One Reader’s Voice Out Loud With Stuart

Our readers are the foundation of what makes indieBRAG unique.  They not only select the books to become the next B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree but give feedback to our authors. This feedback is important not only to the authors but to the reader as well. Readers carry a lot of weight in what we regard as quality in self-publishing. Not only that but how readers see author’s platforms and performance on social media. Today Stuart shares with us a little about his reading habits, reviewing books, how he finds books, and much more. Thank you, Stuart for sharing with us today. indieBRAG: How do you find books and what do you think of social media and books? Via a variety of routes. As a bibliophile, I have a tendency to buy more books than I have time to read, so my shelves currently hold around 120 volumes I have yet to read. Also, I review on my website, so I’m often approached by authors, their agents, or their publishers, to read/review books. I’m as selective with these as with any other: sometimes books offered leave a lot to be desired!  I use Goodreads, and recommendations come via that site. Sometimes another…

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How Barnes & Noble Helps Indie Authors Find a Spot on Their Shelves

By Award Winning Author Victoria L. Thurman (author of The Dating Dilemmas of Delilah Dunnfield) I wasn’t aware that Barnes and Noble hosts an author signing class, as maybe you weren’t either. (Please be advised I am not exactly sure if that is the exact name). I received a text from my friend, whose friend posted it on Facebook. The text was a photo of a sign in the local Barnes and Noble advertising an author class—how to get your indie book on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. (NOTE: I could not find it listed on their events website at all. Call your local B&N to find out when your class is. They have one once a quarter.) As I had given up after a couple of years trying to figure it out, I jumped out of my chair at work and squealed. I didn’t want to take any chances on the class filling up (in my mind it was already packed to the hilt with eager indie authors and they would turn me away) and even though I am poor as a church mouse at this moment in time, I saw myself using my last credit card with…

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