The Indie Author Manifesto

Courtesy of Mark Coker and Smashwords comes these by-laws:

I hold these truths to be self-evident:

1. I am an indie author
2. I have experienced the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from self-publishing
3. I have a right to publish
4. My creative control is important to me. I decide when, where and how my writing graduates to become a published book.
5. Indie does not mean “alone.” I choose my partners.
6. I shall not bow beholden or subservient to any publisher. In my business relationships, I seek partnership, fairness, equity and mutually aligned interests.
7. We indie authors comprise diverse writers unified by a common purpose to advance, empower and celebrate writers everywhere.
8. I am a professional. I take pride in my work, and I strive to improve my craft to better serve my readers, myself, my fellow indie authors and the culture of books.
9. My writing is valuable and important. This value and importance cannot be measured by commercial sales alone.
10. I celebrate the success of my fellow indie authors, for their success is mine, and mine theirs. Together we are pioneering a better future for books marked by greater quality, creativity, diversity, choice, availability, affordability and accessibility.