10 ways to support Indie Authors

Did you know that writing and publishing a book is not a small accomplishment, especially for those who don’t publish with a big 5 publisher?

This means that the Indie Author of your town, is in charge of their own marketing and promotion.

You know what that means?

- Printing books (which requires a big investment of money)

- Shipping books (it does costs money as well)

- Advertisements (cash rules everything around the indie author)

- Travelling for book tours (more money!)

- And much, much more that involves money.

Because of all the work they have to endure, indie authors need your help. Will you be the one to offer it?

Here is a list of 10 ways to support Independent Authors:

1. Go to their events: If your indie author managed to procure an event at a local bookstore, coffee shop, bar, etc., think that the venue did not come to them.

2. Post about it on Social Media: If your indie author has an event coming up, tweet about it. Tag the venue. If you just got your indie author’s book in the mail, snap a picture and let #bookstagram know that you can’t wait to read it. Talk about it on Facebook before, during, and after reading it. Any bit of validation helps.

3. Buy the Book: You can do this directly from the author, on Amazon, or from the local Independent Bookstore.

4. Request it from your library and local bookshop: When you request the author’s book from your library, that library has to purchase the book in order to store it. And guess what? Chances are that they will! Sometimes that opens the author up to host events at their location, and when you return it to the library, future browsers could find it and help promote it on their own.

5. Write a review: Just like your favorite podcasts, YouTube channels, and local shops, indie authors are in extreme need of reviews. Nothing quite says validation like heading onto your indie author’s book page and finding that the book has been read and reviewed by 25+ people. So if you read the book, just drop a line or two on one of Amazon, Goodreads, or both. If an indie author has 25+ reviews on Amazon, the website actually might start doing free promotion for them. Once they hit that number, they’ll also be accepted into spectacular book promotion websites like BookBub. So really, they can’t do it without your reviews. And it should only take a few minutes.

6. Give their book as a gift: Whether you buy another copy or just share your own, sending the book to someone who might enjoy it puts this thing into the hands of another reader. That means that this someone is reading a book they would have not read otherwise. They might talk about it with their friends or family, and holy smokes is that helpful. Even if it just sits on their bookshelf, it puts the book in a new visible position. And if they’re a book blogger, they might even write about it!

7. Request it to your Book Club: Request that your group reads your indie author’s book instead. Oftentimes when book club members agree to read something, they all will purchase the book in order to read it. And honestly—what better way to make some real concrete sales for the author in your life?

8. Keep it visible: Nosy strangers might fall in love with the cover, title, and/or recognize it from the book blog they’ve been paying attention to. And when that happens, intrigue builds in their mind and sometimes, it sends them straight to the purchase button.

9. Represent their merchandise (stickers, bookmarks, T-shirts): It’s important to put your indie author’s product in the faces of potential buyers as much as possible. Sometimes, authors purchase merchandise like stickers and bookmarks to help spread the word about their books, and if you’re willing, put that baby in a noticeable place!

10. Read the book: Indie authors are capable of just as much and sometimes more than the books that get the most exposure, so go ahead and give it a shot. And when you do, tell your author about it. Share the thing that you enjoyed most. You’ll make your author proud. And if that’s it? Well, you’ve done your job in supporting them.

- Original text from Joe Walters: "10 ways to support Independent Authors".

Kizzy Petit

Author - Doula - Coach

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