So, you want to support indie and self-published authors but don’t have any money? I’ve got you! Here are some easy ways to support them. All it costs is your time and a bit of effort:
- Visit their website! Congratulations, you’ve already done this one for me. It seems like nothing, but clicking around an author’s website, liking posts, commenting, and just plain old visiting their site on a weekly or monthly basis really helps. Views equal traffic, and traffic gives authors a boost, particularly with search engines.
- Follow them on social media! Are they on Goodreads, IG, TikTok, YouTube, or other social media sites? Give them a follow. Like, comment on, and share their posts. This improves their content’s visibility with the algorithm and means more eyeballs. You’re literally acting as their hype man. I love it!
- Ask your library to carry their books! Did you know that you can request your library carry an indie/self-published author’s books? Well, you can. This could be physical or digital versions. It isn’t an automatic or guaranteed yes, but asking is the first step. Whenever I can, I donate physical copies of my books to my local library.
- Recommend their books! If you ever see someone ask for indie author recs, slip your favorite indie author in the comments. Extra points for including the titles and genre.
And that’s it! Four simple ways to support indie and self-published authors.
Official Website of Author P.M. Hernandez 