This is why I went indie. Though, tbh, the freedom is at times "shallow." You'd be amazed how often other indie authors will message each other saying things like, "Weird choice, bro," or "If it were my story I wouldn't have taken that path," or "You sure people reading that genre will be okay with that twist? Your call, I guess." And I'm not talking solicited beta feedback and the like. These are pretty much word-for-word DMs for books after they've been published, addressing story elements others have enjoyed. I've seen this in my own DMs as well as in unsolicited advice given to other authors in group chats and Discords (or screenshots baffled author friends have sent me). In trad publishing, the barriers to wild story ideas are more overt: agents and editors get final say, and that's that. They think it's weird or won't sell, and you're done. Better luck next book. In these parts, it's... conversational. "Stop doing this obscure trope I don't like" or "Stop trying to defy genre norms" in DMs, posts, and BookTube videos. The gates are subtler, but they're there. It'd be one thing if these were just comments in reviews. By all means, have at it in your reviews. An author can decide whether or not to read those. But so often pushback comes in disapproving DMs with language implying (or stating outright) that "No author should ever try this. Why did you?" It's important to consider all feedback, whenever and however it comes, but sometimes this community needs a reminder: We don't need your permission to write these stories. And that's the best damn part.

My novel, Kenai, which won the SPSFC indie sci-fi competition out of 221 entries, is free as an ebook until October 24th. It's a military sci-fi story about a former space marine with a discredited past. See below for more. Grab a copy on me, and enjoy!