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Welcome to Indies United
Greetings, my fellow Indie authors and avid readers, and welcome to our thriving creative community, where storytellers and story-lovers meet, support, and uplift one another.
At Indies United, we are a co-op of like-minded authors working together to showcase our books and celebrate our diversity as writers. With more than 40 subgenres spanning fantasy, fiction, nonfiction, thrillers, mysteries, science fiction, poetry, and youthful readers, we embrace both new and established voices, helping each author find their audience while offering readers books worth reading: stories that surprise, delight, and linger long after the last page.
​Most traditional publishing venues are like a very nice formal dinner party where everything is planned and always follows the same formula. The food is generally good, the entertainment acceptable without being distracting, the conversation predictable, the event exclusive, carefully curated and always formal. Indie publishing, by contrast, is a block party. The music is lively, everyone brings to the table something from their own kitchen, the dress code is whatever makes you feel like yourself, and the stories? They’re as varied and vibrant as the people who bring them.
But in this colorful world of Indie publishing, too many authors still struggle, not because their books lack merit, but because the industry is stacked against them. Without the backing of a major house, individual voices can be drowned out in the noise. That’s why I created Indies United: to offer those voices a home. A place where innovation, authenticity, and community thrive.
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Here, we do more than publish. We mentor. We workshop. We gather. We encourage innovation. We inspire community.
We host Small Bites, our annual short story contest that invites authors to flex their creative muscles and share bite-sized brilliance. We celebrate Inklight, our annual literary festival held each June in Quincy, Illinois. A three-day gathering focused on workshops, networking, and creative growth. The weekend culminates in our formal Awards Gala, where we honor the winners of the Small Bites short story contest and other standout creative talent. It’s a joyful celebration, turning solitary writing into shared recognition.
This isn’t just a platform, it’s a movement. A mosaic of voices, stitched together by passion, purpose, and the belief that every story deserves to be heard.
So pull up a chair. Bring your favorite dish. Share your story.
Welcome to our block party.
Spotlight Interview with Indies United founder Lisa Orban
She discusses the challenges facing authors, publishing trends, and her dreams for the future and the authors under her care.
Testimonials from our Authors
“Lisa Orban is a publishing visionary, using IUPH to fill a desperately needed gap within the highly competitive publishing landscape. Her unique business model leveraging the speed and agility of modern publishing technologies opens doors to authors who would otherwise be left out of critical career opportunities. For me personally, IUPH is a dream come true and I couldn’t be more grateful to Lisa for her constant support and care.”
Lisa Towles
Amazon Bestseller and Award Winning crime novelist
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“Lisa cares about her authors in a way that brings heart back to literature. Indie United is about helping the author. That is a wonderful change.”
The And I Thought Ladies - Wilnona & Jade
Hosts, Women in Literature Awards
Slam Poets
“When I found Indies United Publishing House, I was experiencing the isolation writers know all too well. What I found with Indies is a community of writers who actively support each other. They are there, as needed, to provide feedback and to help your work be the best it could be!”
Timothy R. Baldwin
author and teacher
“I joined Indies United Publishing House in early 2021 after a friend referred me. I spent the first year of the pandemic painting and writing poetry; friends were encouraging me to publish my creations. Prior to connecting with IUPH, I had zero experience in publishing a book. Lisa Orban made the process extremely easy by providing a step-by-step guide to uploading your book files, equipping me with ISBNs and LCCN for publication purposes, and explaining how to format the manuscript prior to publication. I have since published a second watercolor/poetry book and five novels, four of which are part of a series. None of this would have been possible without the organization and experience Lisa provided. In addition to making the publishing learning curve less steep, she also creates advertisements on virtually every social media platform for all of our books. Every time an author in our group launches a book, she provides us with video clips, a book trailer, and properly formatted ads to share as we please. I have learned so much about the literary world since joining IUPH and I'm grateful for what Lisa has created in the organization.”
Leslie Piggott
Author of the Cari Turnlyle Series
“Lisa Orban, publisher extraordinaire, prolific and gifted author is my personal superhero. She’s able to see what others cannot, even as she balances her many roles as mother, grandmother, friend, author, wise woman and humanitarian. She’s a bold visionary who lit up my life and journey with grace, humor and indomitable patience and wisdom. Without her guidance and extraordinary skill set, I would never have been able to publish my novel. She literally lit up my life in one of its darkest hours. No matter what, she never gives up.
Lisa is a unique talent in this complicated and often troubling world. Her books are funny, heart-felt, beautifully written and inspiring. She is the essence of Aphrodite’s beauty and channels the Goddess Athena’s tenacity and wisdom.”
Juliette Lauber
International Entertainment Lawyer
Author of The French Queen’s Curse: In Queen Margot’s Gardens
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I've been with IUPH for almost three years now and I couldn't be happier. Lisa Orban is fantastic. She cares about us. She works harder than anyone to make sure her authors are well published and promoted, and all with good humor. She's been an incredible guide to me in my career, helping me with layout, graphics, timing, giving me a masters course in publishing and marketing information, and helping me stay sane while cranking out books. i can't speak highly enough about the leadership Lisa provides.
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Ana Manwaring
Award winning author of the JadeAnne Mexico Mystery Series
Ribbon Cutting from our Grand Opening
September 12, 2018
We had an amazing day with our local area Chamber of Commerce and many local businesses came out to support us during the event. Thank you to everyone who came out that day to cheer us on, and to everyone who has since.
If you would like to watch the video of the event (sorry about the audio, the acoustics of the building we were in were not in our favor) you can watch in on our YouTube channel at: