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Dirty Secrets of Indie Book Publishing: Lessons You Should Know, Too! Reflections Five Years After “Views from the Cockpit.”
Five years ago, I embarked on a deeply personal journey by independently publishing “Views from the Cockpit: The Journey of a Son,” a book that navigated the turbulent skies of losing my father, the aftermath, and exploring my own identity as his son and as a man. This journey was not merely about putting words on paper but about transforming grief into action, a path that taught me lessons beyond mere writing.
Publishing Is Transactional
The first hard truth is that your words are your passion, but to the industry, and to general readers, they’re a product on a shelf. My emotional investment was colossal, and navigating this world required a delicate balance: I sought to preserve the authenticity of my story while engaging with a multi-million dollar author services industry that often felt cold and in some cases predatory.
Every critique, while aimed at improving the manuscript, felt like a personal affront, forcing me to focus on detachment, preservation, and to view feedback as part of a service. Perhaps this is specific to creative nonfiction and memoir manuscripts, but it became clear that shopping for an editor who aligns with your vision and personality is as…
