Challenging the Indie Author stereotypes

My friends, do I have a fabulous episode for you all! Fellow indie author Jess McFarlane sat down with me to discuss the range of stereotypical opinions that exist with indie publishing.To many of us, traditional publishing is considered or perceived to be the ‘gold standard’ for literature. But the rise of indie authors and the growing accessibility in self-publishing is steadily changing the current preconceptions of the community.In this episode, author Jess McFarlane and I discuss the stereotypes around self-publishing and being an author. We touch on topics such as author wellbeing, finding your community, marketing, and topical debates in the indie author sphere.Of course, we also get into Jess’s upcoming literary release Man of Bears (scheduled for 16th September 2025). It is the sequel to Woman of Wolves, and book to in the medieval Irish historical fiction series, Arasgain Rule.Content warning: this episode includes discussion of mental health topics, depression, anxiety, self-harm and other similar themes.Topics discussed with timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:21 Reacting to assumptions about self-publishing15:10 The mental load of being an indie author19:01 Discussing Audra Winter26:46 Ratings and opinions32:02 Reflecting on how far you’ve come41:15 Reacting to @authortuesdayyjames Threads post48:18 Man Of Bears and Jess’s future work58:44 Including spice1:06:00 Looking to the futureMedia and services quoted in this episode* Enfant Terrible - Remy Bazerque:* Threads post by @authortuesdayyjames* Artist @miajoanart* Hummingbird EditingJess McFarlane’s Links* Instagram* Linktree* Threads* Goodreads* Tiktok* FacebookMG Hunt’s Links* Instagram* Linktree* Threads* Goodreads* Tiktok* Facebook* WebsiteFollow Indie Author Life on Instagram!Thanks for reading Indie Author Life! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mghunt.substack.com