Long ago, a fellow indie author said the following:
“A success for one of us is a success for all of us.” – Gwen Bristol
I’ve stated this several times because I think it rings true. Though, I don’t think a lot of people understand exactly what this means. At least what I think it means, so let me explain:
Indie authors don’t have the luxury of a traditional publishing company backing them. We have no publicists, agents, advertising agencies, etc. Or do we? You see, indie authors have each other. They’re a community where we can work together and promote each other. Guest posts, beta readers, opinions, interviews, and all manner of tools are at our disposal when we work as a group. This isn’t even counting how you can ask for advice from a more established member of the community since they’ve already been there. I’ve always been impressed by the overall empathy and understanding within the indie author community. For all of the help I receive, I’m grateful and try to return the favor.
Now, what happens when one of us succeeds? It inspires others and sheds light on the indie author world. If somebody reads a good indie author book then they might check on that author and try one of their friends. Also, the successful author can bring more attention to other books they mention in blog tours, tweets, and whatever else they get involved in. A success adds to the foundation of the indie author world and raises it from the idea that they’re a band of rejects. So, when you’re publishing as an indie, you’re also stepping up to try and be one of the faces of the group. Our path is justified with every success, which will make more people take indie authors seriously.
Yahoo Image Search
Here’s where things get tough. Not everyone rockets to the top and not every book will succeed. My fantasy books did great, but Catalysts bombed. I learned and I’m moving on. It takes time and hard work and community to get a grip in this world. It’s rough, but the key is to not give up and to fall back on a support structure. If you can’t walk then get a friend to carry you for a bit. Even the big names didn’t do it alone. They had friends cheering them on at the beginning too.
So, here are some ideas for anyone trying to promote a book on a budget and needs a bolster of confidence:
- Twitter. Tweet every 3-4 hours and be catchy. Don’t worry about grammar and remember to use hashtags for important words like genre, ereader type, and key words.
- Facebook Promo Groups. I post once in the morning and another in the evening. Every now and then an afternoon post. Be catchy and informative with this.
- Join Cover Reveals and Blog Tours of other authors. It’s very important to be an active member of the indie author community, so your name is out there. They may return the favor when it’s your turn.
- Keep an eye out for Indie Author events such as the recently successful Read Tuesday from this past . . . Tuesday. Sad thing here is that it was on Monday that I realized why this event was happening on a Tuesday.
- Find blogs or sites that do indie author interviews. For example, Literary Syndicate.
- Guest blog on those that offer or simply ask those bloggers you’re close with if you can write something for them to post. It doesn’t even have to be about writing. I have no problem hosting guest blogs.
- Be a person on your own blog. You are your product, so make yourself more than the name on a cover. I’m not saying open your life to strangers, but be willing to converse with people.
There are many sites you can use with a little money too. Ask around and do your own searching. I promoted my first book on $55 dollars, which was with a few splurges for permanent stuff. You can probably do it on $20-30. Now, I do want to say the following. An advertising site that works for one person, might not work for another. If you follow someone’s advice on a site and it doesn’t work for you then shrug and move on. No sense in wallowing or getting frustrated. If you feel bad then email an author friend who is willing to let you rant the stress out. As I’ve said before, we’re all in this together and turning on other authors will only hurt the community.
Legends of Windemere 
Reblogged this on C.S. Janey, Author and commented:
Some good advice from a fellow indie…;)
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this song always make me think of the Disney “Three Musketeers” movie. It rolls during credits! 🙂
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Yup. I was going to use a video that had clips, but there weren’t any good ones.
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Nice post.
And you are right, there is a lot indie authors can do to help each other, quite apart from the fact that the sense of community and friendship is far greater than with a lot of publishing companies. Having gone down both routes, I’m happy in the indie world.
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Community is definitely one of my favorite parts about being an indie author. I don’t think the trad publishers could really copy that.
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Nope… and I rather like the idea that we stand or fall by our own efforts. There is, at present, only one book I’d want to take down the traditional route and that is my son’s story. That deserves every scrap of exposure it can get… if I can find someone who’ll take it when we are done writing it.
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Good luck. How you submitted it yet?
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No… still working on it for a while yet.
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I’m sure it’s time will come. 🙂
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It will if i can get Nick to finish his bits 🙂
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Great advice Charles and so true. I really appreciate your tips. 🙂
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Thanks and you’re welcome.
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Great post, Charles! Sometimes it feels like we’re adrift at sea in an inner tube, but there are so many folks willing to help. (I’m new at this, so the learning curve is steep!)
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I still consider myself new at this. That’s why I’m happy to have more experienced friends to answer my questions and help.
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Not wearing the tights…too funny! This is my kinda post. 🙂
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The video and post are truly entertaining. 🙂
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The post for sure. Very inspiring and a great way to help all newbies. 🙂
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Takes some of the edge off too.
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I like so much this post, and I have something in mind. I was thinking to make a kind of club for indie writers.The idea is to make a blog for the club where all the members will submit a post featuring their book/books and all the other members will share the post. We can set a small fee for membership,something like 2 to 5 Eur/month and each month use the money for paid advertising for one or two authors, who will be choosed by votes from the members.
I am offering to mantain the blog as a publicist,and do some free advertising whenever I can.
Here is a great opportunity to have an interview
http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShow.html
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That sounds like a great idea. It really plays off the community side of indie authors.
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This is the first time when I made it public.I will have a post soon on my blog and see if there are any indie authors interested to participate.
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I’ll keep an eye out for it.
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Thanks, Charles. Great post!
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You’re welcome
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Like indie musketeers. 🙂 Well put.
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A large force of noble warriors . . . almost said that with a straight face.
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