Sonia M. Rompoti, MSc, Bsc

One of the biggest lies floating around the indie author world is that success happens quickly if you “just stay consistent.”

Technically? Consistency matters.

But social media has turned publishing into this strange performance where authors feel pressured to act like every preorder is selling out stadiums while privately eating shredded cheese at midnight wondering if anyone besides their mother opened the newsletter.

It’s exhausting.

And honestly, I think more authors need to say that out loud.

Because the reality is that most indie careers are built slowly.

Not because the author isn’t talented enough. Not because the books are bad. Not because the algorithm personally hates them, though sometimes it absolutely feels personal.

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Building an author career usually happens through accumulation.

One reader at a time. One book at a time. One recommendation at a time. That’s much less glamorous than internet success stories make it sound, but it’s also far more sustainable.

As both an author and someone with a psychology background, I think indie publishing can quietly become emotionally dangerous when writers start attaching their worth to metrics.

Views.
Ranks.
Page reads.
Followers.
Open rates.

Suddenly, creativity stops feeling creative and starts feeling like a live public performance review happening 24 hours a day.

And the worst part?

Many authors begin writing based entirely on what they think will “perform” instead of what creates emotional connection.

Readers can feel that.

People don’t fall in love with books because the SEO was optimized within an inch of its life. They fall in love with books because something inside the story feels human.

That’s what authors should protect at all costs.

The strongest advice I can give newer writers is this: stop trying to look successful online and focus on becoming unforgettable to the readers you already have.

A loyal audience grows from emotional trust, not constant visibility.

Readers remember authors who make them feel something.

That’s why I focus so heavily on emotional depth in my own books, whether I’m writing curvy romance, witchcraft-infused longing, paranormal tension, grief, emotionally intelligent heroes, or messy healing journeys. I’d rather create stories readers emotionally carry with them than chase every trend until my personality dissolves into Canva graphics and burnout.

And yes, marketing matters. Covers matter. Consistency matters. Learning the business side matters.

But authors who survive long term usually understand one important thing:
you are building a relationship with readers, not feeding a content machine.

That changes everything.

It changes how you write. How you market. How you handle slow months. How you survive disappointing launches without deciding your entire career is doomed by Thursday afternoon. Because honestly, sometimes the book that barely moves at launch becomes the one readers obsess over six months later. Publishing is unpredictable like that. Tiny Victorian ghost child energy.

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So if you are an indie author quietly building your world while wondering whether any of it is working, this is your reminder that slow growth is still growth.

Readers are not just looking for polished books anymore. They are looking for authors with a voice. A perspective. A heart underneath the marketing. And those are the careers that last.

If you love emotionally layered romance, honest conversations about writing, emotionally intelligent characters, witchy atmosphere, curvy heroines, and stories written with both emotional depth and chaos, you can explore my books through Harkness Publishing House and join my reader world for more behind-the-scenes conversations about romance, psychology, and surviving indie publishing without spiritually evaporating.