Diving Head First Into The Indie Pool

by Maggie Marr

Publishing is changing. Yes, I too, like most readers still enjoy the tactile sensation of a book in my hands. I love the smell of the ink, the crush of paper against my fingertips, and the flipping noise as I turn pages to return to the spot where I last left the story.

I was a resistant ebook reader--at first. Now I am a Nook carrying member of the revolution. Why? What turned the corner for me? Well--a couple things.

First I got a cover for my Nook. In the beginning I had a horrible time with my Nook because I missed turning the flap back on a book. This also impacted how the Nook felt in my hand. My new Nook cover made the sensation of holding my Nook more akin to what I'd grown accustomed to the last 35+ years of reading.


(This isn't my actual cover as they no longer make the one I have but I do like this one.)

Second I can keep 10,000 books at my fingertips. I don't like to give away books once I read them. I like to keep them--like little trophies. On my Nook these little lovelies don't take up nearly the space and my husband thanks me as he no longer has to pack boxes of books up and down stairs.

Third, ebooks are cheaper. I know as an author who makes my living writing this isn't necessarily something I should rave about but hey, it's true. Cut out the paper, ink, shipping, fuel, packaging and at least some of that savings gets passed onto the consumer. I love that I can get 2 and sometimes 3 fantastic books for the price of 1 trade paperback.

Finally, ebooks publish faster. My latest book Can't Buy Me Love releases today! I've worked on this book for a very long time in fact the first chapter was runner up in the Harlequin Presents contest ages ago. But when I finally decided to indie pub Can't Buy Me Love it took a mere 3 months to get the book ready for distribution. The process remained the same, with a substantive edit and a copy edit but everything took less time.

So yes, publishing is changing. With the publication of Can't Buy Me Love today I am now a traditionally pubbed author and an indie author. What a lucky girl am I!



Everyone knows that Cole Jackson is lethal--in his charm and in his reputation as ruthless media mogul and one of the world's great CEOs. A fact his former executive assistant Meg Parson has learned firsthand. He's the one who banished her from his executive suite with no explanation.

Determined to secure her long awaited promotion within Comnet, Meg Parson is back and can deliver the one deal Cole Jackson has always wanted and could never get. This deal is Meg's ticket to the top. Now Meg must juggle this high-stakes deal with her unfathomable attraction to her former boss--an attraction Meg has denied for three years. An attraction which raises painful memories from her past. An attraction that Meg's boss Cole seems to share. If Meg can't pull off this multi-media merger, not only is her career at stake but also her heart.

Maggie Marr is an author living in Los Angeles. You can follow her on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, and her latest obsession Pinterest. She asks that you please buy her latest book Can't Buy Me Love so that she can continue to feed her children, cats, and husband while writing down the stories that bounce around in her head.