I have been corresponding with
April L. Hamilton, who is garnering some super reader reviews (
here and
here) for her two novels, and we have been discussing the difficulties an indie ebook author faces in getting his or her work to the notice of readers.
There is not just reluctance, but resistance, on the part of newspaper critics to acknowledge, still less assist, the revolution in reading habits that is taking place under their noses. I don't know whether this is down to snobbishness or an understandable, but entirely misplaced, fear that the internet threatens their livelihood. Maybe it's just that dead-tree publishers tend to make the critic's life as easy as possible with support material that an independent can't afford to rival.
Book critics haven't yet woken up to the fact that their expertise will be crucial in the years to come. Good critics will become stars in their own right.
Whatever the cause of the present roadblock, an indie writer finds it all but impossible to get noticed by the mainstream channels. This hardly seems fair: it's the content that should be judged, not the means of distribution. Do motoring journalists ignore the products of small factories making hand-built cars? Of course not -- if the cars are any good, they also make for great copy which car enthusiasts are eager to read. But with ebooks, it's as though there's a silent agreement only to take notice of cars made by Ford, Toyota, and the other mainstream manufacturers.
I am planning a non-profit site where readers can come to find indie ebook authors. To begin with it'll just be a blog. Each category of books (literary fiction, thrillers, romance, crime, SF, etc.) will have its own blog post. Authors will be able freely to add a comment to the category-post, saying what sort of books they have to offer, how they're being distributed and where they can be found. A well written, pithy and professional pitch will encourage the reader to explore further, in quest of hidden treasure.
If the idea works, a proper site could be set up, though I lack the expertise and indeed the time to get involved in that myself. What little funding it needed could be supplied by some discreet ads.
Before investing too much effort in this project, I would like to seek the help of MobileRead members, both readers and writers. First off, do you think the idea has any mileage? If so, what suggestions do you have? What categories should there be? Should there be a place for reader feedback? If you're an author who has experienced resistance from the mainstream, share your experiences: maybe we can find strategies to win the critics to our cause.
Or if you can think of a better scheme altogether, let's hear about it. The end result could be better, more varied and cheaper ebooks for everybody.