As a self-published author and bookstore lover, I have found myself committed to bridge the gap between indie bookstores and indie authors. Traditional publishing continues to get less risky and more conservative with the books they are buying. Authors from marginalized identities are being left out of the conversation more and more. In addition, places like Amazon and TikTok, which created the indie author boom, have degraded in the past few years. Amazon has been overrun by AI slop which is making it hard for actual indie authors who don't use AI, to find an audience. Tiktok's change in ownership and traditional publishing’s ability to put money behind big books has made it much harder for new voices to break through on that app. 

 

Independent bookstores continue to be a great way for readers to discover new authors away from the algorithms and the endless scroll of AI slop. The issue is that indie authors and indie bookstores tend to have competing priorities. Indie bookstores tend to prefer the lower risk that comes with bringing in a traditionally published book, often relying on big five publishers to curate their shelves. This is a move that continues to enforce large publishing dominance (oligopoly) through our local bookstores. Conversely, indie authors struggle to fully understand the economics and benefits of working with bookstores. The issue is that this lack of relationship shuts out so many authors because so many readers still rely on their local bookstore for what they are buying and reading. 

 

As our world changes, I am committed to building a bridge between indie authors and indie bookstores.

 

I have developed completely free resources for both indie bookstores and indie authors to help bridge the gap between the two.

 

I am also always open to presenting this information either in person or virtually to help continue to bridge this gap. Please email me at mjetkind@izzihousebooks.com for requests or inquiries about these resources.