I get asked quite often which I prefer- Indie authors, self-published authors, or traditionally published authors?

And the answer is this…I love them all!! No matter the path the author chose to take to get their novel out into the world, I am going to check their novel out if it sounds and/or looks intriguing. With the technologically advanced world we live in, it is easier than ever to peruse authors from all publishing backgrounds. In fact, I found some of my favorite self-published and Indie authors right on social media! I swear, Twitter and Facebook have me pegged- the powers-to-be on these social media platforms know just the right advertisements to toss into my newsfeed- books. From all types of authors. I’m going to be honest- I NEVER scroll past a book advertisement. NEVER. That’s considered sacrilege in my world.

And the best part about loving novels from Indie authors, self-published authors, and traditional publishers?

I have MORE books to choose from! I’m not limited to just one subset of novels. I’ve perused the shelves at Barnes and Noble, Mr. Paperback, Borders, and Book-a-Million and have, on occasion, walked away frustrated because they didn’t rotate their stock- I have already seen everything there is to see there. So, I’ll jump onto Amazon, Goodreads, and my social media sites and start digging- and bingo! I “walk” away with a treasure trove of novels I want to read- with a majority of them being from Indie and self-published authors.

I also get asked- Are Indie and self-published authors as good as traditionally published authors?

And the answer is YES! Yes, yes, yes. A million times yes! I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been blown away by a novel written by an Indie or self-published author! For example, just recently I read a novel titled Beyond the Wicked Willow: Chronicles of a Teenage Witchslayer by M.J. Rocissono (see my review here). I have always been a fan of young adult adventure/fantasy stories. In fact, back in grade school my future was based around which magical house I would join at Hogwarts and whether or not I wanted to be an auror and fight Death Eaters or work at the Ministry of Magic- as you can probably guess, I was a HUGE Harry Potter fan. And while I never received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I still find time to satisfy my thirst for action and adventure by losing myself in novels such as Beyond the Wicked Willow. The author weaved a story that was JUST as engaging to me as Harry Potter, and the writing was beautifully done. There is also the Dissent Renegades by R.J. Furness (stay tuned for my review!), a novel I’m currently reading and unable to pull myself out of (well, just long enough to write this post). Dissent Renegades satisfies my thirst for action, adventure, strong and relatable characters, and phenomenal writing!

Beyond The Wicked Willow by M.J. Rocissono

dissent: Renegades by R.J. Furness

I am just as likely to pick up a book by nationally acclaimed Veronica Roth (the author of the Divergent trilogy who is traditionally published) as I am novels written by some of my favorite Indie and self-published authors. So, for me, as long as the story is well-written, has an engaging and feasible plot, and has well-developed characters, then it doesn’t matter how it was published.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Do you shy away from Self-Published or Indie authors, or do you dive right in? I’d love to know what you think!