In my other business, I frequently work for tips, or at least partly for tips. So I know that feeling of someone slipping a larger bill than anticipated in my hand and telling me “you did a great job, thank you!”
So how, you might ask, can you tip an author? You sat quietly and read their story, they weren’t coming by your table to check and make sure you were enjoying it, topping off your beverage, or fashioning you a wacky and wild balloon hat. I had an idea on this, having given away more than 300 copies of my story Snow Angel last week during the Human Wave Garage Sale. What if you read a free story – there are a lot of them out there – by an indie author, and you really enjoy it. Not only can you go right out and buy more by that author (Please, Do! and not only for me, but the others who participated in the sale) but you can leave a review of their story.
I know some of you find the idea of leaving reviews difficult. Memories of childhood and delivering book reports aloud in class has scarred you. But you don’t need to be in-depth, or leave a long review, just touch on what you liked, and if you didn’t, be honest. “Remember, this is for posterity, so please, be honest.” – The Princess Bride
We, the few, the proud, the indie… geez, I’m corny tonight, I must be more tired than I thought! – need you, the readers. We need you not only to buy our stuff, but to help us build a tide of word-of-mouth that will help others find our work. What’s in it for you? More stories you like to read. More sales, like this one, that enable you to find new authors, stock up on favorites for less, or perhaps gift copies to those you would like to hook – er, introduce to us Indies.
What say you? Can you spare a few minutes to tip your author?
And look… Amazon put it on sale for you all!
