How Do You Support an Indie Writer?

As a reader, it's easy to become a devoted fan of the characters or world created by a best-selling author. You buy all the books, you buy the shirts and stickers, you watch the movies or tv shows adapted from their writing. The industry makes it easy to support the popular writers, but the industry also has a tendency to celebrate the same writers over and over. For voracious readers who crave diversity, it can be frustrating to see the same types of books and authors year after year.

One way to branch out and expand your reading palate is to try something new. Now, most people already know their preferred genres, and usually the response is---I don't care to read outside my interests by trying new genres. That's okay! Your other option is to stay inside your favorite genre but try new subgenres or indie writers within that category.

Indie, also called self-published, authors are extremely underrepresented by the publishing industry, bestselling lists, online bookstores, you name it. Meanwhile they can provide the same caliber of storytelling as the bestsellers lauded on the charts, the same drool-worthy villains, the same heartbreaking love stories.

What can indie books offer you that bestsellers can't? Stories untainted by the "marketing" eye. How many times were you disappointed by an ending because it was painfully predictable, too cliche? Well. Self published authors have nothing holding them back from delivering raw, brutal content as it's meant to be read, not polished down into a smooth, shiny marketable product. Their stories are rife with adventures that buck all the rules. They write for the sake of telling the story as it should be told, not just to sell.

Where do you start? It's just a matter of finding them and, once you do, supporting them.

But how to do that? The big three are often proposed as such: Buy. Read. Review. Reviews for indie books are just as good as cash. Many indie books struggle to reach new readers due to lack of reviews, as many readers rely on word of mouth or star quality to determine what's worth putting on their TBR list. And let's be honest, there's a LOT of options. A glowing review from a reader can instantly draw interest from others. Take the time to leave a thoughtful review on why you enjoyed a book, and the indue author will love you forever. (Okay, maybe not forever, but probably for quite a long time).

If you want to show your support in other ways, sign up for their newsletters. Follow them on Twitter. Attend digital book tours or in person book signings (pandemic safety-considering).

If the author has a Patreon or Ko-Fi, consider supporting them there--sometimes you can even receive exclusive content like short stories, character backgrounds, or merch.

AND if you provide fun entertainment on a platform such as a blog, TikTok, Instagram, etc, consider hyping their book if you enjoyed it.

Love,

An Indie Writer