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What Is an Indie Author? Meaning and How to Become One
By AuthorWings editorial team
9 min read
Short answer
An indie (independent) author publishes their own books instead of selling the rights to a publishing house. They act as their own publisher: they keep the rights, make the creative and business decisions, and hire help such as editors and cover designers. Many indie authors self-publish on Amazon KDP and other stores.
“Indie author” is a title many self-published writers choose for themselves. It says something about how they work: the author is also the publisher. Here’s what the term means, how it compares with other ways to publish, and how to become one. If you’re still deciding which route to take, see self-publishing vs traditional publishing.
Indie author meaning
Indie is short for independent: independent of a publishing house. An indie author writes the book and also publishes it, usually through self-publishing platforms such as Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo, and IngramSpark.
The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), a nonprofit association for self-publishing authors, defines an indie author as a writer who self-publishes their own work and keeps control of their publishing rights. By ALLi’s criteria, you’re an indie author if you:
You’re an indie author if you:
- have self-published at least one book
- see yourself as the creative director of your books, from concept through marketing, promotion, and beyo
- see yourself as the creative director of your author business, and expect partners to acknowledge you as rights holder and creative director in payment, terms, and conditions
- are proud of being indie.
Source: Alliance of Independent Authors, What Is an Indie Author? (checked October 2026).
Indie authors publish every kind of book: novels and series, nonfiction, memoirs, poetry, and children’s books.
The publisher hats an indie author wears
A publishing house splits a book’s work across editors, designers, sales, and marketing staff. An indie author makes every one of those decisions, even when they hire someone to do the work.
RightsYou decide
You keep the copyright and choose which rights to sell or license, if any.
EditingYou decideOften hired out
You decide how much editing the book needs, and many authors hire an editor. See book editing.
CoverYou decideOften hired out
You approve the design, and many authors hire a cover designer. See book cover design.
FormattingYou decide
You choose the trim size and interior look. See book formatting.
ISBNYou decide
You decide whether to use a free store ISBN for print or buy your own. Ebooks on KDP don’t need one. See what is an ISBN.
DistributionYou decide
You choose the stores: Amazon only, or wide. See book publishing.
PriceYou decide
You set the list price within each store’s limits and can change it any time. On KDP, a change takes from a day to 5 business days to show.
MarketingYou decide
You plan the launch, reviews, and ads. See book marketing.
Hiring help doesn’t make you less indie. What matters is that the decisions, the accounts, and the royalties stay yours. That’s how our self-publishing services work.
Indie author vs self-published author vs other routes
The two terms overlap. ALLi uses “self-publishing author” for anyone who publishes a book at their own expense, and “indie author” for one who self-publishes to sell and runs it as an author-publishing business. The bigger difference is between indie authors and the other ways to publish. Small presses are traditional publishers too; they just tend to be smaller:
Indie authorThis guide
- Who pays for production
- You
- Who decides
- You
- Whose ISBN and imprint
- Yours, or a store’s free one
- How you’re paid
- Royalties paid to your own accounts
Hybrid publisher
- Who pays for production
- You pay a fee
- Who decides
- The publisher; IBPA criteria call for a negotiable contract
- Whose ISBN and imprint
- The publisher’s
- How you’re paid
- A higher-than-standard royalty (an IBPA criterion; not every hybrid meets it)
Small press
- Who pays for production
- The publisher
- Who decides
- The publisher, with your input
- Whose ISBN and imprint
- The publisher’s
- How you’re paid
- Royalties under a contract, often with no advance
Traditional publisher (large house)
- Who pays for production
- The publisher
- Who decides
- The publisher, with your input
- Whose ISBN and imprint
- The publisher’s
- How you’re paid
- An advance, then royalties after it earns out
Vanity pressAvoid
- Who pays for production
- You, often large fees
- Who decides
- The company; it holds exclusive rights, and contracts often can’t be ended at will
- Whose ISBN and imprint
- The company’s
- How you’re paid
- Royalties, sometimes withheld until costs are recouped; some require you to buy copies
Indie authors can still sell some rights: ALLi says indie authors may selectively license rights to trade publishers and other rights buyers when it helps them. Translation and audio rights are examples. To tell a legitimate hybrid publisher from a paid scam, see what a vanity press is.
What “Independently published” means on Amazon
Self-published paperbacks and hardcovers that use KDP’s free ISBN show “Independently published” as the publisher. It comes from the ISBN, the book’s ID number.
Free KDP ISBN
Publisher: Independently published
Language: English
Paperback: 284 pages
The ISBN works only on KDP.
Your own ISBN
Publisher: Lantern Lane Press
Language: English
Paperback: 284 pages
Your imprint name, and the same ISBN for this edition elsewhere.
Example listings for illustration; Lantern Lane Press is a made-up imprint.
As of October 2026, KDP’s help pages say:
- With a free KDP ISBN, your imprint shows as “Independently published,” and that ISBN can only be used on KDP.
- With your own ISBN, you can list your own imprint, such as a business or brand name.
Either way, you’re the indie author. Because your own ISBN is yours, not KDP’s, you can also use it for the same format and edition on other platforms, such as IngramSpark. A free KDP ISBN can’t move there. Learn more in what is an ISBN.
Pros and cons of being an indie author
Pros
- You keep your rights and the royalties, paid straight to you.
- You decide the cover, price, title, and release date.
- You can publish in weeks once the manuscript is ready, not the year or two a traditional publisher often takes after signing a deal.
- You can publish as often as you write, which suits series.
Cons
- You pay for editing, design, and formatting up front.
- You do or manage the marketing yourself.
- Bookstores rarely stock self-published books unless they’re returnable and discounted, and even then they often order one or two copies to start.
- Some major review outlets review self-published books only through paid programs: as of October 2026, Kirkus does so through Kirkus Indie, while Publishers Weekly takes free submissions through BookLife.
- Scam companies target new authors, so you need to check who you hire.
How much indie authors earn varies widely. For survey numbers, see self-publishing vs traditional publishing.
How to become an indie author
- Finish your manuscript. See how to write a book.
- Get it edited. At least a proofread; many books need more.
- Get a cover and format the files. An ebook file, and a print PDF for paperback or hardcover.
- Decide on your ISBN and imprint. A free store ISBN for print, or your own.
- Publish on the stores you choose. See how to self-publish a book.
- Market the book. Plan a launch, get reviews, and build a reader list.
Once your first book is out, you’re an indie author.
Help for indie authors
You don’t have to do every job yourself to stay indie. AuthorWings is a self-publishing service, not a publisher: we do the work you hand over, and your book is published in your name, with every account in your name and 100% of your rights and royalties kept. Publishing setup starts at $249, and a Publish-Ready package with cover, formatting, and publishing starts at $537. See our self-publishing services.
Self-publishing services
Publish as an indie author, with help
Hand over the jobs you don’t want to do. Your book is published in your name, with every account in your name and 100% of your rights and royalties kept.
- Publishing setup from $249
- Publish-Ready packages from $537
Indie author FAQ
Is an indie author the same as a self-published author?
Largely. Indie authors self-publish and keep their rights. Some authors prefer “indie” because it stresses that they run an author-publishing business and act as creative director, as the Alliance of Independent Authors puts it. ALLi uses “self-publishing author” more broadly, for anyone who publishes a book at their own expense, for any reason.
Can an indie author also be traditionally published?
Yes. Some authors self-publish some books and sign traditional deals for others, and indie authors can license certain rights to publishers and other rights buyers. The Alliance of Independent Authors says “indie author” is the best term for writers who publish both ways.
Does “Independently published” on Amazon mean self-published?
Yes. As of October 2026, KDP shows “Independently published” as the imprint when a book uses KDP’s free ISBN. If you buy your own ISBN, you can list your own imprint name instead, and the book is still self-published. The label tells you which ISBN was used, not how good the book is.
Do indie authors have to do everything themselves?
No. Indie authors make the decisions, but many hire editors, cover designers, formatters, and marketers. What keeps you indie is that the rights, the accounts, and the royalties stay yours. Check any service’s contract for that before you pay, and avoid companies that take your rights, or a cut of your royalties on top of a fee you already paid. Distributors such as Draft2Digital keep a stated commission instead, about 10% of the list price.
Is an indie publisher the same as an indie author?
No. An indie publisher, or independent press, is a publishing company that isn’t owned by a large corporation or media conglomerate, and it can be small or large. It publishes other people’s books and doesn’t charge authors to publish: the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses doesn’t count fee-charging presses as indie presses. An indie author publishes their own books and keeps the rights.
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AuthorWings editorial team
The AuthorWings editorial team writes and updates our guides for first-time authors. Every post is read and edited by a person on our team before it is published.
