scattered has a dozen third person POVs. The sexual stuff is fade-to-black and there’s no cussing. The audience for my Dakota Shepherd books is much smaller. If the series was traditionally published, it likely would be dropped before the final book. In indie publishing, I can finish my series for those readers who need to know how it all works out. Sales aren’t my only focus as compared to a traditional publisher who has a fixed number of bills to pay to stay in business.

 

As an indie, I can write whatever the hell I want. That doesn’t mean people will buy whatever the hell I write. It just means if I have an idea then I can turn it into a short story, novel, series, etc. Only my imagination limits me.

 

I’m not the only author who genre hops. This month, my girl Marcy published her first NA romance as Blythe Santiago. She’s already built a fan base with her Grace zombies series, published under M. Lauryl Lewis. This Side of the Sun started with a suggestion from me (yep, taking full credit) that she might try a straight romance because the romantic elements of her Grace series were so well received.

 

Marcy isn't limiting herself to romance and zombies either. She has a haunted house style novel planned for later in the year along with a non-fiction book about the death of a relative at the hands of a serial killer. If she can imagine it, Marcy can publish it as an indie.

 

We’re not the only authors using the opportunity to try different genres. Many indies I’ve promoted on my blogs are doing the same. There’s freedom in indie publishing that isn’t always found in traditional publishing. Whether authors use this freedom is up to them.