To All The Indie Authors Who Are Wondering If You Should Quit...

To all the indie authors who are wondering if you should quit...

I'm not going to lie to you.

I'm not going to tell you things will get better.

Indie publishing is an uphill battle. Every single day, something is changing. Algorithms change how much they'll show our content to readers. Readers change their reading and reviewing preferences. Distributors change fees, royalty cuts, and audiences. Even our core team of editors, cover designers, and formatters may need time away from the book world at some point, or change careers entirely.

But here's the thing: Our writing lives ARE our own real-life 'stories'. And stories are never smooth sailing all the way through, are they?    

To all the indie authors who are wondering if you should quit...

I'm not going to tell you that your book is 'good enough'.

Let's be real, if you've been writing for any length of time, you know what a 'garbage draft' is. And you know that ten years from now, if you keep writing everyday, your best book today will be nothing compared to the work you would craft then.

But if you don't ever write 'early works', 'latter works' can never follow. Besides, there's editors to help us!

To all the indie authors who are wondering if you should quit...

I'm not going to tell you that you're 'worth it'.

In truth, our worth is in no way tied to a dream scribbled on paper or sprawled across a screen. Our worth is not summarized in numbers of followers, downloads, or dollars. It's not even tied to our ability to succeed as an indie author.

Those are all ACHIEVMENTS. Achievements are part of our life's highlight reel, not our life itself.

To all the indie authors who are wondering if you should quit...

I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't quit.

But know your 'why'. If you can't be honest with anybody else, be honest with yourself before you walk away.

Are the sacrifices that go into this journey (time, money, emotions) more than you can afford or want to pour out at this point in your life? That's okay! Is this a 'later', more than a 'goodbye', to recoup what you've given away during this process? Or are you tired of writing your genre, themes, or in general? Do you need to give yourself permission to change into the growth this journey has taken you through, or give your brain and heart time to catch up with that growth?

Finally, to all the indie authors who are wondering if you should quit...

I am one of you. I am proud of you. And whether or not you choose to rise above this moment of darkness and doubt, I am cheering you on.

Just please, if you quit, please don't ever let your light go dim.

​~Katherine D. Graham

Katherine D. Graham is a USA Today Bestselling dark fantasy author, editor, and pitch coach from Tennessee. 

When Katherine isn't reading, writing, or editing books (ie when her head comes down from the clouds), she enjoys traveling, grilling out, playing video games (especially The Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy games), and spending time with her family and their three cats.

You can keep up with Katherine (and get a free book from her) by signing up for her newsletter here.