Indie author day is tomorrow! I’m pretty excited, to be completely honest.
Unfortunately, many people aren’t familiar with the term ‘indie author’, so, what is an indie author?
The term ‘indie’ refers to independent publishing, which describes the process of publishing a book without using a publishing house. Publishing houses are usually referred to as ‘traditional publishers.’ Another term for independent publishing is ‘self-publishing,’ which may be a little clearer.
‘Indie’ is also used in other creative fields, namely film and music. It simply means that the author/creator is bringing their art into the world independently from organizations, such as a traditional publishing house or a recording studio.
Fun fact: an author who both independently publishers their books and has some of their books traditionally published is called a hybrid author!
There are ups and downs to self-publishing, just as there are ups and downs to traditional publishing. Both are valid forms of publishing and in both cases, the author is considered a valid author.
Now, one downside of being an indie author is that there isn’t a large publisher constantly putting out info about indie books. An indie author has to do all the marketing themselves, and sometimes that can be hard.
So, in honor of Indie Author Day, I’m sharing a few tips to help out indie authors!
- Buy their book. That may seem obvious, but the obvious way to help gets listed first!
- Leave a review. Something as simple as “I liked it” is helpful. Reviews let other readers know if a book is worth picking up. If you especailly liked something about the book, defiently mention it in your review! You don’t have to be a book blogger to do this either, an account on Goodreads is free and you can even leave reviews on which ever store you bought the book from.
- Engage with the author on social media. We’ve all heard of the dreaded algorithim, but liking, commenting, saving, and sharing posts made by your favorite indie authors helps get them and their book in front of a whole new audience- your friends.
- Request the book at you local library. Most libraries will buy a book for their collection if you ask! You can do this online on your libraries website, or ask a librarian to help. This helps get the book into even more hands.
- Tell your friends and family. This is simular to leaving reviews, and probably the easiest tip of all. If you like someone’s book, tell your friends and family to read it too!
- Create fan art. This is harder and takes a little more time but is something any author loves. Some authors repost fan art to their own pages they love it so much! This doesn’t have to be a complex drawing, but can also be a playlist that reminds you of the book. An aesthetic video or picture (Instagram has all sorts of character aethetic inspiration), or a character cosplay are some other ideas. Don’t force it, but if something makes you feel connected to the book and you can express it through art, go for it!
- Connect with the author in person. Find out if they’re going to be doing a book signing near you and go!
- Subscribe to their email list (you can do this on their website). This helps you stay in the loop and also shows the author that you’re interested in their books!
Speaking of connecting with an author in person, since tomorrow is indie author day, many libraries are hosting a few local indie authors for book signings! You can either look on the official Indie Author Day website to see if a library is hosting such an event, or you can google ‘Indie Author Day near me’.
My local library is having twelve (!!) authors come for a book signing tomorrow! I had to specifically look up if my library was having anyone because it wasn’t listed on the official I.A.D. website.
If you have a favorite indie author, comment below! And if you’re an indie author, comment below so that others can discover you!
Some of my favorite indie authors are:
Sarah Adams: Sarah writes sweet, funny romance books. (She is technically now a hybrid author because just this week she landed a book deal!). Her books are closed-door romance and she’s very quickly become one of my favorite authors!
Jenna Van Mourik: Jenna writes striking biblical fiction. Her books are well researched and feature lovable characters! (And her Instagram is BEAUTIFUL).
Bethany Atazadeh: Bethany writes not only fantastic YA but also non-fiction writing books. She also has an amazing youtube channel that is very helpful if you’re a writer!
Cleopatra Margot: Cleopatra writes heartwarming love stories. She brings faith to everyday life in a beautiful way!
Storm Shultz 