When I was let go from O'Reilly Media six years ago, I decided that I'd never work in a cubical again.
It wasn't that I didn't like the regular salary, health benefits, nor paid time off. I did. But my view of publishing online was changing. And the approach that I wanted to take wouldn't mesh with a large company.
Bottom line: I wanted to be authentic.
I was tired of pretending to be smart, or to agitate conversations, or to follow the latest trend in social media thinking. I didn't want bosses who ran the marketing department. Instead, I wanted to tell the story of an evolving technology - digital media - in my own words.
Now, with both The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer, I'm able to do that. Yes, I have to be business minded or the rent doesn't get paid. But my overhead is much lower than that of a large company. And this is one of the keys to independent online publishing.
Quite frankly, the amount of money I need to generate to keep posting is less than my larger competitors. And as a result, I can think more about what I want to say rather than how I'm going to profit from it.
And there are others like me, independent online publishers who are passionate about their work and honest in the advice they share.
To honor this culture, I'm going to use the phrase, "Independent Online Publishing" to refer to the work that the community of bloggers, podcasters, and photographers do every day. This is our job. And to be honest, it's worth the pay cut.
I've also created a page called Become a Supporter. It provides a way for independent listeners and readers of The Digital Story and The Nimble Photographer to show their support for this type of publishing.
I'm not sure where this idea is going to go from here. I secured the domain: www.independentonlinepublishing.com while I think about it. I may ask others to join this group.
In the meantime, I'm more motivated than ever to provide you with interesting, entertaining, and helpful content. I love having the freedom to write what I believe.
And I'm lucky to have you to join me on this quest.
-Derrick
