Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Today is the day our nation celebrates our independence from England. The need for our separation from that kingdom was not so much that we believed that England was evil. On the contrary, we share a great relationship with that nation to this day. Rather it was more that we felt the relationship was uneven, unfair. We were asked to share in the costs and support of that kingdom without adequate advocacy for our part, and so began the conflict.

It is much the same for traditional publishing today. This is the reason many writers, myself included, have chosen to go the independent route. It is not that traditional publishing houses are evil. It is more that they are extremely one-sided with little to no support for the writers that create the work that keeps their business afloat, particularly the newbies and mid-listers.

So, today while I celebrate the birth of a great nation, I also celebrate one of my better decisions.

VIVA LA INDEPENDENCIA

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

Celebrating Independence

Today is the day we celebrate the independence of this great nation. Being great doesn’t mean that the United States is free from problems or short comings, because there are both. Being great means that its citizens have the power to create new ideas and directions. It means that its citizens have the power to make substantive changes at its core.

It is this thought that brought me to the decision of becoming an independent author. I want to be more than just a content provider. Where my books are concerned, I am the creative director. The books I write have a particular feel to them. That requires more than just the cover and content to be in sync. Promotion and marketing must have that same atmosphere.

As an independent author I am deeply involved in every aspect of my books from concept to production. To carry off something like this I need to fan the flames of my control gene. I admit that I do have one, but that’s what keeps everything connected and moving in the right direction. I have also renamed the arena/genre I write for. Instead of middle grade, I write for 'Tweens!

And yes, I celebrate with fireworks. They take the form of flashes of brilliance (You may laugh, but I do get them from time to time.)

Celebrate your independence with me. Happy 4th of July!