In today’s blog post, I’m going to be talking about how to support indie authors. Whether you know an indie, are an indie, or just love to read and support indie authors, this post is for you.
What is an indie author?
First of all, let’s define what, exactly, an indie author is. Indie is short for independent and can include two different types of authors. The first type is authors whose books are published by independent publishers. These independent publishers are the small businesses in the book publishing industry and are not affiliated with any big corporations. They work on a much smaller scale, though authors who are published by independent publishers are still technically traditionally published.
The second type of indie author is the one that is self-published. These authors are the ones who do everything on their own and on their own dime. I am a self-published author meaning that I wrote, and published my books without the help of a publishing company. Some authors hire editors, proof-readers, cover artists, formatting specialists, etc, to get their book ready for the masses, but a select few (like myself) do ALL the work on their own. I wrote, edited, and formatted every book in The Chronicles of Tanithor series. I also created the map and covers and am the exclusive owner and independently responsible for marketing my books.
Why support indie authors?
So, why should you support indie authors? Whether an author is published by an indie publisher, or they are self-published, both authors are working on a very small scale. They usually do not have the money needed to promote their books. While independent publishers typically have more resources and money to successfully publish and promote a book, it’s significantly less than big publishing corporations. Plus, the cost to do such things eats up the profit that the authors receive from their books.
Self-published authors earn even less for all the work they put into their stories. While they may not have to share commissions with a publishing company, by the time they publish their books, they have typically invested more time and money into their book than they will earn in the first five years. (give or take, depending on many factors) In order to earn money for their stories, people have to buy their books. In order to buy their books, they need to know about them. Getting the word out about their books takes a lot of time and money to promote that self-published authors often don’t have. That is where you come in.
How to support indie authors
1: Read books by indie authors
If you love to read books, you can easily support indie authors in many ways. The first? Read books by indie authors! How do you know if you are reading an indie author? Easy! I share many book recommendations on my website that are written by indies. Instagram is also a great place for finding indie authors by simply searching the #indieauthor tag. Other tags to search are #selfpublishedauthor and #indiebooks. You can also follow bookstagrammers who often read and review indie books. Many indies put their books in Kindle Unlimited, so subscribing to that service alone, you are likely to be exposed to more indies.
2: Rate and review books by indie authors
So you are reading indie authored books? Yay! Another simple way to support them is by leaving a review. It doesn’t have to be a long review. Simply saying something like, “I loved this book! You should read it now!” Is short and sweet and encourages others to read it too. These reviews mean the world to indie authors because they are the social proof others need to be convinced to read a book. It also encourages indie authors to keep writing! Seeing readers are enjoying their books is the best motivation! You can leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, Kobo, Barnes and Noble….anywhere and everywhere! But usually Amazon and Goodreads are the top two. Bonus points if you include fun book photos in your review on Amazon!
3: Request indie books at your local library
This is so easy to do! If you frequent your local library, simply ask the librarian how to go about requesting a book. Usually there will be some sort of form you will need to fill out or they might even fill it out for you if you just give them the title of the book and the name of the author. Other required information might be the ISBN number which can be found inside the book or on the details tab wherever you would purchase the book. You can even go one step further and purchase an extra copy of your favorite indie author book to donate to your local library!
4: Connect with indie authors online
Another easy way to support an indie author is to simply follow them on their socials. Indie authors LOVE hearing from their readers! They often have email newsletters that you can sign up to and get special bonus content, exclusive updates on their books and more! (sign up for mine here 🙂
5: Share indie author’s posts/reels
Once you are connected to your favorite indie authors, share their posts and reels! Doing so helps them reach a wider audience which is the greatest struggle many indie authors face. Your help is invaluable! You can even sign up to be on their “scream team” or “share team.” This is just a public way of saying I love this indie author’s books and I’m going to tell you all about them! Authors run these groups in different ways but how you choose to participate is entirely up to you! I have a “share team” on Instagram where I just share posts that I’d like the share team to…you guessed it! SHARE! It’s a super simple way to help support indie authors.
6: Post about indie books online
This is especially helpful if you are part of the online bookish community, whether that is on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook…or any other social media platform! If you regularly share photos or videos including and recommending an indie author’s book, you are helping to spread the word about their books! If you aren’t a part of any online bookish communities, you can always talk about your favorite indie authors by word of mouth. Telling your book besties about the amazing indie books you are reading makes a huge difference!
7: Start an indie author support club
Like a book club but exclusively for indie authored books! Do you have a lot of book-loving friends? Are you already a part of a book club? Why not suggest an indie book for the club or start a book club where you exclusively read indie books? Getting a large group together helps spread the word about the indie author’s books, as well as helps with sales when the whole group buys the book! You get to enjoy a great book with friends AND support indie authors! Everyone wins!
8: Buy all the editions of indie author’s books
All the ways I just shared are super easy and cost very little money if you are on a budget. Even if you read the digital version of an author’s book for free on Kindle Unlimited, you are still supporting that author by reading their book! The author gets paid per page read, so that KU subscription goes a long way to helping support indie authors! However, if money isn’t a problem for you, consider buying all the editions of your favorite indie author’s book. Reading on Kindle Unlimited is amazing! You can also purchase the digital copy to own, as well as the hardback or paperback to have as a trophy on your bookshelf! If the author sells special editions, or bookmarks and book swag, get that too! If you want to support an indie author, buying all the things they have to sell is the best way!
Conclusion
Supporting indie authors, whether they are self-published or published by independent publishers is easy to do and often hardly costs you any extra money. Indie authors need your help, and by supporting them, you encourage them to keep writing and publishing more stories for you to enjoy!
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