Publishing independently, either entirely on your own or through a small independent press, outside the major corporate publishing houses.
Indie publishing is an umbrella term that covers both self-publishing (where you handle everything yourself) and publishing through small independent presses that operate outside the Big Five conglomerates. The common thread is independence from corporate publishing infrastructure. Indie authors and indie presses tend to move faster, experiment more freely with genres and formats, and keep a larger share of revenue. The term carries a spirit of creative autonomy that mirrors the indie music and indie film worlds.
Indie publishing has reshaped the book industry. Genres like LitRPG, reverse harem romance, and progression fantasy were essentially created by indie authors because traditional publishers didn't see a market for them. Understanding indie publishing opens up paths that didn't exist fifteen years ago and gives you options for books that don't fit neatly into traditional publishing categories.
Self-published on Amazon, this cozy fantasy became a sensation and was picked up by Tor Books. It helped establish cozy fantasy as a recognized subgenre, which likely wouldn't have happened through traditional channels first.
Entirely self-published progression fantasy that has sold millions of copies. Wight built a devoted fanbase through rapid releases and direct reader engagement.
Published by Bloomsbury, an independent publisher. Won the Women's Prize for Fiction and proved that indie presses can produce books with massive literary impact.
Find three indie-published books in your genre that have over 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads. Study their product pages: their covers, their blurbs, their pricing, their series structure. Write down three specific things these successful indie books do well that you could apply to your own publishing strategy.