Independent Authors and How to Give Them A Hand

Indies seem to be everywhere these days, which is a wonderful thing because we are seeing so much good fiction popping up that, in the old days, we may never have had a chance to read.

However, we all know that some of the fiction are shining diamonds and others are on the side of coal. This is where readers are a gift from on high.

Did you know that a very large percentage of independent book sales are on word of mouth recommendations? By that I don't just mean happening to mention a book to the person sitting next to you on the bus (although that works too :)), what I mean is recommendations via Facebook, Twitter and other social media.

If someone sees someone else saying how good a book is, especially from a friend, they are much more likely to try it out.

Retweeting, reviewing on the main sites, liking book pages, rating books, tagging books, all of these are amazingly helpful. As are personal reviews, whether you Tweet e.g.
I love Indie Book No1 http://link.to.indie.book.no1 
or
Just finished Indie Book No2, couldn't put it down http://link.to.indie.book.no2
or post a recommendation on your LJ, Blog, Facebook or Tumblr.

It really can make a huge difference.

Think of it like a snowball rolling down a hill, each mention is more snow added to the ball, it gets bigger and bigger, but if it runs into a patch where there is no snow it starts to melt.

So next time you read a book from an independent publisher or an independent author, if you enjoy it, please consider recommending it somewhere you hang out online. It doesn't have to be an in depth review, a one liner will do, just try and remember to throw in a link if possible so that everyone will be able to find it.

Personally I have a collection on my Kindle labelled "to Review/mention" so that I don't forget which ones I want to mention. In that spirit here are a couple I've really enjoyed:

The Spear of Destiny by ME Brines (Admittedly some of the other books under that author are rather odd, but this one I can say is most enjoyable.) It's a secret agent goes into Nazi Germany with a supernatural twist. It's the first part in a series of books and no sign of part 2 yet, but still entertaining.

Black Moon by C.L.Bevill This one is part of a trilogy, but stands fine. Paranormal with werejaguars and werewolves. It's a romp with sex and shape changing and it pushed my buttons. Be aware its het.

The Dead Man's Detective Agency by Keith Nichols This is a set of short stories described as Gothic crime. Very much paranormal detective stories and it's not Shakespeare, but it is entertaining.