Hey, everyone! With it being Indie April, I thought it would be a great time to talk about some great ways to support indie authors. Even if you don’t have a reading budget at the moment, there’s still a lot of helpful ways to support indie authors that don’t cost a dime.
Be on the lookout for free books. You can search for #freebook on Twitter and you’ll be able to find titles that are currently free. It gives you the chance to read something without spending anything and it allows the author to get their story out there (and hopefully receive a review!).
Write a book review for the books you have read. If you haven’t written a review on Amazon/Goodreads for a book, it’s a great thing to do to show your support for the author. it will make their day (and it also makes you feel good for helping someone). It’s a great thing to do all around.
Promote indie books on your blog. You can start a book blog devoted to indie books or you can feature certain authors/books you love & admire to help spread the word.
Retweet authors you support on social media. If they have a new book release or are offering a deal on their book, you can help them out for free by retweeting them. It might reach the eyes of a reader who will want to buy their book. It can really help!
Add their book to your to-read list. If you can’t buy a book right now, you can always add it to your to-read list on Goodreads to show your support. It’ll show up on the book’s page that people want to read it, and it also lets the author know that people are interested.
If you get an Amazon gift card, you could spend part of it on a new indie book or two. Who doesn’t love a fresh new story to read? If you’ve been gifted with an Amazon gift card, now’s a good time to buy a book or two from an indie author. Many ebooks are priced in the 99 cent to $3.99 price range.
Post on Twitter that you’ll review free copies of books. Not every author gives away free copies for reviews, but if you make it known that you’re available to review a free copy, some authors will contact you and send their manuscript in exchange for a review.
Follow the author’s blog/website and interact with their posts. You can show your support of any author by following their blog/website and commenting on their posts. It can really make their day. 🙂
If you’re a super fan, you can go to your local library and ask them to add an indie author’s book into the system. Some people have done this and it can help broaden the author’s reach. Though it’s not a sale, it gives more people a chance to discover it and some of them may leave a review later.
I hope you enjoyed these tips. Do you have anything to add? Let me know in the comments below.
Musings Of A Wildflower 
All good points! Most indies rely on word of mouth to gain readership.
This is very true indeed. 🙂
Lovely post… informative indeed
I’m happy you found it helpful. Thanks so much for reading it!
I hadn’t thought of the library point before… that’s a nice one.
I’m glad you found it helpful. 🙂
🙂
great tips Sara!~. I have sooo many books i want to read and make comments on but I’ve no time but heart is willing but the flesh is consumed. 😂💖😂
Aw I am sorry to hear. I suppose as an author myself I make time for that knowing how important it is.
It’s awesome you do and it is in my fullest intention and I’ll get there in time but with a full schedule of work and projects and writing I’m behind the 8 ball at the moment however it is important. We can only do our best and god knows how much we try 💖🌻
Yikes yes best to wait til you’ve got some more free time. You’re a very hard worker. I honestly didn’t start reading much til the last 3 years. Before that I was too busy writing so I can relate. 🤣😂
Good list. The more important part is the mindset: consider self-published authors (which are often less expensive because there is no middleman) and be willing to take a chance.
Another big one: recommend books you like to your friends – word of mouth is the gold standard for getting an author more readers and reviewers, and your recommendation carries a lot of weight with people who know you.
This is so true! ❤ Word of mouth is huge – and having an open mind to indie books.
I find genre readers are much better with indies – they realize how much less expensive it is, and genre writers are getting a much better financial deal.
Mainstream, not so much yet. I’m working on it. 🙂