Tag: Indie Author Day

My Experience as Featured Speaker at Indie Author Day 2016

logo-IndieAuthorDay-300pxGuest Post
by Debbi Mack

When I was invited to be the featured speaker on last year’s Indie Author Day at the Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, Maryland, I was both honored and surprised. Me, a featured speaker? What had I done lately that merited that designation? While it is true that my first novel made the New York Times eBook bestseller list in 2011, it felt like forever since I’d enjoyed anything like that sort of “success,” at least in the traditional sense of that word.

However, I really wanted to do this event. As one trained in library science and a “frequent flyer” (borrowing-wise) at my own public library, I’m a huge supporter of libraries and books, in general. Continue reading “My Experience as Featured Speaker at Indie Author Day 2016”

Make Your Library Your Publicist

library arches-1853367_960_720Guest Post
by Jacob M. Appel

The American Library Association’s “Declaration for the Right to Libraries” describes libraries as “the great equalizer,” institutions that provide access to knowledge for any person — of any age, background, class or creed — endowed with intellectual curiosity. Libraries are among the only places on earth that truly welcome everyone. As a lifelong public library fanatic — I have visited nearly one thousand in forty-nine states — I certainly appreciate the joy of walking into a two-room Carnegie library in an unfamiliar town or a sleepy branch library in an alien metropolis and suddenly feeling at home. But for small press authors, public libraries serve as equalizers of a different sort too. In an era when the “Big Five” publishers dominate the literary marketplace, rendering a book review in a major newspaper or even shelf space at Barnes & Noble a pipe dream for many talented authors, the local public library offers a welcome opportunity for partnership. Continue reading “Make Your Library Your Publicist”

Reflections on Indie Author Day 2016

eastchester indie author day 2016Guest Post
by Mel Parish

As the founder of Westchester Indie Authors (WIA) I’m always on the lookout for new events which will help gain more visibility for our small group of authors based in Westchester County, NY. When I heard about a national attempt to link up authors with libraries for Indie Author Day on Saturday, October 8th, 2016, it seemed an ideal opportunity. After discovering that no library in southern Westchester County had signed up to host an event, I approached my local library about the possibility of participating. Continue reading “Reflections on Indie Author Day 2016”

How Authors Can Be Proactive with Indie Author Day

author hunter gardnerGuest Post
by Hunter Gardner

In March 2014, a dream of mine came true: I became a published author. Bitingduck Press, an independent press outside of Los Angeles, released my young adult novel SCHOOL. and though I had been writing since age sixteen, that was the moment when I felt like I could truly call myself a writer.

While the publisher was very good to me, it became immediately apparent that marketing the book would be primarily my responsibility. There was the Facebook page, of course, and family and friends ready to buy, but with the ever-growing mountain of content constantly piling up in front of the masses, I had no idea how to get my book to stand out.

What I didn’t account for was “on-the-ground” promotion and networking, or working with local libraries. That’s why I wish Indie Author Day had been around in 2014.

Indie Author Day is a great opportunity for authors to bring their ideas to their local libraries and collaborate in a way that builds local community while also putting a spotlight on indie authors and their works. Continue reading “How Authors Can Be Proactive with Indie Author Day”