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In this second episode of Indie Publishing, Angie and I discuss a world where algorithms pick what books are published and what books are not, how riding market trends determines more of what agents and publishers see as “good” than the quality of writing, the strength of the story, and even the purpose of story itself.
It is stories that make us human, and the stories are many.
Angie and I open up about why we chose indie publishing, what we have learned from rejections and near-closes with agents, and how sales and marketing teams boisterously shape which books make it to shelves and which do not. From audiobook production shock to royalty splits that pale to pay authors what they deserve, we also break down the real math of storytelling and the practical realities that every author faces.
If you’ve ever wondered whether Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited helps or hurts, why preorders feel invisible, or how much a book’s cover actually costs, you may enjoy this yarn!
We also get quite candid about craft, discussing how hook-first culture, originated by Agents and queries, can warp a novel, forcing fireworks into page one while the middle goes slack, while the storyline tanks and even falls limp. I argue for protecting slow openings, layered worlds, and voices that don’t mirror the algorithm’s taste. Then, we discuss how fantasy as a genre, a genre originally constructed to explore the weird and off-shoot worlds and stories, has developed strangely into a linear story-ground: trend waves demand dragon rider and romantasy, but the new mythologies, gothic whispers, and odd structures that breathe weird breaths go missing.
Toward the end, Angie and I discuss the role of indie publishing in keeping the storytelling doors open. That intimacy and living stories turn commerce into conversation: signing paperbacks, tucking art prints into packages, and hearing what resonates directly with readers help keep the oral-storytelling human alive and healthy.
If this episode helps you on your journey, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more humans find us.
Daniel Firth Griffith is markâko and seanchaí, a participant citizen of Earth Mother, a father, horse-friend, sacred butcher, magikal storyteller, and award-winning indie author of six books on kincentric ecology, mythology, and horror. Learn more about Daniel’s work and books HERE!
Angelina Kelly is an indie author and biologist who was born and raised in Alaska and has an inherent love for nature. She now lives in British Columbia where she works as a biologist and writes epic fantasy books that weave in her reverence for wilderness and the natural world. Learn more about Angie’s work and books HERE!
Catch up on the God Is Red series!
An Unshod series of yarns with Omaha Storyteller, Taylor Keen exploring what it means to be truly human in the modern world.
