David Rider ✅<p>Ten years ago today, before I sold anything to a publisher, I self-published my novelette “Tweakers, Crane Girl and the Semi-pocalypse.” That story remains one of my favorites because of the overall experience I had creating it. I put a ton of work into the project—from the number of drafts spent honing the language, to learning how to format an ebook, to collaborating with my wife on the cover image.</p><p>Seeing my finished story on a device felt like the 2015 version of publishing a zine, lacking only the Kinko’s bill and using staples on the fold. I realized something later that didn’t register with me back then: being an indie author is very much a punk rock endeavor. We’re eliminating the middleman and putting our stuff out there, on our terms. Not everyone’s going to get our vision, but we keep jamming and hoping the right people will vibe with it.</p><p>“Tweakers” is a dark tale about the gradual end of society, but it was inspired by a real-life moment of kindness—me being told a story and receiving that paper crane from a stranger. (And as we know from Superman, nothing is more punk rock these days than human kindness. Full circle.)</p><p>Here’s to ten years of being part of the indie author community. Look for a new self-published story from me in October.</p><p><a href="https://c.im/tags/bookstodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>bookstodon</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/books" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>books</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/IndieAuthor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndieAuthor</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/HorrorAuthors" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HorrorAuthors</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/IndieHorror" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndieHorror</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/SupportIndieHorror" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>SupportIndieHorror</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/HorrorCommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>HorrorCommunity</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/DavidRider" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DavidRider</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/TweakersCraneGirlandtheSemipocalypse" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TweakersCraneGirlandtheSemipocalypse</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/WeAreVanHelsing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WeAreVanHelsing</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/AncasUndeadPlaylist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AncasUndeadPlaylist</span></a></p>