The Next Best Book Club discussion

Okay, so I'm asking this mainly as a reader who enjoys unearthing fabulous reads from indie or small press (Lori always finds the best books, doesn't she??) and, aside from browsing the endless selections of books posted on the Goodreads giveaway page, I'm interested in learning where other readers go to find great, little-known books, especially ones of "literary merit" (the English major in me is a total lit junkie.)

I'm also asking this as a writer. I'm curious as to what convinces the average reader that an indie/small press novel is worth a shot.

Thanks for sharing :)

I honestly choose small press books or indie like any other book. What I do is read the synopsis, read a sample, and if I like it, on the wish list it goes. When it comes to self-published, if that's what you mean by indie, I hate to say that the book cover plays a factor since it dictates how the author's work wants to be seen and how much effort. But also the first few pages dictates this because I've read self-pub books that looked like they were made with effort, but had tons of missing words in sentences and misspellings in the freaking introduction.

This is a great question. I'm very interested in hearing the answers you get.

As a indie author myself I have to agree that many self published books don't show much effort. And that hurts those of us who spend the money on editors and cover designers. But where do you come across the new reads? Example I have 3 books one that was just on the Top 100 List for Historical Fiction on Amazon. Look Not Upon Our Sins. Did you ever come across that? Where do you find your new reads? Thank you for taking the time to answer this.

Lixian wrote: "I honestly choose small press books or indie like any other book. What I do is read the synopsis, read a sample, and if I like it, on the wish list it goes. When it comes to self-published, if that..."

Lixian,

I'm totally with you. I've read both excellent and piss-poor self-published offerings and I myself am currently undergoing a prof. edit on my third novel after some great critical reviews for editing issues that -unless you are in the prof. biz-the average writer would never know were issues! But I'm happy to be offering (once it's done) a higher quality product. Too many novels opting for stories full of typos and poorly designed covers, formats, etc (not to mention the horrifying self-promos of some indie authors) are all giving self-publishing a bad name. And it's a shame b/c there are so many rare gems out there (B. Mamatha and Sandra Hutchsion to name a couple).

Georgette wrote: "As a indie author myself I have to agree that many self published books don't show much effort. And that hurts those of us who spend the money on editors and cover designers. But where do you come ..."

Congrats! How do you feel that you were able to market effectively to get on that list? Did readers just search you out?

Tabitha,
Thanks, It felt awesome. Since I have 3 books some of my readers follow me and tell their friends. I just read your quote about writing. That's the way I feel about writing myself. Georgette Symonds

A great synopsis and a great sample chapter are what sells me. Sometimes I check my twitter feed and see that author's are reading interesting books and if it's something that suits my fancy I'll check it out.

Bad prose is definitely a game killer for me though and I tend to find that a lot with indie authors (I should know, I made the same mistakes).

So you see the book in an ad first?

Georgette wrote: "So you see the book in an ad first?"

I mostly ignore ads. Anything I grab is through word of mouth or if I'm browsing for something in a specific genre.

Georgette wrote: "Tabitha,
Thanks, It felt awesome. Since I have 3 books some of my readers follow me and tell their friends. I just read your quote about writing. That's the way I feel about writing myself. [author..."

Thanks :)

I think it's helpful to know which small/medium-sized presses have a good reputation in your genre of choice. For instance, I read a lot of mysteries, and three medium-sized presses have had a long-term excellent reputation in the field, with their authors finaling for and winning various awards, such as Agathas, Anthonys and Edgars. These presses are Poisoned Pen Press, Midnight Ink, and Five Star. I've consistently enjoyed books from all three.

@ Beth,
Ooo, that's a good point. Thanks for sharing!

Wilmar wrote: "A great synopsis and a great sample chapter are what sells me. Sometimes I check my twitter feed and see that author's are reading interesting books and if it's something that suits my fancy I'll c..."

God save us all from bad prose!

Great question. Of course I have my ways of sniffing out amazing titles but if I told you, I'd have to kill you all : )
Mwahhahahaha

@ Lori,

Heh, heh; I can appreciate that; the titles you sniff out are what make this group so great!

Maybe you wouldn't mind sharing with us what makes you gravitate towards one small press/indie novel over another?

As a writer (who must also self-market) I'm beyond hesitant to reach out to potential readers because most of the solicitations I've received from SP authors smack of desperation and pushiness, and I fear being labeled "one of those" (egads!). But, perhaps that's b/c those authors aren't discriminating as to readers who might actually like their genre of work as opposed to any old reader who has a Goodreads account and is breathing!

I was kind of half joking.

I was turned on to small press accidentally. In my "ahem" younger days, I just browsed bookstores and pulled down books that sounded and looked interesting. Then, because I'm a rather voracious reader, I ran out of interesting things to read off the shelves.

So I started hunting around online. And I noticed that the titles that really pulled me in were run by small press and nowhere to be found in the big chain stores I was haunting.

From there, it was just luck of the draw. I'd read a really cool title, and go to that publisher's website and browse their catalog and find more really cool titles!

This was right about the time I joined goodreads, and once I started TNBBC, I was being solicited by indie and small press authors who noticed I'd shelved books that were similar to theirs....

And that REALLY opened my eyes to just how many small presses were out there....

Tabitha, there's no need to fear outreach. God knows I've had my share of the horrible- pushy, demanding, uninformed, generic, desperate. I've also had my share of amazing pitches - it's clear the author did their homework, it's personalized, it's endearing....

what Lori said Tabitha

as a blogger I love getting review requests from authors, but please make them intriguing - don't just copy and paste a format letter; tell me why you think your book would be a good fit for my blog (i.e. was there a review of mine that caught your eye, do you like me writing style etc). one of my favorite soliciations I got recently was from an author who was offering me her book in audio and she compared it to two of my favorite narrators (who I had mentioned often) - that sold me right now (and it was actually better than them)

Beth's point about reputation is great. I also subscribe to the Small Press Distribution newsletter: http://www.spdbooks.org/ They send maybe 2-3 emails per month with info about new releases and bestsellers in the small press world. It's not perfect because there are other distributors (Consortium and Norton come to mind), but it's helpful. It's one of the few newsletters I always open and at least skim.

@Lori,

Aw, well thank you for sharing, Lori! And thank you for your thoughts on outreach (Dee, too). It's nice to hear from a reader's perspective what's professional and what's not in terms of authors approaching readers. Too many of the approaches I've received have been of the "pushy, demanding, etc." persuasion, which made me think, "Nope. Not doin' that!" :P

Erica wrote: "Beth's point about reputation is great. I also subscribe to the Small Press Distribution newsletter: http://www.spdbooks.org/ They send maybe 2-3 emails per month with info about new releases and b..."

Ooo. Have to look into that.

Tabitha wrote: "@ Lori,

Heh, heh; I can appreciate that; the titles you sniff out are what make this group so great!

Maybe you wouldn't mind sharing with us what makes you gravitate towards one small press/indie..."

Tabitha wrote: "Lixian wrote: "I honestly choose small press books or indie like any other book. What I do is read the synopsis, read a sample, and if I like it, on the wish list it goes. When it comes to self-pub..."

I think many authors have no idea how to market, and this can be crippling to their sales, unfortunately, so then they get desperate, and then they start sounding pushy, and it spirals down from there. :(

Tabitha wrote: "Wilmar wrote: "A great synopsis and a great sample chapter are what sells me. Sometimes I check my twitter feed and see that author's are reading interesting books and if it's something that suits ..."

I've often wished there were some kind of accreditation that an indie author could get. Something that says, "Look I can prove I hired a decent editor, and not somebody from fiverr.com. I take pride in my work."

Kind of in the way that juried art exhibits work, so you could know the writing was at least checked for grammar and punctuation. But could you imagine the logistics of having something like that? Somebody would have to read the millions of books published every day! I'm not volunteering for that job. :)

Lixian wrote: "I honestly choose small press books or indie like any other book. What I do is read the synopsis, read a sample, and if I like it, on the wish list it goes. When it comes to self-published, if that..."

And those are the writers who pull make "self-pub" look bad. If only there were some formal way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Sharon wrote: "I've often wished there were some kind of accreditation that an indie author could get. Something that says, "Look I can prove I hired a decent editor, and not somebody from fiverr.com. I take pride in my work." "

Awesome Indies and B.R.A.G are two organizations that strive to do that.

I'm actually working for my AI accreditation right now and working on a prof. edit for my novel. It's opened my eyes to the need for that professional edit if, as in indie, you're serious about your work being taken seriously.

Thanks I'll check them out.

Tabitha wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I've often wished there were some kind of accreditation that an indie author could get. Something that says, "Look I can prove I hired a decent editor, and not somebody from fiverr.c..."

So B.R.A.G. isn't taking submissions.
The other one looks okay, but they will need to add hundreds of reviewers to their lists to really serve the market.

It sounds quite shallow, but I'm attracted to unique covers. if I find the cover attractive, I'll want to read the synopsis. As long as the writing seems like the author made an effort, I'm willing to give the book a try indie or not.

Sharon wrote: "So B.R.A.G. isn't taking submissions...."

They're currently re-vamping their policies and procedures. If you sign up for their newsletter though, you'll be notified once they begin accepting again.

JK wrote: "It sounds quite shallow, but I'm attracted to unique covers. if I find the cover attractive, I'll want to read the synopsis. As long as the writing seems like the author made an effort, I'm willing..."

Not shallow. I think book covers are a testament to an indie author's tastes (tad. published authors don't get much say). Covers speak a lot to genre as well, and to the audience that the author is trying to market (ex. bare-chested man on a cover is going after a completely different market than pastoral scene on a cover).

Jk not shallow. We do judge a book by its cover, which is why I die authors MUST hire professionals and stop trying to DIY them!

Oops. Commenting on iPad- auto correct changed "indie" to I die... Wonder if that's techno-freudian

I go about it like I would any other book. I don't even know it's indie unless I'm intentionally checking who's listed as publisher, or if I'm browsing books from authors who I know are indies.

The cover is always the first thing that needs to attract me. A cover is usually a good indication for me as to whether I'll have interest in the content. Though I have been let down in the past after realizing that the cover was more intriguing than the story.

Next, I like a good title. Maybe I'm weird, but sometimes I won't read a book because the title suggests to me that the story won't be a type of book that I'll like.

Then there's the description. If that interests me right away, I buy the book. If I'm interested but not fully convinced, I'll read the bad reviews to see why someone didn't like it. If their reasons are in line with the subjectivity of books - not everyone is going to like every book - then I'll check out the preview. If I have to keep reading, I buy the book.

I've found some entertaining indie books that way, and of course trad books as well.

Recommendations. Authors I follow. Fellow writers who have been kind and full of information.

I can't imagine not doing my due diligence with everything available: book description, cover, the Look Inside feature.

After that, I will check out a few negative reviews - to see if there are any pet peeves, and a few positive ones. But there I'm listening to the voice of the reviewer as much as the information.

My reading time is very limited due to illness; I have a lot of old classics I like to re-read (Busman's Honeymoon, Dorothy L. Sayers, is a perennial favorite). Unfortunately, the two neurons I use for writing are the same two that I use for reading - and I have a very bad habit of reading late into the night if I get caught up in a book.

I thought I'd spend my later years reading everything I could get my hands on; instead, I seem to be spending a lot of them writing. Which is incredibly addictive.