Building a Fandom: An Ethnographic Journey into Indie Authorship

Over the past year or so, I've been quietly studying.

I self-published my first book through Lulu in 2006 and have since written countless pieces of fiction and non-fiction, both in academic circles and anonymously online. For several years, I've been thinking about getting myself back into the indie publishing scene. So, I decided to dive deep into the current landscape of indie publishing, learning how authors today build their careers on platforms like Amazon, Kobo, and others.

There's tons of great books on how to do various aspects of self-publishing and even more blogs. One resource I found both helpful and inspiring was happening upon blogs where authors cataloged some of their journey with self-publishing. But! There aren't nearly as many of those out there as I would have liked to see. A lot of the "real" info is still behind closed doors.

Why This Blog?

Drawing on my background in ethnographic research, I'm treating this blog as a sort of public field notes. Here, I'll not only recount my experiences but also reflect critically on the process, documenting observations about indie publishing culture, community-building, and reader engagement in (almost) real time. In essence, this is an ethnographic project as much as it is a personal one.

For a long time, I've harbored the dream of writing and publishing more fiction under my own name (or rather, a carefully chosen pen name, which I will not be sharing here no matter how many times you ask me). Now, I'm setting out not just to publish but to intentionally build a platform and cultivate a "fandom"—a community of readers who connect with my work, engage with it, and, hopefully, champion it.

What to Expect

This series will act as a meta-journal: a place to document, reflect on, and analyze the steps I'm taking to build that platform. Each week, I'll share updates about what actions I'm taking, what strategies I'm testing, and what effects I'm noticing. I'll be sharing all the resources, courses, books, and blogs I've found useful along the way. It’s part field notes, part reflection, and part real-time case study in indie author fandom-building.

For those curious about the fiction itself, I'll primarily be writing in the romance genre, exploring a few different sub-genres as I find my footing and voice. I'll be sharing resources and general information, even if I'm keeping the actual pen name(s) and specific book details hidden.