On Tuesday, the indie author community exploded into a strangely aggressive argument.

The cause? An innocuous piece of advice from JD Cowan, followed by both hearty praise and sneering disagreement, with each side ending up calling each other names.

If you’re a new author, or still working on your first book, then this might seem an odd reaction, so let me over-simplify it.

1. Authors publish independently because they don’t like (often arbitrary) gatekeepers keeping them from publishing their books and getting them to readers.
2. No gatekeepers also means no standards, leaving consumers unsure of whether indie books are worth their money.
3. Many authors write and publish for themselves and a small group of readers, not in the hopes of making it rich.
4. Other authors write and publish FOR MONEY. This is their job, not their passion.

This means that this supposed “community” is actually made up of two groups with some values that align (writing and publishing without big-5 meddling) and some values that conflict (artistic expression vs. steady income).

Do Authors HAVE TO Choose?

The easy answer is no. You can write a high-quality book that you love and still make money.

The hefty caveat is that it is hard and it takes time.

Writing the book you love as a first effort is nearly impossible. That’s not a ding on you or your skill. The book market is fast-moving and fickle. Even profit-first authors who write to market have a hard time keeping up with the trends.

Writing is also a separate skill from marketing. Profit-first authors are either excellent marketers or they have one on retainer.

The question is, why are YOU writing a book? Is this venture designed to replace your current income?

Or is it because you have a book you’ve been dreaming of writing, you need to see it through, and you don’t much care about making money from it?

Both are valid, so why the argument?

Because all this talk about not wanting gatekeepers is BS. Everyone wants gatekeepers. As long as they are the ones doing the gatekeeping.

If you write for love and aren’t concerned about wide release, then the self-publishing apparatus is there for you. Sell through Amazon, or sell direct through Gumroad or Shopify. Or give it away on Wattpad or Inkitt. If income isn’t a concern, then the possibilities are endless. Don’t let anyone tell you that your books somehow are a bad reflection on someone else’s. That’s crap.

If you write for money, then make sure you are up to date on what sells well, who your target audience is, and have a marketing plan in place before you launch. And don’t let anyone tell you that writing to market or choosing your books based on evergreen concepts is somehow less artistic or less “writerly.” It isn’t.

If you were wondering how I split the difference, you probably already know.

I write other people’s books for money.

I write my own for love.

If that sounds like I plan you’d like to emulate, I have a book that will teach who to create a writing services business—something that will earn you money while you write your book.

In my experience (and this is just me) taking the pressure off a first book for financial success improves the quality.

So keep an eye out for that.

In Case You Missed it

Based on my blog on AI in fiction writing, I was interviewed by Tyler Hummel of Leaders.com. You can read his article here: