Indies Unlimited 2016 Reading Challenge

IU reading challenge ksbWelcome to the first-ever IU Reading Challenge! Do you waste valuable reading time just trying to decide which book to read? Do you want to read some cool books this year? Do you ever judge a book by its cover? Do you want something shiny for your Facebook page or website? Do you want to help promote Indie authors on the interwebs and have fun at the same time? Of course you do!

Here’s how it works:

1. Bookmark this article, and then share it!

2. Choose 12 INDIE books to read this year based on each of 12 categories below.

DO NOT choose a traditionally-published book; this is for INDIES only.

DO NOT choose your own book.

Your Indie choices may come from these sites, or a different site if you prefer.

3. Post your choices wherever you like, and encourage your friends to participate! Here are some suggestions:

  • Facebook (if you’re an author, don’t forget to also post to your FB Author page.)
  • Google+
  • Create a Pinterest board and add the Reading Challenge List, and your choices.
  • Tweet the Reading Challenge List and each of your choices using the hashtag #IUReadIndie2016
  • Put the Reading Challenge List on your Instagram page.
  • Tell everyone you ever met in your whole life about the Challenge.
  • IU’s 2016 Reading Challenge Board on Pinterest! (Just let us know in comments below that you’d like to be added to that board and we’ll make it happen)
  • You could post your list all at once now, and/or post each month’s selection as you read it throughout the year.

4. That’s it! (Oh, and READ THE BOOKS!)

Ready? Bookmark this page!

Start hunting for your INDIE book choices in these 12 categories:

  1. A book written by one of the regular contributors to IU (a minion or admin.)
  2. A book written by someone not in the above category, but who’s an author           you’ve seen commenting on IU posts.
  3. A book written by an author from a country other than your own.
  4. A humorous book.
  5. A nonfiction book.
  6. A memoir.
  7. A book in a genre you rarely read.
  8. A book set in a different culture than your own.
  9. A children’s book.
  10. A book chosen just because you love the cover.
  11. A book that’s part of a series.
  12. Any other type of Indie book of your choice.

Remember, INDIE books only.

Each month, we’ll have a new feature called What Indie Books Are You Reading This Month? If you’re participating in the 2016 IU Reading Challenge, post your choice there every month. Be sure to mention that it’s part of the IU Challenge, and which category it fits. (Don’t worry; there will be a reminder to do this every month.)

But wait, that’s not all! If you complete the Challenge you’ll earn the soon-to-be-coveted IU 2016 Reading Challenge bright, shiny BADGE for your FB page, website, email signature, and anywhere else where people can see, for themselves, just how cool you really are!

So go ahead, let’s kick things off today – What Indie Book Are you Reading This Month? Post the title, the author’s name, which category it fits, and a link to the book on Amazon, if you have one. Let’s do this thing!

Author: Candace Williams

Candace Williams lives with her husband and beloved rescued Iggys (Italian Greyhounds) in Texas. Her first novel, THE EARTHQUAKE DOLL, was inspired by her early experiences in post-war Japan while her father was serving in the Korean Conflict. Learn more about Candace on her website and her Author Central page.

38 thoughts on “Indies Unlimited 2016 Reading Challenge”

  1. Love it. I read pretty much only Indie authors so am happy to participate. I do however stick to my five favorite genres so this is good, it will get me to read outside the box or book I guess. 🙂 Great idea.

    1. I know whatcha mean, Glenna! It’s only been through reading challenges that I’ve “discovered” some good stuff in genres I usually don’t read. (I like that, “reading outside the box or book” LOL.) Remember to post your choices!

  2. What a great idea. I’ve got some books on my ToRead list that fit this category. This will give me incentive to knock some of them off. At present, I still haven’t read Shawn Inmon’s new serial, The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver, so that could count as #1 or #11.

    And, Charles Ray, who comments frequently, has written a book about Bass Reeves(Frontier Justice), the real-life person the Lone Ranger was modeled after. I’ve been eyeing it for a while. So, I’ll definitely put that down for category #2. I’ll think more on my list as the year goes on. But, great idea. Should be lots of fun.

    1. You’ve already picked some books – that’s great! I think it will be lots of fun. The only “problem” I’ve had is trying to choose *which* Indie book to pick.

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  7. I’m in.
    Last year I was definitely more of an indies reader than writer as I have not completed my first novel yet! Through IU I discovered Melissa Bowersock; read and reviewed her books and now follow her on GR. Overall I’m unsure how many indies books I read last year out of 116 books as I don’t check out how the book is published. I’m enticed by a good story and flowing expression. My reviews are brief and honest and I post them on GR– not up to Al’s standards.

    This challenge is brilliantly suited to me for 2016. Great work Candace

  8. I’ve read Melissa Bowersock’s Angel of Bataan

    and it was great (btw, it would qualify for #5, a nonfiction book!)

    I hope you’ll find lots more good Indie books to read this year. People have a hard time finding Indie books specifically, and especially really good-quality ones, so the source lists in the article should make it a lot easier. Face it, there are some out there that make you wonder if the authors never heard of spell check, let alone bothered to learn the basics of writing a novel! It could be that by the end of the year when everyone has listed all their choices for the challenge we’ll have a nice, curated list of Indie books for everyone!

    1. Downloaded The Earthquake Doll on my Kindle! Category: set in a different culture. My next step is to understand Pinterest ( I’m on it but rarely use), finish reading current book then hello Japan and Candace’s imagination.

      1. Thanks for choosing my book for the reading challenge! I hope you’ll enjoy it. As to Pinterest, the IU admins will send you an email invitation to join the group Pinterest board for this challenge. Then you can begin posting your choices on there.

        Here’s a link to some IU articles about Pinterest:
        https://indiesunlimited.com/tag/pinterest/
        If you have any problems using it, just let me know. 🙂

  9. Sounds like fun. I’m in.
    Got a few on my “to read” list.
    Hmm… now to decide what’s first – and what category it fits.

    1. I’m finding that’s part of the fun. One, you can plan out all or part of the year, so you don’t have to get all angsty about what to read next because you’ve already been there, done that; and two, the being there and doing that is fun in itself at this stage, sans the angst! As more people post their choices on the IU Pinterest Board (link in the article) there will be more even more books to choose from using just that one source. Win-win 🙂

      1. Might even throw a few reviews around while I’m at it. No promises…

        Complete ignorance here: We can post our choices on the Pinterest board? How would we go about that?
        Yes, I’m on Pinterest. I thought you could only post to your own boards.

        1. The IU Pinterest Board for this challenge is a group board, so you have to be invited by the admins via email. Please send an email using the CONTACT link on this site’s header, then select “Comments and Questions” to give them your email address. After that’s entered by admin, you can post away!

          I’m very sorry about the confusion! That was going to be in the article, but it’s one of those things that happens sometimes because of, you know, reasons. 🙂

        3. Correction: If you comment on here, admin already has your email addy, so you’ll automatically get an invitation to post on the IU Pinterest Board for this challenge! So, once again, sorry for the confusion. 🙂

  13. It would be awesome to poetry to the list. Poets were the first indies, printing and even handwriting chapbooks to sell at readings. Sadly, very few people today regularly buy and read poetry books by modern still-alive poets.

    1. Hi, Frank –

      Thanks for the suggestion! We can put that in the file for the “Second Ever IU 2016 Reading Challenge.” 🙂 I didn’t know that poets were the first indies, but I do now – thanks. I hadn’t really given it much thought. I know that the ancient Romans praised poetry above all other arts. It’s true that today’s culture doesn’t think the same way.

      Are you planning to participate in this year’s challenge?

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