Being Nice Isn't Enough. Be Professional.

There's a phrase that comes up constantly in the indie publishing world: support other authors. We understand the sentiment behind it, but honestly, it's not quite the advice we'd give.

Instead, we'd say this: be professional.

Because professionalism was never really about being nice. It's about being reliable, respectful, honest, and someone people genuinely want to work with.

Publishing is a business

This is the part a lot of authors struggle to fully accept. Writing is creative. Publishing is business.

The moment a book goes live, the writer becomes something more than a writer. There are now customers, a brand, products, marketing, public relations, and customer service to think about — whether that was ever the intention or not. That's simply the reality. The sooner it's accepted, the easier a lot of decisions get.

Liking everyone was never the requirement

Professionalism doesn't mean pretending to be friends with everybody. It doesn't mean agreeing with every opinion, or never disagreeing with an idea. Disliking someone's behaviour, disagreeing with their business choices, or thinking their advice is genuinely bad — all completely fine. Professionals disagree constantly.

The difference is how the disagreement happens.

The internet has lowered the bar

Worth a quick thought experiment: would anyone walk into a bookshop and start shouting at another author over a disagreement? Would anyone stand up at a signing and publicly insult a reader for giving a rival book five stars? Probably not, and hopefully not.

Yet the online equivalent happens almost daily. Social media creates distance, and that distance makes it easy to forget there's a real person on the other side of the screen.

Professional doesn't mean fake

A common pushback here is "I don't want to be fake." Good — don't be. Professionalism has nothing to do with pretending.

Funny, sarcastic, opinionated, honest, fully authentic — all of that can stay exactly as it is. Professionalism just means understanding that actions carry consequences.

Readers are watching

Worth remembering: readers don't know an author personally. Realistically, they'll only ever know two things — the books, and the online presence. That's it. Every single post contributes to that second one.

Worth asking honestly: if someone stumbled onto a profile today, right before buying their first book from you, would they come away excited to read the stories? Or worn out by the drama?

Publishers notice too

So do editors, cover designers, narrators, book bloggers, influencers, event organisers, booksellers, agents, and every other professional in the industry. People generally prefer working with people who are easy to work with.

Talent gets a foot in the door. Professionalism is usually what decides whether people invite you back.

Reliability is professionalism too

It's not only about what gets posted online — it's also about what actually gets done. Replying to emails, meeting deadlines, paying invoices on time, showing up when promised, keeping commitments. If something goes wrong, communicating about it goes a long way.

People remember reliability. They also remember the lack of it.

Bridges are worth keeping intact

Publishing is a surprisingly small world. The person being argued with today could be running an event next year. The blogger who got ignored might become one of the biggest reviewers in the genre. The author dismissed as unimportant might end up opening the door to the biggest opportunity yet.

There's really no way to know in advance — which is exactly why treating people with respect is almost always worth it. Not because something's expected in return. Because it's simply the right way to do business.

Professionalism is what builds trust

Readers trust authors who consistently behave well. Service providers trust clients who communicate clearly. Collaborators trust the people who follow through on what they say they'll do.

Trust was never built through one grand gesture. It's built through hundreds of small interactions — replying politely, owning mistakes, giving credit where it's due, respecting people's time, keeping your word. None of that tends to go viral. It builds careers instead, quietly, over years.

What we value at The Indie Author Hive

Professionalism sits right at the centre of what we care about most — not because authors need to be corporate, and not because everyone needs to think the same way, but because the whole publishing community gets stronger when people treat each other with respect.

Whether it's hiring a cover designer, working with an editor, joining one of our free, AI-free monthly BuzzFest and Stuff Your Kindle-style events, or just chatting with readers online, professionalism is what quietly opens doors. People remember how they were made to feel, and they remember whether working with someone was actually enjoyable.

The bottom line

Nobody needs to become an influencer. Nobody needs to be perfect. Nobody needs to agree with everyone.

What does matter is deciding what kind of reputation gets built — because every email sent, every comment left, every post published, every interaction had, becomes part of that professional reputation, one small piece at a time.

Being nice is wonderful. Being professional will take you a whole lot further.