I plan to be a very busy writer this summer, but I’ll still make time for reading, of course! For a couple of reasons I’m making it an Indie Summer: My iPad is proving a comfortable, convenient way to read for me; and I’m really excited about what I’m seeing in the indie publishing movement. That’s beside the purely self-motivated reason — I’m getting great reads for anywhere between $1 and $5! Talk about a guiltless pleasure.
I wish I could read three a week, there’s so much cool stuff out there! I’m loving the diverse selection of indie fiction, and I’m having lots of fun finding new authors to read.
People worry about not being able to find good indie work, but I’m not having that problem. I’m finding plenty of ways to filter through what’s out there to find what interests me: Goodreads, following author blogs, and following authors and book reviewers on Twitter. It’s no more hit-and-miss than perusing the shelves at the bookstore.
Goodreads is especially nice, because you can look at a friend’s bookshelf and see what you have in common. That’s something I always had trouble gauging in the past. Would I really like this particular friend’s suggestion?
Smashwords gives another great option: Try before you buy. Offering a free sample can give readers confidence in their purchase.
I don’t know about you, but with ebooks, suddenly I’m reading about three books at a time. Here indie has another advantage over traditionally published books; stories come in a variety of lengths, which I can more easily fit into my life.
This post is threatening to end up way too long, so I’ll get to my point. I plan to buy and read at least two new indie authors a month (that’s in addition to reading the backlists of those who’ve already hooked me). My other commitment to indies is to review any indie work I read. Reviews are so important, because they help other readers make a decision about whether to buy a book.
You can keep up with my progress reading through my Indie Authors book shelf on Goodreads.
Reviews are incredibly important to Indie authors: we need to know what you like so we can write more of it! Input is always good and welcome.
Can I ask how you found out about Goodreads and Smashwords, and about how they work? I’ve never heard of them before, and am wondering how authors upload their works to these sites.
My husband bugged me forever about Goodreads.com before I checked it out, and I’m having a far better time connecting with other authors & readers in my genre there than at Facebook or Twitter. Goodreads is basically social networking around books. If you can link to your book being sold you can be a Goodreads author, is my understanding.
Check out http://www.smashwords.com/about for more about how to self-publish there. Smashwords CEO Mark Coker has a couple of great free ebooks out that are super helpful: Smashwords Style Guide, and Smashwords Book Marketing Guide.
Ever since I started writing and publishing, I’ve met a lot of wonderful indie authors. I read almost all indie now. I have a few favorites from the traditional publishing world that I still love and read, but I usually get those books from the library. LOL. Mostly indies go on my Kindle. :0)
I am just getting my feet wet on the Goodreads site, but I’ve heard great things about it!
BTW, I’ve started a new monthly Urban Fantasy newsletter, and since you write fantasy I’d love to interview you or have some other kind of guest post. Let me know if you’re interested!