Do you know someone who has published a book? Do you care about supporting independent authors and artists? Or, are you just an asshole who prefers not to help people who are trying to make something happen for themselves?
If you answered yes to the first two questions, you have come to the right place! If you answered yes to the third, go eat a bag of richards.
1. Buy the Book
Of course the best (and most obvious) way to help your indie author friends is to buy their book. Even if you simply download the ebook and never even turn the page, you are helping them. Even if they run a promotion and give it away for FREE, downloading it helps them. This is because Amazon, which is where most indie authors publish, cares about numbers. When an author puts their work on Amazon, they are basically working for the company. To be a good employee, they have to sell books. Otherwise, their books will get shoved down a dark tunnel never to see the light of day. THEREFORE, BUY THE BOOK!!!
"But, I don't have a Kindle ebook reader," you may say. It doesn't matter. You can download the app for FREE. It's simple. Or, even if you don't really want to read the book and download the app, buying it still helps your friend.
2. Write a Review
Whenever people go to buy products, they usually read reviews. This helps them decide whether or not to make the purchase. Having good reviews will help your friend sell his or her or their book to other people. If you want them to stop begging you to buy their things, start helping them get other people to buy, duh!
Reviews also help with the rankings on Amazon. Amazon is a beast of a boss. He expects a lot of hard work and gives little in return.
Remember these simple rules when writing a review: Amazon likes verified purchase reviews, so you must buy the book or download the ebook prior to submitting a review. Also, NO CUSSING! Do not mention the author's name in the review either (I heard this somewhere).
Here are the steps to writing a review: 1. get the book on Amazon.com. 2. read enough to be able to write a short review. 3. go to your amazon purchase history and click review product. 4. write and submit your review. THIS WHOLE PROCESS CAN TAKE LESS THAN TEN MINUTES.
Other ways to help your indie author friends:
Share their work on social media
Tell people about their book
Buy their book as a gift for people
Don't be a richard and ignore their hard work
As an indie author, I know I greatly appreciate all the love and support that I get from my friends. It is hard to bare your soul, but it's even harder when no one acknowledges what you've done.
And, of course, you can support me too buy clicking on this picture and buying my book!
