Stack of Importance

Many indie authors aren't very good at writing. I'm aware this is something of an inflammatory thing to say, even and especially as an indie author, myself.

But this awareness comes from two facts. Fist is I'm a hobbyist author. My writing is from a place of passion, and if a professional ever gave me insightful but biting criticism, it would initially destroy me, but I would try to take it to heart to improve my own writing. Because while I don't care about what most people think of my writing, I do care a lot about the quality of my writing.

The second is that I've given a good number of indie books a chance, and most I have read are bad. Some have clear inspiration and passion, and they might even have the chance at best seller status if they wrangled their issues. But most will only be notable for having a few unhinged elements more befitting hyper fixated fan fiction.

But success is not directly connected to writing quality. I think it's more related to long term results, but algorithms and consumers don't give your book a proper chance. They do that thing they are supposedly not meant to do. They judge it on the cover.

This is one of the last things an author thinks about. It is also the most important for getting a foothold. It's even more important than the title, which the author thinks about more than the cover. It is from this realization that I came up with the following stack:

1. Cover

2. Title

3. Pen name

4. Formatting

5. Typos

6. Writing Quality

7. The actual underlying story

Authors start from the bottom of that stack. They work upward, typically with reducing focus and interest in each element. An exception might be the pen name for the more narcissistic among us.

And yet, a reader starts from the top and goes down. They experience everything in reverse order of the author, which produces a much different experience. Most readers let me know about typos, for example, but much fewer ever talk to me about core story points.

If one simply doesn't care and won't care about giving the higher tiers their due, there are two options. One is to find someone else who will, and pay them to manage it. The other is to make excuses and languish in obscurity. I do not believe any other outcome is feasible.