Do you you read indie e-books? What will convince you to check out indie books? - Page 5

mcrow24 · 05-26-2011, 05:43 PM

I have bought about 8 indie books this year which is a lot more than normal. Given eBooks can be had for $1-$3 from indie authors, I much more willing to give them a try.

To be honest, the spelling and grammar stuff does not bother me as much as a terrible plot and crappy storytelling.

carld · 05-26-2011, 05:59 PM

I'm drawn by both price and subject matter. If the book looks interesting, and is priced reasonably, I'll take a look at the sample. If I like the writing style (and this is where a lot of Indie and Professional stories fall down) then I'll order it.

crich70 · 05-26-2011, 06:18 PM

I think that everyone has read an indie book at one time or another. I mean if you expand the term indie to mean a book by an unknown author (which is what all authors are when they start out) then every author whether or not they self-publish via their own website or not has at one time been an indie author. Charles Dickens book "The Pickwick Papers" is an example. He was hired to write text to go along with another person's illustrations, but before long things had been flipped 180 degrees and the illustrator was supplying illustrations to go with Dickens' text rather than the other way round. And his books started out as serials in the newspapers so in effect he was taking a chance not unlike an indie author of today who self-publishes their work. The majority of writing is probably still average just as it was in his time. The challenge is finding the gold among the dross. If enough people think a given book is good then it stays in print when others go out of print and are forgotten. That's how the classics got to be classics.

sapphiresilver · 05-26-2011, 10:43 PM

I don't look at whether a book is indie or not. Publisher doesn't matter to me. If it sounds interesting and I like the sample, I'll buy it. The occasional error doesn't bother me, but it does if there are a lot of errors all through the book. Usually I'll see in the sample if a book has a lot of errors, though.

Just4kix · 05-27-2011, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NedC

Just come across another newish review blog, specialising in fiction published independently in the UK (though not all the authors are British, I notice): All Metaphor Malachi http://allmetaphor.com/.

The owner claims to buy all the books he/she reviews - a plus, surely? Sounds a bit grumpy, though.

Thanks for this. Good to hear about a UK review blog.

Cheers

bobavey · 05-27-2011, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I read almost exclusively indie books these days... and I review them on my website. It doesn't sound like exactly the kind of experience you're looking for in your description, and I don't have the time or energy to do much more than I do on that site, but I am a big proponent of indie authors. I've found some great authors/stories, and I'm definitely a fan.

Thanks for supporting us indie authors, GraceKrispy.

Russell Brooks · 05-28-2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraceKrispy

I read almost exclusively indie books these days... and I review them on my website. It doesn't sound like exactly the kind of experience you're looking for in your description, and I don't have the time or energy to do much more than I do on that site, but I am a big proponent of indie authors. I've found some great authors/stories, and I'm definitely a fan.

Thanks for everything you have done and continue to do, Grace.

raac · 05-28-2011, 04:16 PM

This thread and GraceKrispy's blog led me to buy my first Indie book!

GraceKrispy · 05-28-2011, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobavey

Thanks for supporting us indie authors, GraceKrispy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell Brooks

Thanks for everything you have done and continue to do, Grace.

Thanks for the sentiment, but I feel it's mutually beneficial-- I support indie authors, they get to write more fabulous books, I get even more choices in reading material... and so on. See? Selfish!

I do wish I had way more hours in the day to read and review, though. Just not enough time

Quote:

Originally Posted by raac

This thread and GraceKrispy's blog led me to buy my first Indie book!

WAHOO!!! I hope you love it and come back for many more indie books

JDK1962 · 05-28-2011, 09:48 PM

While I've bought an indie or two, it's been non-fiction, in a very specific niche. I won't buy indie fiction.

My primary explanation is that there's simply too much really good stuff already published that I haven't read. Even reading a couple of books a week for the next 30 years (should I live that long), I won't get through everything I want to read. Plus, every week when I read the NYT Review of Books, I seem to add a book. Then there's the time spent going back and re-reading old friends...

That's the positive reason. The negative reason is that, in the course of earning a writing degree long ago, I developed a really low tolerance for badly constructed fiction, because I workshopped a *lot* of it. Throw in the spelling, word usage, and editing errors common to work that's never passed by semi-objective set of eyes prior to being unleashed upon the world...nope, not interested. First-rate writing is really tough work, even with a good writer, a talented editor, and an eagle-eyed proofreader.

Sorry if all that seems harsh or elitist. But I'm just not willing to spend valuable reading time to try to find the one indie author in a hundred who might be as good as the authors I've already got in my "To Be Read" collection.

Frida Fantastic · 05-29-2011, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDK1962

Sorry if all that seems harsh or elitist. But I'm just not willing to spend valuable reading time to try to find the one indie author in a hundred who might be as good as the authors I've already got in my "To Be Read" collection.

You might find Simon Royle's Indie Book Reviewers list of interest then: http://www.simon-royle.com/indie-reviewers/ Reviewers can't review all indie fiction, but they do help with the searching bit. Reading one review is less time consuming than going through 10+ samples.

There is a lot of badly constructed fiction out there, but there are also a lot of really good fiction that is at the same level of quality as traditionally published works. I've been finding new authors to follow that I wouldn't have learned about otherwise, so I'm a happy reader. I don't care about business models, I just want to read a good book, regardless of who is on what payroll or if they used a paid editor or several unpaid betas.

JDK1962 · 05-29-2011, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bashfulbanshee

There is a lot of badly constructed fiction out there, but there are also a lot of really good fiction that is at the same level of quality as traditionally published works. I've been finding new authors to follow that I wouldn't have learned about otherwise, so I'm a happy reader. I don't care about business models, I just want to read a good book, regardless of who is on what payroll or if they used a paid editor or several unpaid betas.

I don't care about business models either. I'd be the last person to say that everything the traditional publishing industry spews out is well-written and well-edited (or with ebooks, even well-proofed). Personally, I don't think that the majority are even worth publishing, but that's just my opinion. Bottom line for the publishing industry is to make money, not art, and the market will force them to the lowest level of quality they can get away with.

But regardless of source, I have a "To Be Read" collection on my Kindle that has 275 books in it, and it seems to be growing faster than I can read. Plus there's all those used books that seem to follow me home. I'm not disputing that there are indie books of quality, and that there are methods of winnowing out the chaff, if one is so inclined. I'm just saying that I'm drowning in books already.

Frida Fantastic · 05-29-2011, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDK1962

But regardless of source, I have a "To Be Read" collection on my Kindle that has 275 books in it, and it seems to be growing faster than I can read.

Oh *my*, that is a lot of books

Yeah, I guess I'm a bit different because while I have a 10 page single-spaced "Books To Read" word file, I pick up books to read depending on what subject I find more compelling at the moment. There's books that have sat on the word file for years but I still haven't gone around to, just because they're just not as compelling as the other books I've been reading. I've stopped buying books ahead of time, I only buy books when I'm about to read them. My unread pile of books was getting expensive and ridiculous. Boy, I'm sure those used book stores miss me :P

JSWolf · 05-29-2011, 10:33 PM

indie books... in ePub (not made directly from Word or Smashwords) and a reasonable price with an interesting blurb.

bobavey · 05-31-2011, 12:50 PM

Thanks for creating this post, Bashfulbanshee. yes, I read indie books. I like giving new things a try.

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05-26-2011, 05:43 PM	#61
mcrow24 Connoisseur Posts: 82 Karma: 35788 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle,Augen "The book", Nook	I have bought about 8 indie books this year which is a lot more than normal. Given eBooks can be had for $1-$3 from indie authors, I much more willing to give them a try. To be honest, the spelling and grammar stuff does not bother me as much as a terrible plot and crappy storytelling.

05-26-2011, 05:59 PM	#62
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I'm drawn by both price and subject matter. If the book looks interesting, and is priced reasonably, I'll take a look at the sample. If I like the writing style (and this is where a lot of Indie and Professional stories fall down) then I'll order it.

05-26-2011, 06:18 PM	#63
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,305 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I think that everyone has read an indie book at one time or another. I mean if you expand the term indie to mean a book by an unknown author (which is what all authors are when they start out) then every author whether or not they self-publish via their own website or not has at one time been an indie author. Charles Dickens book "The Pickwick Papers" is an example. He was hired to write text to go along with another person's illustrations, but before long things had been flipped 180 degrees and the illustrator was supplying illustrations to go with Dickens' text rather than the other way round. And his books started out as serials in the newspapers so in effect he was taking a chance not unlike an indie author of today who self-publishes their work. The majority of writing is probably still average just as it was in his time. The challenge is finding the gold among the dross. If enough people think a given book is good then it stays in print when others go out of print and are forgotten. That's how the classics got to be classics.

05-26-2011, 10:43 PM	#64
sapphiresilver Connoisseur Posts: 51 Karma: 5368 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Australia Device: Amazon Oasis 2, Kobo Clara HD, iPad Pro	I don't look at whether a book is indie or not. Publisher doesn't matter to me. If it sounds interesting and I like the sample, I'll buy it. The occasional error doesn't bother me, but it does if there are a lot of errors all through the book. Usually I'll see in the sample if a book has a lot of errors, though.

05-28-2011, 04:16 PM	#68
raac Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 1003802 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: NY Device: Sony PRS-950	This thread and GraceKrispy's blog led me to buy my first Indie book!

05-28-2011, 09:48 PM	#70
JDK1962 Groupie Posts: 154 Karma: 2054094 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Boulder, CO Device: Kindle Voyage, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 (for PDFs)	While I've bought an indie or two, it's been non-fiction, in a very specific niche. I won't buy indie fiction. My primary explanation is that there's simply too much really good stuff already published that I haven't read. Even reading a couple of books a week for the next 30 years (should I live that long), I won't get through everything I want to read. Plus, every week when I read the NYT Review of Books, I seem to add a book. Then there's the time spent going back and re-reading old friends... That's the positive reason. The negative reason is that, in the course of earning a writing degree long ago, I developed a really low tolerance for badly constructed fiction, because I workshopped a lot of it. Throw in the spelling, word usage, and editing errors common to work that's never passed by semi-objective set of eyes prior to being unleashed upon the world...nope, not interested. First-rate writing is really tough work, even with a good writer, a talented editor, and an eagle-eyed proofreader. Sorry if all that seems harsh or elitist. But I'm just not willing to spend valuable reading time to try to find the one indie author in a hundred who might be as good as the authors I've already got in my "To Be Read" collection.

05-29-2011, 10:33 PM	#74
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,027 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	indie books... in ePub (not made directly from Word or Smashwords) and a reasonable price with an interesting blurb.

05-31-2011, 12:50 PM	#75
bobavey Bob Avey Posts: 117 Karma: 501082 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Broken Arrow, OK Device: none	Thanks for creating this post, Bashfulbanshee. yes, I read indie books. I like giving new things a try.

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