Support-Not Just For Bras and Briefs Anymore

Speaking of bras, funny story. A friend of mine has a highly precocious 5 year old boy. Awhile back, she left her bra on the bed while she was doing something and the kiddo happened to notice.

"Mom!" he said. "You left your boobs on the bed!"

IKR?! So cute...I mean the story, of course. And Martin, Martin is very cute....imisssherlock, imissfargo, imisssherlock, iMISSsherlock...

Oh sorry, got distracted. Where were we again?

Support, yeah that. Not only good for boobs and other dangling bits, it is so important for indie writers.

So important. Did you get that?!

There is no way to overstate this. Publishing companies are big for a reason. They have hundreds, sometimes thousands, of writers under their unbrella. This gives them mega wads of cash and influence, which makes it a whole lot easier to that whole advertising and marketing thing.

Indie writers, we're all alone.

Umm, yeah, moving on.

Alone, except for our fans! That means you. (I hope!)

If you wonder why indie writers are always whining about reviews, reviews, reviews, I'll tell you why. Listen up, k? Highly technically information follows:

Amazon's rankings process is a tangled mass of bullcrap.

It IS! And it is an awful intimidating slope for newbie, indie writers to try and climb (think Cliffs of Insanity with no Andre the Giant in sight!) 

Every click on our links, every view, every purchase, every review is pure ambrosia for us! Seriously, it is the nectar of life. Being pushed even into the top 100,000 garners tons more exposure, being thrown up into the top 10,000 is no less than a godsend and going into the top 1000?!?

Pretty much winning the Mega Millions.

The ranking system is how Amazon decides how many people see our stuff, fall in the ratings and you slump for days, maybe weeks, months and forver(if you don't work like hell to get back up).

Get a bump in the ratings and that exposure can lead to a good week or two of sales, just from 1 review or two or three purchases!

Why is this important to readers? Because if you really love our stuff and the diversity and low prices brought to you by having indie authors in the mix, you need to feed us, keep us from starving. This business is brutal and so discouraging at times that great writers drop by the wayside daily.

Did you hear that?

DAILY!!! 

Never to be heard from again. Hopefully that makes you sad, it sure makes me sad.

So PLEASE review, retweet, share, blog, gush, rate and like! SAVE the indie authors!!

So in that vein, what can indie authors like me do to help other indie authors? I AM a fan and a reader after all!! And really, all good indie authors are, too.

So do I put my $$ where my mouth is? 

Most definitely.

If I read a great indie book (4-5 stars) I rate and review it on both Amazon and Goodreads. Sometimes, if it is especially awesome I mention on my fb. I also use bitly and Twitter to do a little thing most Sundays that I call 'Diamonds in the Rough'. I post bitly tweets to all the best indie books I have been reading. 

If you don't know what bitly is, it is just a site that shortens long URL links to manage Twitter nibbles. 

BITLY

But now ONLY does it give you shortened links, oh NO. It also lets you track how many people then click on those links you've created. SO I can see how many times my tweets actually made someone check out a book I recommended. Obviously, that doesn't guarntee it was purchased, but it is gaining exposure and certainly a few purchases, considering the numbers I see. And as my Twitter account grows, so do the numbers.

I also recommend pages of authors I like, like their Amazon autho pages(if they have one) and mention their books in posts and blogs, like this one!!

One of the best YA(young adult) series I have EVER read(and yes, I am including Hunger Games and even Harry Potter in there!!) A UF (urban fantasy) with awesome world building and nail biting action and edge of your seat climaxs, these are books you will race through, forgetting to eat or sleep.

They are that fantastic, Jennifer's editing can be a little rough(like mine sometimes, sob!) but her writing is so damn good you will barely notice, trust me! This trilogy is AMAZING! I adore Lyric, she is one of my favorite heroines EVER.

Veilwalker #1

http://Veilwalker #2

Veilwalker #2

Veilwalker #3

This was my first really good indie read, and it was a doozy!

A total unique UF based in an alternate universe London(London!! yes!!) it deals with zombies and hags and this utterly cool world I wish I had thought of. Super, incredibly fresh writing!

The Secret Dead

Another writer I would place under the bright pink unbrella of fresh and unique is Zoey Dubois

She is also a British writer, like SW Fairbrother above, but Zoey writes comtemporary romance with a wonderful vibe that will make you feel like you have been transported to the UK.

Her book Inheritance was so damn good I had a book hangover for like a week after finishing it.

This is an explicit, somewhat dark read, so maybe not for everyone, fair warning, but I loved it!!

Here is my gushing fan girl-esque review Fangrrrling

And the link for Inheritance

I also read this phenom little novella last week. UF/PNR. More great world building, (more jealousy that I didn't think of something like this!!) A world where faes, vampires, weres, etc are all represented and regulated by the Coterie, a rather menacing organization. This novella is a great intro to the world, through the eyes of a man kidnapped and pressed into sexual slavery by the Fae as a child. 

Throwing Away the Good

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, a very dark, gritty, VERY explicit little treasure. Romantic suspense like it has NEVER been done before. The hero is, hmmm....well, IDK how to describe Rushe, but you sure as hell won't forget him. This book is a knock out. Highly graphic, though, so again--fair warning.

Explicit Instruction 

So there you have it, now go forth and SUPPORT your indie authors(and don't leave your boobs lying around, alrighty, bra?!?) 

:D