With the rise of digital technology and the ease of accessing online platforms, self-publishing (or as I prefer to call it, indie publishing, as in independent publishing) has given authors more control over their work and the ability to reach wider audiences.
When it comes to clean fiction authors (especially conservative clean fiction authors, who disagree with a lot of the current "woke" ideologies publishers are promoting), the ability to retain control over the book--from the planning, to the writing, to the editing and production--is paramount.
Why? Well, because mainstream publishing is pushing woke ideology (and age-inappropriate content) into a lot of their books today. In fact, it's becoming hard to find books that don't have it. For obvious reasons, this would put clean fiction authors at a major disadvantage in the traditional publishing landscape--their books simply wouldn't get published, or authors would perhaps be asked to add/adapt their stories to fit these expectations as a condition for publishing. Or worse... additional content might be edited into the book later in the process, which is a possibility depending on the terms of the author's contract.
Would one of these options be the case for every clean fiction book? Are no clean fiction books published by mainstream publishers? Of course not. But the reality remains that clean fiction authors are swimming against the tide these days, and self-publishing (indie publishing) is becoming more and more appealing to many of these authors primarily because of the control it gives them. If even one book from a clean author were altered to include non-clean content, it could ruin readers' trust and tank that author's entire career for the clean fiction market.... and most simply wouldn't be contracted and published at all, were it not for self-publishing.
Self-publishing has allowed more authors to bring their clean fiction stories to life.
But publishing books that otherwise would never see the light of day isn't the only benefit to self-publishing.
With self-publishing, authors have the freedom to write and publish stories that may not fit into traditional publishing models. (Not just for books that are "clean," but also books that mash genres or otherwise defy typical expectations.) This has opened up opportunities for diverse voices and perspectives in the clean fiction genre.
Another benefit of self-publishing is that authors have control over the entire process, not just the content of the book. They can choose their own editors, cover designers, and formatting options. This allows for greater creative control and ensures that the final product is true to the author's vision.
Self-publishing also allows for a faster turnaround time, meaning that authors can get their stories out to readers more quickly than if they were waiting for traditional publishing timelines.
However, self-publishing does come with some drawbacks. One of the biggest challenges is marketing and promotion. Without the backing of a traditional publisher, authors must do their own marketing and promotion to reach readers. This can be a daunting task for many writers, especially those who are new to the industry.
Another challenge is the stigma that self-published books are of lower quality than traditionally published books. While this is not necessarily true--and has been shifting a lot in recent years as even mainstream authors realize the benefits of self-publishing and shift to doing so themselves--it can still be difficult for self-published authors to overcome this perception and gain the trust of readers, especially when our books don't come with the brand or name recognition of one of the major publishing houses.
Despite these challenges, many clean fiction books have found success through self-publishing, and will continue to do so. Self-publishing (indie publishing) is only growing, and as it grows and competition and access to resources within that sphere increases, the end result is actually better and better books...which is a benefit for authors and readers. Indie-publishing won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
We're indies here at PirateCat Publishing, too... and although we're presenting our content here in a slightly different format than usual (a subscription model, rather than individual book purchases), all our books and stories are carefully vetted for both content and quality. When you subscribe to PirateCat, you can trust that you'll be getting professional-quality stories... lovingly created by indie authors who believe that clean fiction matters, especially when it comes to young adult literature.
Join us today, and help support our mission to bring more and more clean fiction to young adult readers. We're so grateful for every subscriber--every little bit helps!