Support Independent Artists (It Matters More Than You Think)

I’ve talked plenty of times about supporting indie authors, but lately I’ve been thinking about how much bigger that conversation really is.

Because it’s not just authors.

Think about the band you caught playing at a bar last weekend.

The wrestler who was ridiculously excited because they finally got a twenty-second squash match on TV.

The actors performing in a local theater.

The artist sitting behind a table full of things they created at a craft fair.

The author whose book only has twelve reviews on Amazon.

They may be doing completely different things, but there’s a pretty good chance they have something in common.

There isn’t a giant team behind them making it happen.

There’s A Lot You Don’t See

When you see a band playing somewhere, you see the hour or two they’re onstage. You don’t necessarily see them loading their own equipment, driving hours to play for a small crowd, promoting the show themselves, selling merch afterward, packing everything back up, and getting home ridiculously late.

And a lot of them have regular jobs waiting for them the next morning.

When you see an independent wrestler get a tiny opportunity on TV, it might be twenty seconds to you. They walk into the ring, get absolutely destroyed by someone you’ve actually heard of, and it’s over.

But to them?

That twenty seconds might be HUGE.

You don’t see the years of training that came before it. The tiny shows. The travel. The injuries. The money they’ve spent just trying to get better. The matches in front of crowds so small they probably knew half the people there.

You just see twenty seconds.

They see someone finally giving them a chance.

And yes, obviously, I think about this a lot as an indie author too.

Indie Authors Do A Ridiculous Amount Of Shit

Before I started publishing, I don’t think I completely understood how much went into putting a book into the world.

You write the book.

Which seems like it should be the job.

It’s really just the beginning.

Then comes editing. And more editing. And probably another round of editing because apparently we enjoy suffering.

There’s formatting. Covers. Uploading files. Writing descriptions. Websites. Newsletters. Social media. Graphics. Review teams. Finding readers. Ordering physical books. Keeping track of everything. Fixing the thing that inevitably breaks five minutes after you thought you were finally finished.

And then you’re supposed to market the damn thing.

Oh, and while you’re doing all of that, everyone wants to know when the next book is coming. 😂

Some indie authors outsource parts of that process, and that’s great when we’re able to do it. But there usually isn’t some giant publishing department sitting behind us handling everything while we disappear into a cabin somewhere and write.

A lot of the time, it’s just us.

And we’re figuring it out as we go.

This Isn’t A “Please Buy My Books” Post

Obviously I’m never going to complain if you buy one of my books. 😂

But that’s really not the point.

Supporting independent artists doesn’t always require spending money.

That’s one of the things I wish more people understood.

If you discover a local band you like, follow them. Listen to their music. Share one of their songs. Tell somebody about them. Go see them again.

If you watch an indie wrestler who impresses you, remember their name. Follow them. Cheer for them. Share their stuff.

Go see community theater.

Share an artist’s work.

Tell somebody where you bought that cool thing they complimented.

And if you read an indie book?

Leave the damn review.

Seriously.

You don’t have to write an essay. You don’t have to analyze the symbolism in chapter seventeen. 😂

A couple of sentences saying what you liked can help.

Commenting on a post can help.

Sharing something can help.

Recommending a book to a friend can help.

A lot of those things cost absolutely nothing.

Small To You Doesn’t Always Mean Small To Them

I think that’s probably the biggest thing.

You might be one person in the crowd.

One stream.

One follow.

One review.

One person who bought a ticket.

One person who shared a post.

One person who ordered a book.

From your side, it probably doesn’t feel like much.

But when you’re an independent creator, sometimes you notice every single one.

You notice the person who keeps showing up.

You notice when someone shares your work without you asking.

You notice when a new review appears.

You notice when somebody recommends you.

You notice when someone says, Hey, I heard about you from so-and-so.

And sometimes that tiny bit of support comes on exactly the day when that artist was wondering whether any of this was worth it.

Trust me.

Those days happen.

Take A Chance On Someone You’ve Never Heard Of

There are incredibly talented people creating things everywhere who don’t have massive audiences behind them yet.

They’re playing tiny venues.

Performing on small stages.

Wrestling in front of a couple hundred people.

Selling art from folding tables.

Publishing books you’ve never seen sitting on a table at Target.

And they’re working their asses off.

Not because there’s some guarantee that one day they’ll become famous.

There isn’t.

Most independent artists are doing it because they love creating something enough to keep trying.

So the next time you come across someone creating something independently, give them a chance.

Listen to the song.

Watch the match.

See the show.

Read the book.

And if you love it, tell somebody.

Because you never know when something that feels incredibly small to you might mean everything to the person on the other side of it.

Support independent artists.

We’re out here doing a ridiculous amount of work, usually making shit up as we go, and hoping somebody somewhere connects with what we’ve created.

And every person who does makes it a little easier to keep going. 🖤

#YouAreNotAlone