from The Productive Indie Fiction Writer:
(And What You Can Actually Do About It)
If you’ve been wondering whether publishing feels harder than it used to — you’re right. It’s not just you, and you’re not doing it wrong. The game has changed, and it’s still changing. The good news? Once you see the landscape clearly, you can choose smarter paths through it.
1. The Market Is Saturated and Fragmented
Right now, there are:
- Over 15 million Kindle titles competing for reader attention.
- ~30,000 new fiction books per week hitting major retailers.
- Discovery algorithms that reward velocity and virality, not quality or longevity.
Once upon a time (read: 2015), solid metadata and some newsletter swaps could net you thousands of sales. In 2025, those same tactics might get you a polite nod and a handful of page reads.
Your visibility window is no longer measured in days. It’s hours — unless you pay to extend it.
2. Platform Decay: The Algo Doesn’t Love You Anymore
Remember when “also boughts” on Amazon meant something? That ship’s sailed. Now, if you’re not feeding the beast with constant ads or traffic from elsewhere (TikTok, newsletter swaps, a newsletter of your own), your books drop off the radar.
It’s not just Amazon. Facebook, Instagram, even BookBub: unpaid reach has cratered. An organic post today might get 1–2% of the traction it would have in 2020.
Bottom line? The old “build it and optimize it” model is gone. Every sale now requires a fresh injection of signal — ads, events, influencer buzz, or some kind of push.
3. Reader Behavior Has Shifted
Your readers haven’t disappeared. They’ve just moved. Inflation and the rise of subscription ecosystems — Kindle Unlimited, Kobo Plus, Ream, Webtoon — have trained readers to expect bottomless content for pennies. Even the most loyal readers hesitate at $4.99 when KU offers 10x more words for the same price.
Fiction demand hasn’t dropped. Paid purchases have.
So yes, the economics of indie publishing are harder now. But that’s only half the story.
So What Can You Actually Do About It?
The good news: You’re not powerless. But you do have to adapt. Here’s where the smart indie authors are focusing their energy:
1. Accept That Everyone’s Path Will Be Different
The old success maps are breaking down. Genre-by-genre, platform-by-platform, the ways authors reach readers are splintering. Your best friend’s cozy mystery TikTok funnel might not work for your space opera. And that’s okay.
There’s no One True Way anymore. That’s not a bug — it’s a feature. It means you can define success on your own terms, experiment with your strengths, and build a model that works for you.
2. Platform Will Save You
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: your reader platform is your lifeline.
Whether it’s a mailing list, a Patreon, a Ream page, a Discord server, or a Substack, you need a way to speak directly to your fans — and more importantly, a way to bring them with you no matter what the market does next.
You don’t need millions. You need your thousand true fans, or maybe even just a few hundred super-engaged ones. But you need them close. That means building relationships, not just follower counts.
3. Grasp the Stinging Nettle: Learn Marketing
Yes, marketing is uncomfortable. Yes, it’s squishy and weird and not why you became a writer. But here’s the truth: you can learn it. And once you do, you can make it work for your strengths.
Marketing isn’t just Facebook ads and awkward TikTok dances. It’s storytelling. Communication. Testing and tinkering. If you can write a novel, you can learn to market — at least enough to keep your work visible and sustainable.
Start with one platform. One tactic. Get curious instead of overwhelmed.
4. Diversify Like a Pro
This might mean:
- Selling direct (Shopify, Payhip, etc.)
- Offering special editions or bundles
- Tapping into adjacent platforms (Ream, Substack, audiobooks, translations)
- Licensing (film, audio, foreign rights — long shot? Maybe. But it happens.)
Don’t bet your whole business on one storefront. Especially one that rhymes with “Shmamazon.”
TL;DR: It’s Not Just You
Publishing is harder now — more crowded, more competitive, more volatile. But it’s still possible. Not by doing what worked in 2018, but by staying nimble, building close ties with your readers, and treating your business like a business.
You don’t need to burn out trying to be everywhere. But you do need to pick a direction and walk it deliberately.
The ground has shifted. Time to change your shoes.
Tracy Cooper-Posey
SRP Author and owner of The Productive Indie Fiction Writer
