If You’re an Indie Author and You’re Tired

I often see indie authors wondering what’s wrong with them because they feel tired. Less driven. Less enthusiastic. Slightly allergic to their keyboard.

Honestly, it would be more surprising if you weren’t tired.

Being an indie author isn’t one job. It’s several. You’re the writer, editor, publisher, marketer, brand manager, data analyst, administrator and emotional shock absorber. Writing the book is only one item on a very long list.

After a while, all that starts to add up. Not in a dramatic, fainting-on-the-chaise-longue way. More in a quiet ‘I might sit down for a moment and never get up again’ sort of way.

That’s why this year I’m intending to step back a little and publish less, while still being part of a business I genuinely enjoy. The stories are still there. I just no longer believe that exhaustion is part of the job description.

Careers have seasons. Energy isn’t infinite. And slowing down doesn’t erase what you’ve already done.

So if you’re tired, you’re not failing. You’re probably just an indie author who’s been doing the job properly for quite a long time.