In my previous review, I shared that I have unlearned some beliefs about being an author-publisher thanks to Dean Wesley Smith (along with his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch) with his blog series shattering sacred cows about the publishing industry. In the aforementioned review, Smith took on the top ten sacred cows of traditional publishing and shattered some long-held beliefs that many writers have taken as gospel. Now he tackles the top ten sacred cows of indie publishing and pushes back on a set of beliefs that many indie writers (like myself) have believed on our writing journeys.

Smith makes clear throughout both books that it is only one writer’s advice and every writer’s path to a professional career is different. As stated in the prior review, that would be the first piece of advice I would give to anyone who wants to pursue writing professionally in the social media age.

Smith lays out his argument by dispelling these ten sacred cows of indie publishing:

1) You can’t get your books into bookstores

2) Self-publishing and indie publishing is easy

3) No one will pay good money for an unknown writer’s work

4) You must have an agent to sell a book in translation overseas

5) Printers are distributors

6) I can put a book up for sale and leave it forever

7) I have to sell a lot of copies very quickly or my book is a failure

8) I have missed my chance

9) You must sell your books cheaply to make any money

10) There is only one way to publish a book

Smith writes straightforwardly attacking these myths and shares how much resistance he has gotten from indie authors, especially around the sacred cows of pricing and selling books cheaply (permafree, 99 cents or $1.99 ebooks) in order to make money. Also, I have to add the original blog series for this book came out in 2014 and Smith was addressing the pricing issue and selling books cheaply. The fervor surrounding certain aspects of indie publishing, prevalent in 2014, has diminished over the past ten years, though they are still mentioned.

However, my favorite sacred cow that Smith debunks is that Self or Indie Publishing is easy. Smith writes this in that chapter of the book, Indie Publishing can be done, but it is not easy. It takes work and learning. But it can be done. And it can be learned slowly, just as training for marathon is slow. Now those prior sentences can be taken as gospel. I will share these words with any writer who wants to be an indie publisher.

I published my first novel in June 2014 and has spent over five figures trying to establish myself as an author-publisher. The unfortunate “lottery mentality” surrounding self-publishing—the belief that anyone can easily succeed—was prevalent when I released Diondray’s Discovery, and may still be. Many podcasts, book-promotion sites, social media platforms, and the success of self-published authors fueled that mindset. I have to admit that I fell for all of it. Smith warned against that mindset, as many hard lessons have since proven his point. Forty years in the business gave him invaluable experience, and a long-term perspective is essential for fiction writing. And there’s nothing new under the sun.

In closing, I’m glad that I have read Killing The Top Ten Sacred Cows of Indie Publishing (as well as Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Traditional Publishing) at this stage of my author-publisher journey. Life will teach you in any endeavor you decide to pursue as a career or calling. It is always wise to learn from those who traveled further down the path you are on, and it’s important to listen and learn from their successes and failures. Don’t disregard them as outdated; there are fundamental principles that remain timeless.