Indie or self-published authors don’t have the benefit of having a publicity team behind them to support them and guide them; they don’t have the connections or the expertise. They are writers, people who are driven to write but for various reasons have gone down the self-publishing route and are having to adapt to a plethora of different roles.
Being an Indie or Self-published author doesn’t mean that you don’t have the ability to create amazing worlds for people to escape to. It may mean though that the book cover isn’t to the quality of a traditionally published book. Maybe the author cannot afford a professional cover, maybe their eye for detail is not that of a pro but the words inside may well be.
Maybe the blurb doesn’t have the succinctness that one would find in a traditionally published book. What? I hear you say. You’re a writer isn’t that just writing? No, writing a novel, short story, novella, etc. and writing the blurb for them are completely different. The blurb wouldn’t be written by the author generally. So please look beyond the blurb. The book hiding behind it may become your favourite book ever. Go on give it a chance.
Being noticed is one of the hardest challenges we face. There is a vast ocean of books and authors, the popular names get top billing, advertised, pushed in your direction but for the author starting out it really is hard; an almost thankless uphill slog. Reviews get an author noticed, but you need to get quite a few for it to make a difference. That is why we always bang on about how important reviews are. The review is also the equivalent of a tip to an author, a thank you for a good service, for all their hard work. A reason for continuing when they feel like giving up.
We live in an age where we can take a sample of the book, go away, read it and decide whether it appeals to us. So taking a chance on an unknown author isn’t as bad as it sounds. Go on have a look, download a sample, take a peak, read it and if you think that the author connects with you then click to buy. If you like it, leave a review. It doesn’t have to be a long review; you don’t have to have a way with words, “Loved it.” would suffice.
So trawl through the books in the genre you love or peak behind the curtains of one you haven’t tried yet. Above all else, keep reading and keep enjoying.
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