The Indie Connection: Authors and Bloggers Unite! discussion

Hi everyone, and welcome to The Indie Connection. This is where you can introduce yourself to other members so we can get to know each other. Let us know a little about you and what you do.

I'm Hazel West, both an indie author and a book blogger, and I'm your moderator. If you ever need anything or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Greetings! I'm Abigail, and I write and read. I review books on Goodreads.

Hi Hazel, long time no talk eh? Thanks for setting up this group, Ive been out of the 'marketing my own stuff' loop for awhile, but this seems the opportune moments to get back into it (since I am almost finished with my short story anthology).

Thanks!

Kelly

K.L. wrote: "Hi Hazel, long time no talk eh? Thanks for setting up this group, Ive been out of the 'marketing my own stuff' loop for awhile, but this seems the opportune moments to get back into it (since I am..."
Hey! Good to hear from you again. I've been out of it for a while too, but wanted to start up a new group to help everyone else haha. Hopefully it will work!

Hullo! C.B. here! Can't wait to finish exploring the group. ;)

Hello!
I'm Samantha and I write flash, poetry, random, and have work published. I have a novel I am yet to publish. I also have editing and proofreading experience. Looking forward to getting to know people!

Hi Samantha and C.B. welcome :)

Thanks Hazel

Hello, I'm Rivka. I write review for my book blog and Goodreads. I only write stories occasionally, and it is mostly short stories or flash fiction.

Hello, Rivka!

Hello - I just self-published my first novel "Medical Necessity" and am working on a second novel. I'm seeking suggestions on the best way to promote my book. Writing a book is a lot easier than marketing a book. Thank you. for your time and consideration.

http://smile.amazon.com/Medical-Neces...

Hello! I'm Drew and am a self-published author. My genre is erotic romance with BDSM elements.

Hi Hazel and everyone. I self published my debut novel, "If I Go," and now am struggling in the wilderness of self-promotion--something that's really hard for me. I'm starting my first blog here, and trying to get bookstores to take a couple copies on consignment. One has so far. Any tips are really welcome and thanks!

Diane wrote: "Hi Hazel and everyone. I self published my debut novel, "If I Go," and now am struggling in the wilderness of self-promotion--something that's really hard for me. I'm starting my first blog here, a..."

Hey Diane, glad you joined! It's definitely a bit overwhelming at first. I would say a good place to start is launching a Virtual Book Tour, that will get your name out to people everywhere and not just to anyone who goes to the bookstores that have your books. Goodreads giveaways are also a good way a get your books interest.

Definitely feel free to message me here on Goodreads if you have any other questions!

Hey, Hazel. I'm glad as well! I've been in and out of GR for awhile, but it's a great resource for writers as well as readers so I'm hoping I can get up and running here. A couple of things: first, I am in a Goodreads giveaway that ends, I think, June 10. This will sounds stupid, but how exactly does a giveway get interest in my book and how do I know it? Will the interest be reflected in Amazon sales (paper and E-version available there)? Also, where do I find info on Virtual Book Tour? Sounds good. Yesterday my Blog went live here. My first blog. I have to get one up on my Site but it seems trickier. Very intuitive here. Thanks for the shout out!

Giveaways work to get people seeing the book and adding it to their shelves. Hopefully you'll even get reviews from the winners. Also, people who are interested enough will perhaps buy a copy themselves if they didn't win it.

For book tours, you can pretty much just google Virtual Book Tours and you'll find a bunch of sites that will set them up for you. That would probably be best for your first time, but you can also set one up yourself if you feel up to it, just look into how they're done, or I would definitely be willing to give you some tips if you wanted to go that rout.

If you want an easier way to do a blog, I would try Blogger or Wordpess as opposed to using your personal site (Unless you use either of those already) and then you can actually just link them to your GR blog. That's how I have mine, so I don't have to update them both, I just update my actual blog and then it automatically updates here too.

Thanks, again, for this good information! Nice to understand both the Giveaway and the Virtual Tour. I would prefer to do Wordpress, Blogger or Blogspot but I'm not real "technical." I can keep up with GR Blog, but is it possible to link a Wordpress Blog, for instance, to my Site?

I have only literally just started a Wordpress account, so I'm not sure of everything you can do with it yet. I know you can set up a simple website through them too, and then possibly link a blog to it? if not, you can always have a separate blog and just link it. What site provider are you using now?

I'm getting blitzed...problems with new devices..ARGH. I use Square Space which is what the person who was helping me early on with the business end (so I could write). It's on my website. So far I have no idea how to even post--he posted something for me before. However, just a few minutes ago I may have made a breakthrough. Otherwise I'm going to try WP or Blogspot. I'm just reluctant to get involved with the previous assistant because I really have to know how to do this myself. :( I'm sorry to be so late in responding because I want you to know how I appreciate your responses here. I'll keep you posted.

I definitely know how that is haha. As someone who is not really tech-savvy I know it's definitely best to learn how to do something yourself. I'm not familiar with Square Space, but in my experience you can usually figure stuff out if you play around with it. The problem is remembering what you did that worked :P

That's the truth. I'm really thinking about constructing the blog on WP or Blogspot but then I'd have to figure out how to get the darn thing loaded in my current site. I actually did a post, header, the whole thing but for some reason I don't have access to the blog page to enter....I notice there hasn't been any action on my blog here, although it hasn't been up long, so I don't know if I should keep posting; kind of groping for insight on how to go.

It's hard to start off, social media always takes a while to get rolling to be really helpful. I never get as much traffic on my blog posts here as I do on my actual blog. Do you have a Twitter or Facebook? if you do, posting all your new updates from your blog will help get that out to anyone who follows there. As for joining up a blog to your site, I have no idea how that would really work. I know it depends on how each one works. Sometimes, you can put a feed on, or simply just have a tab that will link directly to your blog.

Hey, folks! I'm Brendan. I'm a writer, looking for folks interested in reviewing fantasy/horror books.

Hello! I'm Jane, a YA writer!

Hi lovely people, I'm Margaret. My day job is, erm, publishing MBS titles (so, okay, weird that I'm in this group), but due to a nasty brush with lymphoma I ended up writing a blog and then self-publishing a book (Under Cover of Darkness, How I Blogged My Way Through Mantle Cell Lymphoma) and then another book, 'It Could Only Happen At Sea', which is summer reading and thus a very different genre from what I'm used to. I'm struggling to understand how best to promote it and especially how Giveaways works and whether it's worthwile, so any tips on promotion, getting reviews and getting the word out there would be really welcome. Nice to meet you all!

Margaret wrote: "Hi lovely people, I'm Margaret. My day job is, erm, publishing MBS titles (so, okay, weird that I'm in this group), but due to a nasty brush with lymphoma I ended up writing a blog and then self-pu..."

Hazel wrote: "Hi everyone, and welcome to The Indie Connection. This is where you can introduce yourself to other members so we can get to know each other. Let us know a little about you and what you do.

I'm Ha..."

Hi everyone! I am Kim, the CEO of my new business, Infinity Author Services I am working hard to make friends who will help me share the opportunities of IAS to authors. If you would - please visit! A new indie business is a glorious thing, but it gets a little lonely!

Hello!

I'm a self published author and happy to find this group!

Nicholina O'Donnell

Hi All,

I am also a writer, reader, and reviewer. I publish independently but am getting ready to pitch my first novel this year.

I am looking to grow my followers on Goodreaders and make friends!

Nice to meet all of you.

Jesú Estrada

Hello everyone.
I'm Volk Kinetshniy a criminal psychologist, writer, visual artist, painter and photographer of Russian, Greek, and German origin.

I have been a published writer of LGBTQ fiction, non-fiction and academic articles. I hold a BA in Psychology and am now completing my second MSc in Criminal Psychology at the University of Essex while working on my Ph.D. My studies have contributed to my critique and rejection of social norms. My first books reflect these ideas, while the Sasha Volkov series combine my two big passions -writing and criminology.

i'm currently spending most of my time in Berlin with my sibling, Amanda M. Jansson, and our pets.

Greetings! My name is Raj and I have recently authored my first short story in the series named, Baháʼu'lláh and the mission of "God Manifestation". This work is not just any other fiction but inherently implies religious teachings and wisdom through "truth as fiction" writing style for a spiritually initiated reader. This may also be utilised as a tool for meditation by the reader in grasping subtle realities of the universe and its laws in absolute term.
Love.Peace!

Hello everyone!

My name is Cendrine and I live in Canada. I am a photographer, poet, author, and co-founder.

Book number 16 will be released on January 14, 2020.

Looking forward to getting to know you better.

Hello, everyone!
I'm Courtney and I just released my first book a month ago on amazon. It's the first in a PNR/Dragonshifter romance series I've been working on for a couple years, but I write in scifi/apocalyptic genres as well. I also read a lot and listen to TONS of audiobooks since I work from home making costumes for a living. I want to start blogging way more and would love to start doing more goodreads reviews.

Hello everyone,
I'm Ramona Nehring-Silver and I'm a new author and new to Goodreads. I live in a very remote location in the far north corner of British Columbia, so have limited connection to a community of writers, readers, and publishers. I am looking forward to being a part of this group.

Hi everyone! I'm Sarah Angleton. I am an indie author of historical fiction. I also blog, but not usually about books except occasionally history or historical fiction. I am not great at Goodreads, where I mostly just keep track of my reading list and post reviews. I'm looking to get more involved in groups, though. Glad to have found this one!

I'm not new but it's been a while since I got in here! I write alternate history / historical fiction with a steampunk blend! I blog frequently but keeping me on task about something is hard! I always love to make connections with other bloggers.

Hi everyone

I'm Ellie Stevenson and I write partly historical novels with a supernatural twist. The one I'm currently editing involves time travel and includes some people who first appeared in an earlier novel. Glad to be here!

Hello everyone! My name is Katie and I live in Texas! I've recently started a book blog called Book Bustle.

My favorite genres to read are historical fiction (I've seen a lot of intros for authors of historical fiction, yay!), fantasy, science fiction, etc. I also have a love for nonfiction books, specifically historical nonfiction.

I am so excited to connect with like-minded authors and bloggers in this group!

Hi fellow authors and bloggers, my name is Michelle.
I am the author of the childrens trilogy series Wesley Raccoon.

My books focus on Friendship & Social Acceptance for children aged 3-6 yrs (a little younger and a bit older also works)

I would love to connect with any fellow childrens authors and bloggers who specialize in childrens books.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Hello! My name is Amelia. I have just published my first ever novel (fantasy, lgbtq+) and I am looking to make some connections and get my name out there, as well as discover other little-known authors like me whom I might be able to support in some way!
(My book, The Violet Mage - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228843685)
(My website - www.amelialove.ca)

Hi, my name is Caroline and I self published my first novel A Mother's Loss on Amazon last October. I am currently getting my second novel ready to publish and writing my third. I am keen to meet other authors and learn tips around the self promotion side of being an Indie.
A Mother's Loss

Hi book friends!
My name is Jenaiya, and I write as J.L. Delavega
A lot of people also call me Nay :)

My debut novel Smoke and Other Storms was published this year. Its been a lifelong goal and I still catch myself waiting to wake up from a dream sometimes.

Smoke and Other Storms is a dark fantasy western about a family of female outlaws and con artists competing with an explorer for a lost fortune in a poisonous desert. (Book 1 in the Revere Trilogy)

If this interests you the book can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and a few other smaller ebook platforms. The link tree is on my author page :)
I’m also looking for a few advance readers when book two releases next summer!

I’m really looking forward to getting to know more of my book people!

IG: https://instagram.com/ninjenaiyauthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ninjenaiyauthor

Daniel wrote: "I'm not new but it's been a while since I got in here! I write alternate history / historical fiction with a steampunk blend! I blog frequently but keeping me on task about something is hard! I alw..."

Steampunk is one of my favorite sub genres! It’s definitely underrated!

Hello everyone! I am new too this group, nice to -virtually-meeting you all!
I recently I also published my memoir, called Screen's queen and it is about my story with mental health battles.
If you are curious about my story, feel free to check it out ;
have a nice day xx

https://screensqueenbook.com

Hi everyone. Grad to join this group. IN the past couple of weeks I have just published my debut novel VERITAS; It's always the Truth that kills. I wrote, it, proof read it, designed the cover, doing the marketing, published it. As you guys will know, and now I appreciate, it's a lot of work!! More than I thought. Now it's the even tougher part, trying readers to get interested in it. A book is nothing without readers.

Outside of writing, I am a travel executive of 30 plus years, a DJ (I had my own radio show), blogger and Astrologer - yes this was my route into a love of Space and the Universe. I also have a connection to Star Wars - my father met George Lucas in his work, and my brother worked at the very warehouse where the spacescraft used in the original Star Wars film including the Millenium Falcon and the Death Star were made!!! Maybe all this was written in the stars, and i was destined to write a Sci-Fi book??

I think that i have created something very special, but it's not for me to pass judgement. I also want on this group to get ideas how you guys got the word out about their books - what strategies you used - what worked and what didn't?

Anyway hope you welcome me to your group,

Paul....

Hello everyone.

I am a first time author from Northern Canada. My book 'Being Broken' was only recently published a couple of weeks ago. It is a memoir about childhood trauma and abuse my sister and I had to go through which ultimately ended with her death from fentanyl poisoning.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

This is all new to me so I'm just connecting to the community.

Thank you!

Hi all,
I am a new author and trying to connect with good people like you . I recently published my debut novel Heart Knows No Miles ❣️on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. If you decide to give it a read do let me know your thoughts as it would help me improve as a writer and be very helpful in my future endeavors.

Hi everyone, I'm Davin—writing under the pen name MythosX.

I'm new to the indie author journey and recently published my debut novel, The Enoch Cipher. It’s a project born from a lot of late nights, quiet reflections, and a deep curiosity about myth, ancient texts, and spiritual mysteries. I wrote it in the in-between moments—juggling work, fatherhood, and the ever-growing need to create something meaningful.

Outside of writing, I experiment with cinematic storytelling through video and audio. I’m fascinated by how atmosphere, rhythm, and narrative combine—and I try to carry that into how my stories unfold, visually and emotionally.

I joined this group to learn, connect with other writers, and share in the creative process. Looking forward to reading your stories and being part of the community.

If you are curious about my story, feel free to check it out
📖 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FGD5G74W


Warmly, Davin (aka MythosX)
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MythosXTV
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mythos_x

Hey everybody! Author & Inspirational speaker here from Seattle WA. Working on my 35th book. I wrote the bestselling "Dissonance" 6-book alien invasion saga (https://www.dissonancetheseries.com), the Christian dystopian fiction saga "The End" (https://thisisnottheend.com), the sci-fi thrillers "Forecast" and "The Slide," the nonfiction book "God Is Not Santa," the children's picture books "The Ring of Truth," "The Sword of Joy" and "The Book of Power," the business reference books "How to Successfully Self-Publish & Promote Your Self-Published Book" and "The Superhero Anomaly", as well as 6 business books on voiceovers penned under his former stage name (Joshua Alexander). My favorite author by far is J.R.R. Tolkien, but I also enjoy Suzanne Collins, James S.A. Corey, Michael Crichton, Marie Lu, Madeleine L'Engle, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, C.S. Lewis, Stephen King and Dave Barry.

I've always had a passion for storytelling.

Good to meet you!

Aaron Ryan
https://authoraaronryan.com
https://speakeraaronryan.com
https://dot.cards/authoraaronryan