As an Indie author of 8 years, at this point in my career, I don’t think I’ll ever pursue the traditional publishing route. While traditional publishing is a viable path for others and I don’t fault anyone for choosing that path for their writing endeavors, right now, it is not a path I feel led to go down anytime soon. Here’s why.

I Can’t Write According to Someone Else’s Schedule

The main reason why I don’t think I’m a good fit for traditional publishing is that I have enough trouble writing and publishing on my own schedule. If you’ve read any of my WIP updates, you’ll know that I don’t write on a rigid schedule and either write 15,000 words in a month or 500, and there’s rarely an in-between. For that same reason, I struggle to plan publishing deadlines. If life has taught me one thing in the past couple years, it’s that anything can happen at any time and that God’s plans will always prevail over ours. Things happen that we have no control over, and with the anxious tendencies I have, I could not in good conscience sign a contract with a traditional publisher to have a book written by a certain date because crazy circumstances + battling anxiety does not equal a cove of creativity for me. That’s one reason why my writing habits have been so sporadic in 2025.

Jesus Won’t Be Censored in My Books

I’m a Christian author who has published 5 fiction books for teens and 1 nonfiction work for Christian authors and writers. My next few releases will also be contemporary Christian YA, and then I intend to write Christian fiction for adults. The main reason why I write what I write is to glorify God and make Him known to readers through these books. A recent trend I’ve noticed with Christian publishers is that some are watering down the faith elements in their newer releases while still marketing the books as Christian fiction. While I’m not a proponent of Christian books that are so preachy the characters come off as unnatural, I prefer the Christian fiction I read and write to actually feature characters who struggle but choose to follow Jesus, discuss the gospel, and live it out. Jesus won’t be censored in the books I write, so if that means my books mention Him “too much” for traditional Christian publishers, then so be it. I’d rather Jesus be known in the stories I share than present readers with a watered down version of who He is and then have to stand before God and answer for that someday.

And for that same reason, I don’t think I’ll ever entertain the idea of going with a secular publisher either. 😛

I Don’t Write to Trend

Just like I know I would have trouble writing on someone else’s schedule, my stubborn little creative heart knows deep in its core that I could never write to trend or change my work to go along with what someone in the publishing industry thinks will win readers over. If you’ve read The Ballad of Emery Brooks trilogy, you’ll know that I like to defy genre expectations. Publishing experts don’t recommend doing that, but hey, when it works, it works. God has never led me wrong, and if He wants me to write a book that isn’t “easily marketable” in a publisher’s eye, I’m still going to follow His lead because He knows better than any publisher does. In fact, He knows the exact readers that book will be for and already has plans made to get the book in the hands of those readers, whether its two or two million of them.

Never Say Never

All that being said, I won’t say that I’ll never traditionally publish. If I ever get that chance, please know I’m going to be extremely picky about the stipulations in any contract that is offered. I would have to pray over it and feel at peace with taking that route before placing my book baby in the care of someone else. At this time in my author career, however, I don’t foresee myself even entertaining the idea anytime soon, and I’m at peace with that. If and when God wants that to change, I’ll give it a try. Until then, I’m content being an Indie author. 🙂

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

If you’re a writer, what are your thoughts on pursuing traditional publishing? If you’re a reader, do you read traditionally published books, Indie books, or a mix of both? Let me know in the comments!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀