I'm so excited about the prospect of unsigned, yet-to-be-discovered, indie writers being able to publish their work. I never thought I'd see the day. I feel that the big name authors like King and Koontz, have gotten stuck in a rut. They change their character names and slightly tweak one of their old books and out comes their new hardcover. I'm still a huge fan, don't get me wrong. But the thought of fresh, new ideas and new approaches to story telling will, I believe, reinvigorate the storytelling industry. I think it's what readers are hungry for. Indie authors, like Amanda Hocking and C.S. Marks, are showing they can do it just as well as the big boys. Oh, and their work is less then a third of the cost.
Years ago, I remember telling my brother that the future of movies and books were sequels and redoing what's already out (Another Footloose already?). After seeing Jurassic Park, I told my dad that comics were going to be milked for ideas next. Doesn't it feel like we need some fresh blood? Harry Potter showed that wizards could be re-imagined. Kate Beckingsale showed that a story about vampires can still work (and look hot doing it). I'd love to see new takes on some stories like that or completely new ideas.
I'll admit, I'm just finding out about this indie scene. I know. It's sad. But now that I do, I'll try my own hand at it. No matter how successful or not I am at it, I'm just psyched I get to find out (at least I'll be original). I'll start releasing my work soon so you can then judge me. I also hope that if your thinking of writing something or already have check this out: kdp.amazon.com.
Enough about that. If your reading this, you probably are an active member in this underground community. If not, please check it out. Long live indies!
I'm always surprised at the sheer volume of NYT bestselling work that appears on the list week after week by well-established writers. James Patterson is a perfect example. It seems like every week there's a new title by him. And I always think, come on, he's not putting new stuff out there at that rate. No way.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested in the indie scene too. Best of luck in your pursuits!
Thanks for the Twitter follow! And congrats on the launch of this blog. Following here, too!