My love of independent authors comes from their lack of fear.
Indie authors unabashedly write; write for the love of the craft, and more often than not, write without concern for the commercial viability of their work.
Of course, these authors want to sell books and work tirelessly promoting their work on social media outlets, as well as more traditional ones.
I have experienced some independent authors who still need to work on their craft and be more careful about grammar, editing, and other finishing touches that polish their work; however, the trade-off is the experience of indie authors who have a strong voice and point of view. They express more readily than their commercial counterparts.
After reading an excellent book, “Jack Hanger” by independent author James Fouche, I discerned his honesty, ethical integrity, and strong voice throughout the novel. He was glad that I enjoyed the novel, but admitted that his next work would be more commercial.
This admission was upsetting.
I have found it difficult to find authors with such an authentic voice—knowing that these authors would trade in authenticity for commercial viability is disheartening.
Authenticity is why indie authors need support. As a reader, I care about the authenticity not only of setting, action, and dialogue, but of voice, ethics and ambiance, and for that reason we—readers—must encourage the new voices to share their work.
We should provide feedback with integrity, and support these authors as we do other artists whose work we enjoy and admire.
Jessica Nickel is a writer, musician, teacher, programmer and quality assurance engineer who enjoys discovering new authors and reviewing Indie books. She is currently completing her EdD in Music Education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.