Help Indie Authors!

Indieauthors do not have someone managing their book's publicity plan ormarketing. We don't have the support of an organization getting ournovels in front of retailers who will carry them in their store. Otherthan what marketing efforts we can cobble together on our own, wehave only one source of publicity that can encourage others to buyour books, and that's you, our readers.

Yourword-of-mouth recommendation, your Facebook comment, your tweet, yourAmazon or Goodreads review is likely the only way an unknown authorwill get the word out about his or her book.

Let mehasten to admit that the reader is certainly under noobligation here. If you don'tlike the tale, or if the editing was sloppy, the cover or packagingamateurish, then by all means, don't encourage someone else to readit. The last thing the independent publishing movement needs areproducts that fall short of genuine quality.

Evenif you think the product is the best work since Bunyan's Pilgrim'sProgress or Tolkien's Lordof the Rings, you stillaren't obligated. Art doesn't create a debt or obligation on thepart of the viewer. You're free to enjoy it and walk away.

But ifyou find a tale you like, and you'd like to read more by thatauthor, give him or her a hand by letting your friends and loved onesknow where they can get a good story. Post a review, send a fewemails, tell a few friends. Once the word gets out, a good story willsell itself; but getting the word out is the challenge.