Reading is on top of the list of things people were catching up on. I have always loved doing it and a few years back, I decided to get adventurous and get off the beaten and familiar path. Which means, I decided to not only read the usual famous writers, whom I enjoyed but discover independent (Indie) authors, whom I could enjoy as much. There were so many to choose from, that it is mind-blowing.
So I signed up on Bookbub which is a books recommendation site and I was off, finding authors I had never heard of before and loving every minute of it. You can tailor your preferences to the genres that interest you, and they send you great suggestions in an emailer. Some of them are even free on Google Books or whatever ebook device you use or prefer.
My reading tastes had widened like never before and when I started reaching out to some of the authors with feedback, suggestions or just reviews, I was thrilled to hear from them. Some of my absolute favourites are people, who I think should get book deals from mainstream publishers but when I asked one of them, she actually told me that mainstream authors are looking to go the independent route! Jane Thornley has a great series called ‘Crime by Design’ for an adult audience and is also moving into the Young Adult readers space with ‘Downside Up’. Now she has branched out the main character of the ‘Crime’ series into a spin-off book called ‘Carpet Cipher’.
She told me, “Do you know that indie authors currently outsell traditional authors? In fact, there’s speculation that traditional publishers may not survive the indie onslaught. We can get books out faster, hire our own editors and cover artists and get books before readers, in a matter of months instead of years. Plus, traditional publishers offer 10% royalties whereas indies get 70%. Add to that our ability to control our destiny in terms of cover art and timing. Many traditional authors are turning indie. Meet the new world order!”
I love her books because I’m an art fan and I love heists and when she put together a series that has a textile gallery owner and her archaeologist boyfriend chasing down antiques in the black market, with the intention of returning it to the rightful owner/country, I grabbed these books. Ofcourse, as books go, (and so does real life many times) things get out of hand and each book shows believable character development happening, along unpredictable lines. I actually found the main heroine, Phoebe McCabe so naive that I wrote to Jane about it, and she did take my suggestions seriously.
That is another thing that you begin to like, the authors listening to you and writing back and keeping communication channels open to better their plots or books in any way they can. Do you see John Grisham and any of the myriad other authors or Harper Collins and any of the other big publishers caring about your thoughts? Unless you are at a book signing and they have to give you a patient hearing because you have bought a book. Except for one book that I bought, Jane has sent all of her other books free to me, as advance review copies (ARCs). And so have many of the others I’ve read.
Here’s my list: Gabriel Farago, Chris Ward (writing under the pseudonym Jack Benton) and his books can now be found at Barnes and Noble too. James Harper, Tom Bale, Paul Teague, Alison Golden, Laura Morelli, Peter Bertram, and Bernadette Allsopp’s Fiji series. Absolutely start reading them or you are missing some really good writing and plots.
Both mainstream and indie writers have the same motivations. To entertain and make money. Jane explained how her books were born. “My creative juices have always flowed. In fact, half the time I feel as though I have a faucet fixed in the on position. I made up stories as a child in interior worlds so real to me, my parents had to convince me it was just my imagination taking over. I’m inspired by people, places, dreams.... I need incentives to stop writing because I write at least 6 hours a day until my eyes turn scratchy.”
Here is Mark David Abbott, another one of my favourites, whose John Hayes series is a winner all the way. He’s another writer whose books I have reviewed and who loves hearing back from his readers and always takes the time to respond. He said, “I usually just start with a one line idea in my head. What would happen if….? for example. I then mull it over for a few days and then sit down to write. I never plan the story and never know how it will end. At first, getting the words down is tough until the point the story takes over and runs away with me. What keeps me going is the knowledge that at the end I will have created a whole new world and characters out of my imagination.”
So does this hard work payoff and how? Mark said, “I write in a series so I can track the percentage of people who, after buying book 1, go on to read the other books in the series. As long as that read through to the next book comes, I know the series is still being read and I will continue to add more books to it. But he does think, “Social media is a big time suck. It can take too much time which could be used for writing the next book. That being said, however, I try to post a couple of times a week to my FB page but that’s about it.”
Jane elaborates, “I’ve been independently published since 2013. At that time, my book shot to the top of the charts but only briefly before the indie world began blooming and the land grew crowded. I know I’m successful when the amount I spend on advertising is exceeded by my sales of books. The ‘Carpet Cipher’ (her latest book) Is doing really well for me, so it’s a total success. I’ve sold hundreds and hundreds of books since March. I just wish my readers would give me reviews, though many send me personal messages. Facebook is definitely my favourite media strategy but I like reaching out to readers through newsletters too.”
Yes, reviews help all authors climb up Amazon’s charts and author’s get better visibility. This is more so, in the case of indie authors. Mark credits his review team for this, “I have a great review team that almost guarantees around 20 reviews for a book on launch day. The rest come organically over time, but it takes a while and a lot of sales. The figure I hear often is one review per 100 sales. But I don’t think that’s necessarily accurate. Reviews help but it’s not the end of the world, if you don’t have many.” Jane agrees, “The rough guide for reviews is supposedly one review per every 100 books read. But since the quarantine, that’s gone down. I’m tempted to beg for reviews!”
After doing all this for yourself, anyone would feel justified in expecting decent payoffs. Mark said, “My books are on Amazon, so it’s simple. Amazon pays me 70% of the list price, and whatever I have left after paying for advertising, is my profit. The more I advertise, the more I sell, the more profit I get. It’s all in my control.” Jane reiterates. “I receive 70% profit from my books sold on Amazon, and after I pay for advertising, I am generally doubling my money in terms of investment. It’s a very good time to be an indie author.”
Both of them have other indie authors they look up to for inspiration. Mark and Jane both mentioned Mark Dawson. The former reads his books and the latter credits him for the support he’s given her. Mark also reads indie authors Russell Blake and Blake Banner as well as mainstream biggies like Wilbur Smith and Dick Francis.
Mark would love his books to be as gripping as Smith and Francis, and they are, believe me. So what keeps him ticking? What keeps the words flowing? He recalls advice given to him. “The thing that has stuck with me, is when an author guru said, there is no such thing as writer’s block. A dentist doesn’t get “dentist’s block.” Just sit down and get the words on the page. They might never make it to the finished book, but you can’t edit what hasn’t been written.”I, for one, am glad these writers do this on their own time and dime. With no idea, if their books will sell, so the risk is all theirs. But you only have to look at Alison Golden and Peter Bertram’s beautiful websites and see how much more effort they put in, to win you over. You have to read some of their really chatty newsletters, about how they are doing research for their books or the travelling they are doing, and taking you along for the ride.
Gabriel Farago does this superbly. It helps that he lives in the lovely Blue Mountains in Australia and owns an ancestral hunting lodge in Austria. So he gladly shares news about things happening all around him, across countries, with his readers. He promoted one of his books by having a treasure hunt inside the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, on whose genomics research, one of his historical thrillers was based. The treasure hunt was via a micro-site but how many Dan Brown, John Grisham, Robin Cook or Lee Child books have engaged us in this way? Not one. His newsletter is dramatically titled ‘Attic Whispers’, and in my opinion, even they should be compiled into a book!
Peter Bertram will share witty anecdotes from his journalism days or just plain fun stuff he came across during his research. Mark Abbott travels almost compulsively. Alison Golden has been giving away her books free - one every week - during this lockdown period. She also gave me an inside view as to how her book covers were illustrated. Since designing book covers is something that excites me, this totally made my day.
Chris Ward lives in Japan and talks non-stop about it in his newsletters. Nothing like getting to know a place very well second hand, at a time like this! Paul Teague told me about the Solent Forts and Benidorm, both of which were locations for his books. Solent Forts are offshore forts in Portsmouth, which have been converted into luxury hotels. See, I got to know an offbeat holiday destination from his book! Not from David Baldacci.
Another - Laura Morelli who writes art history related books shared a short video of the recording of her audiobook 'The Painter’s Apprentice: A Novel of 16th-Century Venice'.
One doesn’t just get a good book from these authors, one gets to know so much more about the various people, cultures and adventures that they have experienced and explored, in their journey to become successful Indie writers. One gets to know about life in its myriad shades.
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