I shall not tell a lie: being an indie author is a lot of work. There are so many different hats one has to wear. Hopefully, the one I am best at is the writing part. Indie authors must master the writing. Without that, nothing else matters.

However, as we all know, the job doesn’t end there. Indie authors must certainly be ‘jacks of all trades.’  Here’s a few:

• Editor  
• Proofreader
• Graphic Designer
• Ad Campaign Executive
• Critic
• Public Speaker
• Blogger
• Reader
• Philosopher
• Self-Motivational Speaker
• Counselor
• Cheerleader
• Administrative Assistant
• Copy Editor
• Web Page Designer
• Author
• Entrepreneur
• Cook (this one is crucial – almost as important as the writing part)

Yes, quite the list, and I’m sure I’ve missed some. I have a new found respect for all those entrepreneurs – from any field – who have found their way through years of sweat and hard work. They’ve learned countless skills along the way; some of the skills seem to just get in the way of what your main focus should be, but it becomes obvious that all of them are important in one way or another.

But as an indie author, it always must come back to the most important one overall – being a writer and putting in the time to write. I, unfortunately, don’t have time to write everyday. Sometimes not even every week. But I am fortunate enough to have weeks off at a time, a couple times a year, where I can sharpen my pencil and punch out a serious amount of words. I find that the list of jobs above better describes what I actually do most of the year.

So let’s raise our laptops in honor of hard-working indie authors everywhere! You are blazing new trails, and I’m enjoying being along for the ride.