Is indie publishing the same as self-publishing?

They often mean the same thing. Sometimes indie publishing refers to smaller, independent publishers who work with authors, and self-publishing refers to authors who take on the responsibilities of publishing themselves. To be very clear, someone could say they are a self-published indie author.

Do indie authors make more money than traditionally published authors?

Yes, the profit percentage is much higher for indie authors. The catch is that traditional publishing houses often have marketing departments to help sell books. But the majority of traditionally published authors never out-earn their advance and do not receive royalties.

Can a self-published book become a bestseller?

Yes. Books like Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl, E.L. James's Fifty Shades of Grey, Andy Weir's The Martian, and Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad were all self-published before becoming bestsellers.

Do I need a literary agent if I want to self-publish?

No. Literary agents help authors get traditionally published. If you are self-publishing, you are not looking for a publisher, so an agent is not necessary.

What is the biggest disadvantage of self-publishing?

The biggest disadvantage of self-publishing is that all of the responsibility falls on you to put out a flawless book that also hits all the hallmarks of its genre — cover design, formatting, editing, and more.

Meet Atom Castle, author of “Hidden in the Drizzle”

Mystery/Thriller

Oct 9

Written By Natalie Saar

Tell us what your book, “Hidden in the Drizzle,” is about!

Sure! Here’s the summary:

A suspect dies in custody. His corpse vanishes from a locked morgue. Detective Arthur Crow must solve a crime that should be impossible. A fair-play-inspired, logic-driven mystery for readers who enjoy locked rooms, case files, contradictions, and long-form deduction.

What did you love most about writing this book?

The most satisfying part is aligning the timeline, physical conditions and diary text so the case works as a logic puzzle without a supernatural shortcut.

How did you start writing?

The project began with one impossible-crime question: what happens when a suspect dies in police custody and his body disappears from a locked morgue?

Tell us a little bit about your self-publishing experience.

I chose an independent, wide ebook release and built a reader-facing book page so the story can be discovered outside a single marketplace. Readers can use the universal Books2Read routes to choose their preferred store.

What was your biggest challenge in bringing the book to market, and how did you solve it?

The hardest part was keeping the mystery intriguing while protecting the reading experience: the copy must promise the locked-room problem, the fractured timeline and the evidence trail without giving away the mechanism or ending.

What's one piece of advice you have for other writers?

Start with the reader promise, then make every description, cover decision and purchase link serve that promise. Clear facts build more trust than inflated claims.

Anything else you want folks to know?

Hidden in the Drizzle is a dark adult locked-room detective mystery set in an unnamed rain-soaked city. It alternates third-person investigation with diaries, case files, autopsy material and spatial clues. The explanations stay grounded in reality.

Where can people find your book?

https://hidden-in-the-drizzle-atom-castle.xudxud2026.chatgpt.site/book

Natalie Saar

Meet Atom Castle, author of “Hidden in the Drizzle”

Meet Rhyddwr, author of “Ginkgo”

Happy writing!