
I've been lucky enough to experience two book phenomena in my lifetime. Of course, I'm talking about Harry Potter and Fourth Wing. Before I continue, it's worth noting some things.
It should go without saying that with this being my website, all pieces I write are based on my opinion. A bit of my own experience is thrown into that too. Secondly, I've always said that the only difference between any product, be it good or bad, is marketing. And that extends to film, ecommerce, tv, or songs.
The last thing worth noting is that controversy surrounds both authors. But today I'm not going into that. Google it if you want to know more and don't know what I'm talking about. The saying "we need to separate the author from their work" comes to mind here."
So it got me thinking, what makes an author successful? How do you define success? I suppose it depends on who you ask. For me, personally, it's an author that can write books where I want to do nothing else, other than read their work. Or, I can read their books repeatedly, as if I'm reading it for the first time. My favourite reason? An author that gets me so excited about her work, that I take a day off work to read uninterrupted. (I did that for Iron Flame.)
But that's from a reader's perspective. From an author's perspective, my answer is a bit different. I would define success as producing a book that I would read myself, and I think I've done that more than once. If I can convince other people to read it, even better.
In both examples I've mentioned here, they are both traditionally published authors, and as indie authors, we're never going to be able to compete with those marketing budgets. As an indie author, it feels a bit hopeless knowing that. But, it is possible. I know so many articles say it's not, but I've seen many cases where indie authors are making a full time living from their work.
So this is your reminder if you're an indie-author. Stay consistent. Don't stop at one book and be patient. Together, these things will give you a chance of creating a name for yourself.