In recent years, the internet has become filled with valuable and informative resources for indie and self-published authors. However, many of these websites charge fees for their services, insights and connections, which can add up to a burdensome price tag for authors with a low budget. Fortunately, one resource that is available, The Indie View, has not only been around for over a decade, but remains free to indie authors. This article will consider the history of The Indie View, show how authors can benefit from the site, and share details about its most recognized feature, which is a directory of book bloggers that will read and review indie authors’ books free of charge.
History of The Indie View
TheIndieView.com was first registered in May 28th, 2011, and the site was set up in 2010 by indie author Simon Royle. Within a few years, the site ownership and management was transferred to indie book blogger Al of the book review site Big Al’s Books and Pals. A predominant feature of The Indie View, a list of hundreds of book reviewers, has drawn a lot of attention from both self-published authors and book bloggers. The functionality of The Indie View hasn’t changed since its inception, and the design has also remained steady since 2012.
Top Features of The Indie View
New authors can benefit greatly from the Indie View. In addition to the directory of indie book reviewers, the site offers a few free marketing opportunities. The homepage features author interviews, referred to as “IndieViews”, along with interviews of book bloggers. These interviews are also shared with the thousands of followers on the The Indie View’s Facebook page. Other features of the site that aren’t given as much attention include a list of indie authors and a listing of reviews from various bloggers that are featured on the site.
The Indie Reviewers List
By far, the most useful feature of The Indie View is their list of hundreds of book bloggers. Reviewers on the list should be actively posting reviews, review ebooks, not charge for their reviews, not be affiliated with a publisher, and have submission guidelines in place for an indie author to submit an ebook. While the site does a decent job of keeping up with the list, authors may find some listings that don’t meet these criteria, including a number of reviewers that are no longer active. The handy list is searchable and sortable by genre, making it very easy for indie authors to use. Since the directory of book bloggers remains free and doesn’t even require signing up, it is superior in many ways to websites like NetGalley or Book Sirens.
Indies Today also features a free List of Book Reviewers, and we sort this directory by reviewers’ posting frequency, which saves authors a great deal of time and effort.
