No question that indie authors are worth seeking out. So many big-name authors write one or maybe two good books, then hook up with the big advertising budgets of publishing houses and sell everything. The publishers, authors and, yes, the public ride that wave into the ground, hoping the next book by their last favorite author will be as good as they remembered the first one. There are exceptions, of course.
As I mentioned in another thread, I've been using a couple of web sites which offer, among other things, a chance to review pre-release books in exchange for an honest review. Most of these are indie-authored books, and while you don't "win" many requests (there may be 1000 requests for 1 book at times), if you are active and honest with your reviews, you can usually pick up a free book from time to time that takes you out of your normal genre rut.
Most of my reading lists come now from recommendations of friends who share my interests, from serious web sites frequented by avid readers, and from library discussion group recommendations. You can also find some fairly representative reviews on the NY Times book blog site, although they are often locked into reviewing books featured by their advertisers. And of course, follow the comments of people here on MR and you'll come up with some great suggestions.
Indie authors? You bet -- love 'em.
