Supporting small, independent publishers

My New Year's Resolution for 2024 is to spotlight the small and independent publishers who bring such diversity to readers, but on a tight, sometimes minimal budget. These are the publishers who relish original ideas, strong voices, and take risks on the type of books they accept.

But the industry is harsh. The Big 5 publishers have the money to push their books front and centre in your local chain bookshop - the books in the windows and on the tables when you walk in, often with discounts that would devastate a small press.

Smaller publishers rely more on their loyal band of supporters and readers to spread the word and tell people how great they are. And they really are, genuinely and absolutely, great.

Over the course of the next few months, I'll be spotlighting independent publishers on my Facebook page. Please check in, and follow the links. You never know what hidden gem you might discover. 

Here are some ways you can help small publishers and discover brilliant new authors...

• follow some of the publishers I feature
• share their posts yourself
• sign up to their newsletter
• if you want to buy a book, go straight to the publisher's website and see if they sell direct - they'll earn the most profit that way, good for them and the author
• review the books you read. Just one or two lines is all that's needed.
• tell your friends about it (and encourage them to buy their own copy rather than lend it to them!)
• I love paperbacks, but higher royalties are actually earned on ebooks because there are no printing and shipping costs, so despite what some people say, e-readers are awesome

Don't forget to follow my Facebook page to check out my spotlights!