Over the almost three years since buying my Kindle, I’ve seen various kinds of self-published books and their authors. Today, I’ll look back at that.

The professional

Books of these people are a joy to read. They approach writing professionally to every last point, probably write several hours each day and provide their readers with hours of entertainment. They know how to make sure the potential readers find their works. And, as result, they are role models for others taking this route. Their works have a high quality and the only difference from a traditionally published book is that they take care of everything themselves. On the downside, they might be harder to reach if you wanted to ask a question, spending much of their time with their craft.

The impatient

These are the very opposite of the professional. Harboring the illusion that you can just write your story and self-publish it the moment you write “the end”, they hope the money will start rolling in overnight. The realization will be harsh – lack of drafting, editing, decent cover… any of the basic mistakes (about which a bit of research would warn them) will likely send their writing on a downward spiral. The harsh truth – especially if voiced repeatedly through reviews – might kill their writing “career” before it even truly starts.

The one-timer

This is an author that had that one idea he/she eventually turned into a book (or single series). They did their best to tell the story they wanted to tell but might not have any other idea for years (if ever) and one book (series) might be all they ever write. It’s likely their story was a side-project in their life they wrote for the joy of it so they’ll give it their best and thus avoid the mistakes of ‘the impatient’ but they’ll not strive for the perfection of ‘the professional’.

The bard

The bard gets into the writing world for the sheer joy of telling. Whether it’s one epic split into several episodes or a pile of standalone short stories, they will enjoy sharing them – even if the audience is small. A bard will likely read the reviews, answer questions, and maybe even enjoy discussing with the readers – and thus leave a general friendly vibe and a positive impression. Their writing might not be as perfect as of ‘the professional’ but the mistakes will be few and the process approached with passion.

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So, this is how I see self-published writers. It’s purely my opinion – and I’ll gladly hear yours, so feel free to share it in the comments.