Conversation at my house on May 6:
Me: So, guess how many of my books have sold this month?
Daughter: 100?
Me: (feeling a bit deflated) Well … no … actually, it’s 10! (which I had been feeling okay about)
Another daughter: Wow. That’s pretty sad.
This little vignette leads to today’s post. It’s tough being an “indie author” (I’m using that term to refer to us writers who do all the work of publishing ourselves, rather than having an establishment publisher, publicist, agent, cover designer, editor, etc.). If there’s such a thing as “Renaissance Man” (er, woman) today, surely it’s the self-published author.
I have several online friends who write. I see frequent posts about excitement that a book has sold. Many of these books are available on Kindle, for $2.99. Some are only .99! And yet, there’s such exhilaration whenever even one more sale posts.
If you’d like to commit a fun random act of kindness — and maybe even find a new author you love — here’s an easy way.
Head to Amazon’s Kindle page. I know, I know. I’m biased toward Kindle, probably because that’s where I’ve published my books. There’s probably a similar setup for Nooks. In addition, you don’t need a Kindle. You can read these books on your computer or phone using a free app.
Okay, once you’re on the Kindle page, in the search box on the top, type something you’re interested in. “Dogs,” “Christian devotions,” “western romance,” whatever. Several books will show up. Generally, the ones priced around $2.99 or less will be by indie authors.
Find one or two that interest you, and buy them. If you feel guilty, just give up a Starbucks beverage or something of that value.
Worried that you might not like the book you choose? I solve that dilemma by clicking on Amazon’s “look inside” feature. You can preview the first few pages of a book this way, and get a pretty good idea whether you will like the book or not.
If you need some ideas for where to begin, here are a few of my friends’ author pages at Amazon:
and of course, yours truly
(I see that some of the friends I’ve listed don’t have Kindle versions of their books available, so they’re a bit pricier).
If *you* have a book you’ve written, leave its name (or a link to it) in the comments.
Happy reading, and happy discovering of new authors!
Yard by yard, life is hard!
Inch by inch, it’s a cinch!
I looked at “A Dog Called Naaman” – sweet. I am glad that you work at your craft with all your heat – that you write as though you are giving the manuscript to Jesus. Well done.
I apologize
for my typo – “all your heart” Shalom
I would also recommend Aaron Kerr’s book which is on Kindle, “The Sneezing Christmas Tree.”
You sold 10 books this week? You did better than I did. I have few weeks when I sell 10 books or more. It’s definitely a tough job, but I still love it! Thanks for the mention!
[...] Letter” were no doubt helped out by Susan Barrett Braun’s mentioning it twice on her blog, Girls In White Dresses, and giving it a good review on [...]
You are a creative, engaging author, person, and sister!!! Three cheers for Girls in White Dresses!