(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr. Find out more at my newsletter.)
As an author, I believe in spreading the word about my fellow indie authors. I’ve been thinking about how to do this, how we can support each other in different ways to get the word out. I wanted to go beyond the usual blog tours and shared podcasts.
To that end I’ve put together a few thoughts.
Library Blitz: Libraries take book donations. Now and then I donate my books among others to libraries for stock or sale. So let’s donate the books of other indie authors to our local libraries.
Newsletter Swap: Use SurveyMonkey to find who on your newsletter would like to subscribe to the newsletters of other authors you know and get the word out.
Newsletter Plus: Could indie authors of a similar bent (location, etc.) combine to do one newsletter to share the word? Thinking that could help.
Shared Tables: A lot of us would get tables at conventions and events but we’re busy, tired, speaking, or wearing 50 pounds of cosplay. So why not gather together and have a table among authors? Ten people together could man a table for a large con effectively.
Giveaways of Others: We do book giveaways often. What if now and then you gave away work of your fellow indie authors?
Promo Together: If you have enough people do book promos, such as the ones at Prolific Words, where you can promo with a theme and cross promote tightly.
Write Together: I’ve done a few books where authors collaborated together, usually by contributing specific essays. It’s a bit of effort, but it’s a fun cross-promotional.
Little Free Friends: As noted before, why not stock other’s indie books at Little Free Libraries (within reason).
Advice Giveaways: If you’re doing panels and there are fellow indies that do advice books that are relevant, share them as prizes!
I hope that gives you a few ideas! I’m also looking for any suggestions to add!
Steven Savage