The Author Spotlight week one

Although I chose Natasha's spotlight at random this is why she was put in the ol' hat to begin with. I was just starting the page and wanted to pick the first of the spotlights from the community I was socialising with. I was coming home one night after work and the thought popped into my head, Natasha's name popped in there with it.

I had been riding my bike and lost in thought during the 20 minute ride home, when I reflected on a blog post I had just read by Natasha on Goodreads. Needless to say her blog post about how much it can cost to be an independent and that when you have a family sometimes these things just cannot be done, and should that get in the way of your dreams, had stuck with me.

Being an indy means sometimes it really is DIY.

I came from the old ashcan zine days. We were the underground culture fueled by Love and Rocket comic books, black ink, typewriters, old punk bands, and liberal amounts of David Bowie. We didn't care about if what we were doing was going to be looked up to or down upon. We were pre-internet baby! Armed with rolls of stamps and weekly trips to the post office we were sending books all over the world. We were making art.

So now here I am nineteen years later since those first zines and watching my fellow makers of art being misjudged and hammered to spend money they simply don't have at times. Telling us to stop because we haven't got the money is not helping the situation. It goes against this new movement of taking control back. The Haves are still telling the Have-nots they aren't allowed to compete only divides the community. We know what we need to do to put out a better product and we are doing what we can getting editors within meager budgets, using betas, and working with artists.

I don't want to have to see authors feel kicked out of being an indie because they haven't much money. Again this goes against the spirit of the new movement. It has been likened to punk rock, when the kids picked up instruments and took control away from the industry. There were the haves (Malcolm MacLaren) who attempted to run things, but no one was taking control away from Adam Ant (though they tried) and no one was taking control from The Clash (listen to Complete Control) not without a fight and Joe Strummer wouldn't be cowed into changing the way he sung or how they wrote their songs because it wasn't polished.
 
I was a poor kid. I wore shoes till they were in pieces and still do actually. I learned the value of chasing my dreams but living within my means. If that keeps me from being an indy author in your eyes then so be it. When our first book came out we were living in a safe house (basically a homeless shelter but protected due to the safety threat to those of us who lived there) while I struggled to find a job in the new city we moved to. We absolutely had no spare money for putting out the book. We had enough for the copyright that was all. The book is shaky I admit, but it was written in a time that was unstable; financially, safety-wise, and emotionally. 

Anyway,

Natasha, your blog touched me and gave me reason to put your name in that list among all my others author friends who struggle. May our struggles end because we have found our audience, not because someone told us to give up because we aren't wealthy like they are.

Aubrey