indiecember

#Indiecember

In the most recent installment of “From My Bookshelf” I want to talk about one of my favorite months for books. The amazing Megan Tennant (click on her name to check out her Twitter feed) hosts an event that is called “Indiecember”. It’s different from every other reading challenge or readathon out there in that the goal is to REVIEW books, not just read them. Specifically we are challenged to review books by independent or self-published authors.

I first came across Megan’s name when my daughter recommended her book “Aletheia” to me. An indie author herself, Megan understands the importance of book reviews in helping to promote the work of authors that don’t have a big name publisher doing the publicity.

So get ready – I’ll be using this space to hype up the indie books I’m reading and reviewing this month. I just love finding new gems each December!

From my Bookshelf! #Indiecember

This isn’t so much about a specific book review. It’s about a fun book challenge I’m taking part in during the month of December. The amazing Megan Tennant (check out her Twitter feed HERE) has organized the Indiecember book review challenge again this year and I’m so excited to be taking part. Unlike many other reading challenges I’ve been a part of, this one is LESS about reading books and MORE about reviewing books written by independent authors.

Indie authors rely heavily on the reviews that readers provide on websites like Goodreads and Amazon. So Megan, an author herself, has organized this yearly event specifically to help out those indie authors with book reviews. The idea is to spend the entire month of December helping out indie authors by talking about their books all over the sites I mentioned above PLUS posting links to those reviews on social media. Twitter seems to be an especially active site for authors and readers alike. Instagram is pretty popular too.

Love to read? Willing to take a few mintues to give an honest review to an author who doesn’t have the budget of a big publishing house to promote their book? Then check out all the info from Megan over on Twitter (the link is HERE) and join in the fun!

From My Bookshelf – #indiecember

This one isn’t a book review.  It’s a fun idea that I stumbled onto while cruising Twitter and I just had to share!

Megan Tennant, an independent author herself, has created a month-long reading challenge that she calls Indiecember – you can read all about it on her website HERE.  If you are a social media user, you can also find information by searching #indiecember.  The idea is simple – you read books written by independent, self-published authors and try to earn a bingo on Megan’s cleverly designed Bingo board.

I LOVE this idea!  Thanks to the abundance of computer technology available to the general public, authors no longer have to wait to catch the eye of a big name publisher.  Self-publishing is a viable option for those writers who are eager to share their work with the public.  (And from what I hear, self-publishing ensures that you don’t have to edit your original story to please the publisher – you can leave as you always intended it to be!).

So who’s in?!  I started my first book on Sunday – Prophecy of Three: Book One of the Starseed Trilogy by Ashley McLeo (check her work out HERE) – and I’m nearly done with it.  It’s THAT good!

Grab the bingo board from Megan’s website, find a new possibly-favorite author and get reading!