Posted by Rebecca at this link: http://www.beccahamiltonbooks.com/2012/02/13/how-to-support-your-favorite-indie-authors/
This is a repost, because it was so awesome!
How to Support Your Favorite Indie Authors
(Or any author you love, really!)
SKIP TO THE BOLDED AREAS IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ MY INTRO
Yes, the title is geared more toward indie authors. The reason being that indie authors simply don’t have the same support that those published by the “Big Six” have. We don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on advertising. We don’t have professional publicists who have “ins” with all the pish-posh, fancy-dancy Book Reviewers. We don’t have email mailing lists consisting of thousands (if not millions) of book fans.
All we have, dear reader, is YOU. (And, if we’re lucky, sometimes each other, too.)
Make no mistake, though: I’m not complaining. If us indies only get one support venue out of marketing, there’s no one we’d rather have than OUR READERS. Readers, after all, is what it’s all about. Everything we do, we do for our readers. The readers in ourselves, the readers we know, the readers we hope to one day connect with.
And sometimes, we get really, REALLY, really lucky. We get readers who want to help us out. They post reviews on their blogs, on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble, on Goodreads. The tweet about our books to their followers on twitter, post about our books to their friends on facebook, and make their mom/cousin/aunt/sister/cashier-at-the-grocery-store buy a copy of our book. ROCK ON. If you are a reader doing those things for an indie author you love, let me just say that if they haven’t had a chance to thank you (because they are unaware of what great thing you’re doing) they ARE sending out mental thank-you’s to their mystery supporter.
Some might wonder WHY a reader would want to put the time into helping an author. Well, when it comes to those who truly love our work–the kind that would be considered fans by some, though I personally really struggle with the idea that *I* could have fans. I see my “fans” more as new friends and amazing supporters of whom’s praise I am not worthy! Well, when it comes to them, they just want us to not have to spend so much time marketing our books so we can work on writing tons of new material! So there’s your motivation
Now, onto what more you can do, in the event you want to kick it up a notch.
REVIEWING
If you like a book enough to give it five stars, perhaps you’d like it enough to also post your review in the following place (which requires little more than copy-paste!)
* Amazon
*Barnes and Noble
*Goodreads
*Shelfari
*Your Personal Blog
TWEETING/FACEBOOKING
Reviews can also be posted to Facebook, and you can always tweet a short little hook to your twitter followers. Maybe a line from your review with a purchase link. Don’t be afraid to contact the author of your choice and request a link they prefer. For example, I like this link because it contains so much in so man places. And you can bet your author-of-choice will be so appreciative, they might just “pull a Becca” and give you all kinds of free swag
AMAZON LIKING
Right at the top of a book’s Amazon page is a little LIKE button. Click it. It turns ORANGE and Orange is awesome so go ahead and click! My Amazon page for The Forever Girl is right HERE. Cuz, you know, I get to be a little shameless (or pathetic, if you will) and beg for likes on my own blog. But seriously, don’t forget those other indies you love!
AMAZON TAGGING
If you go to a book’s amazon page and hit TT on your keyboard (or scroll down past the reviews and past the “What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?” section, you will see the option to add tags. You can make up your own, ask an author which tags they prefer, or tag the ones that are already most popular.
If you go my Amazon page for The Forever Girl and want to add some tags there, the following list is my preferred:
urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy, vampire, paranormal, forever girl, fantasy, wicca, witch, salem witch trials, paranormal mystery, ghost, shapeshifter, paranormal romance, rebecca hamilton, new adult
You can add up to 15 tags per book.
OTHER
Feel free to get creative. Buy a copy of the book for an uncertain friend as a gift. Use a copy of the book for a giveaway on your blog. Print up little mini-flyers with the books cover and some purchase links and review excerpts and leave them anywhere you think would be appropriate (assuming you have permission to leave them there).
I know I haven’t covered every possibility here, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that the majority of indie authors WANT to hear from you. Shoot them an email. Ask them how you can help (if you want to help) or just send them some words of support (we like those, too!). Not only do I bet they will be happy to hear from you, but I’m pretty darned sure they’ll be happy to somehow, someway return your generosity.
Thanks again for all the readers out there. If you’ve made it this far, boy are we lucky to have you.
SKIP TO THE BOLDED AREAS IF YOU DON’T WANT TO READ MY INTRO
Yes, the title is geared more toward indie authors. The reason being that indie authors simply don’t have the same support that those published by the “Big Six” have. We don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on advertising. We don’t have professional publicists who have “ins” with all the pish-posh, fancy-dancy Book Reviewers. We don’t have email mailing lists consisting of thousands (if not millions) of book fans.
All we have, dear reader, is YOU. (And, if we’re lucky, sometimes each other, too.)
Make no mistake, though: I’m not complaining. If us indies only get one support venue out of marketing, there’s no one we’d rather have than OUR READERS. Readers, after all, is what it’s all about. Everything we do, we do for our readers. The readers in ourselves, the readers we know, the readers we hope to one day connect with.
And sometimes, we get really, REALLY, really lucky. We get readers who want to help us out. They post reviews on their blogs, on Amazon, on Barnes and Noble, on Goodreads. The tweet about our books to their followers on twitter, post about our books to their friends on facebook, and make their mom/cousin/aunt/sister/cashier-at-the-grocery-store buy a copy of our book. ROCK ON. If you are a reader doing those things for an indie author you love, let me just say that if they haven’t had a chance to thank you (because they are unaware of what great thing you’re doing) they ARE sending out mental thank-you’s to their mystery supporter.
Some might wonder WHY a reader would want to put the time into helping an author. Well, when it comes to those who truly love our work–the kind that would be considered fans by some, though I personally really struggle with the idea that *I* could have fans. I see my “fans” more as new friends and amazing supporters of whom’s praise I am not worthy! Well, when it comes to them, they just want us to not have to spend so much time marketing our books so we can work on writing tons of new material! So there’s your motivation
Now, onto what more you can do, in the event you want to kick it up a notch.
REVIEWING
If you like a book enough to give it five stars, perhaps you’d like it enough to also post your review in the following place (which requires little more than copy-paste!)
* Amazon
*Barnes and Noble
*Goodreads
*Shelfari
*Your Personal Blog
TWEETING/FACEBOOKING
Reviews can also be posted to Facebook, and you can always tweet a short little hook to your twitter followers. Maybe a line from your review with a purchase link. Don’t be afraid to contact the author of your choice and request a link they prefer. For example, I like this link because it contains so much in so man places. And you can bet your author-of-choice will be so appreciative, they might just “pull a Becca” and give you all kinds of free swag
AMAZON LIKING
Right at the top of a book’s Amazon page is a little LIKE button. Click it. It turns ORANGE and Orange is awesome so go ahead and click! My Amazon page for The Forever Girl is right HERE. Cuz, you know, I get to be a little shameless (or pathetic, if you will) and beg for likes on my own blog. But seriously, don’t forget those other indies you love!
AMAZON TAGGING
If you go to a book’s amazon page and hit TT on your keyboard (or scroll down past the reviews and past the “What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?” section, you will see the option to add tags. You can make up your own, ask an author which tags they prefer, or tag the ones that are already most popular.
If you go my Amazon page for The Forever Girl and want to add some tags there, the following list is my preferred:
urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy, vampire, paranormal, forever girl, fantasy, wicca, witch, salem witch trials, paranormal mystery, ghost, shapeshifter, paranormal romance, rebecca hamilton, new adult
You can add up to 15 tags per book.
OTHER
Feel free to get creative. Buy a copy of the book for an uncertain friend as a gift. Use a copy of the book for a giveaway on your blog. Print up little mini-flyers with the books cover and some purchase links and review excerpts and leave them anywhere you think would be appropriate (assuming you have permission to leave them there).
I know I haven’t covered every possibility here, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that the majority of indie authors WANT to hear from you. Shoot them an email. Ask them how you can help (if you want to help) or just send them some words of support (we like those, too!). Not only do I bet they will be happy to hear from you, but I’m pretty darned sure they’ll be happy to somehow, someway return your generosity.
Thanks again for all the readers out there. If you’ve made it this far, boy are we lucky to have you.
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