Do you remember the days when all we had was network television? Okay, I don’t, but I do remember limited options through cable. When I was a kid, VHS wasn’t a thing yet, (for my family it was prohibitively expensive) so if you missed the Dukes of Hazzard Friday night it was gone for good. 

Now we live in a world of streaming, and there are so many services it’s overwhelming. If you are unfortunate enough to like several tv series provided by differing outlets, you either go broke or don’t watch. Another negative, in addition to the cost of paying for multiple services, is the dilution of programs. Where we used to have a few dozen tv shows to watch, now we have hundreds. I’m not saying many of them aren’t good quality, but that they’re difficult to wade through.

One positive to come from this change is the freedom streaming services now have to create their own material. Television has become so good, even the movie industry has had to take notice. To be fair, it is much more difficult to bring a story to life in two versus twenty hours of film. 

So what does this have to do with the independent writer? 

I think back to days when the only ways to purchase a book were in a book store or by catalogue. I can remember finishing a paperback and looking through the publisher’s other offerings. There would even be an order form you could cut out and send in with a paper check.

The process by which a writer became published was equally more complex. Manuscripts had to be printed and mailed to publishing houses, writers waiting months or more for either rejection or acceptance, usually via letter. There were, by stricter means of elimination, fewer novels and fewer non-fiction books.

Today, anyone can self-publish their novel. I have, and I’m proud of my achievement. I’m also pragmatic. I know I’m not going to become wealthy or famous, and I’m okay with that. That’s not why I write. That being said, I could live with a little success. 

It says something that when a stranger chose to read my novel on their Kindle, I was over the moon. Actually, it’s been three and I’m still thrilled. Prior to them, my only customers have been friends and family.

I am also aware that my sales won’t increase without exposure. For those of us unwilling to pay hundreds of dollars to have our material appear in a shopper’s suggested viewing, our options are few. Add to that frugality a reluctance to self-promote on social media, and we may as well abandon all hope.

We may as well, but I won’t. As much as I dislike social media, I am trying to use it to my advantage. If the time I spend posting my artwork with links to my written projects motivates even one person to read my stories, it will have been worth it.

Yes, like television today, the printed and electronic media markets are saturated with works by people like me. I think it’s fantastic, even if it hinders my dream of earning enough to take a trip overseas. I’m happy to see all of us working hard to create, while having the courage to put our work out there. Thanks to self-publishing, we now have access to more and better storytelling, and as an independent writer, I appreciate and thank the people who take the time and spend the money to read what we write.