This is gonna be a thread. And it will probably vanish like every other thread I do about self-promo/actually PAYING authors.
Here we go.
Writers deserve to be PAID.
There's so much pressure to put free content out there. I get it, especially now when everyone is struggling. 1/?

HOWEVER--serious indie writers like me aren't just spewing crap onto pages and slapping a price tag on it.
We honor our craft by researching, revising, editing painstakingly (or hiring editors), and investing in cover/character art.
Sure, some don't care about quality. But--2/?

A lot of us do. We write because we are talented & skilled, because we've taken the time to WORK at our craft & to LEARN it. We are artists. We are makers. We provide a valuable service: escape from the crapfest that is real life especially right now. Our books provide hope. 3/?

Our books offer insight into other lives, other perspectives. They help readers process emotions and discover new things about themselves.
Authors spend hours pondering & crafting & polishing. We sacrifice our time on the altar of our art.
Sure, some might 4/?

choose to provide content for free now & then. That's totally valid. But there's a stigma to authors--especially indie/selfpubbed authors--asking readers to pay for the content they produce, and it's not right. Authors are shamed for self-promotion, ignored when they 5/?

finally start talking about their own work. Countless writers I know have followers who interact regularly and then disappear the minute an author holds up a new book or project and says, "Look everyone! I made this! Please support me!" Sure, we can't support everyone. And 6/?

Readers have the right to choose the media they consume. But when authors get so much support for a project in its early stages, they get their hopes up. They expect readers, reviews, and YES, dammit, some actual freaking money. And then the book releases.

Silence.

7/?

Maybe a handful of loyal friends support it. And that's it. I've seen so many authors deeply disheartened after a release that didn't go well, even after they invested tons of time in marketing, editing, cover art, etc. They did everything RIGHT.
We need a better way. 8/?

Maybe we're all writers talking to each other in a big writer bubble. Maybe indie/selfpubbed authors have yet to truly reach the readers out there. Maybe we are so desperate we offer free content, hoping people will eventually pay. They usually don't. Once a thing is free, 9/?

people want it to keep being free.
Look, I know the economy has tanked and everyone is suffering. Even traditionally published authors are feeling the sting as their debuts fall far short of hopes and expectations.
The answer is not to pressure people to offer free content. 10/?

It's not right to tell authors their work is priced too high WHEN IT'S THE PRICE OF A FREAKING STARBUCKS COFFEE or less!!! Seriously, people. DO BETTER. Go find an author you've supported for weeks/months with your words, & put a couple freaking dollars where your mouth is. 11/?

This thread is about several things I've seen lately. And it's also about me. I have over 17K followers, yet the percentage of people who actually support my work is tiny. I love those people. They have bought my books & actually read them.
What I don't love is hordes of 12/?

people who voice support and never do anything about it. I can't even count the number of times I've bought books from people on here. I read the sample on Amazon, & then I take a chance. I choose to support tangibly. And I am not rich--FAR FROM IT. My family struggles. 13/

We all have resources, and the freedom to choose where we put them. I'm just asking that before you throw out a bunch of tweets in support of others, you ask yourself, "Do I really believe in this person? Am I willing to show proof of that one day?"
Yeah, this was a rant. 14/?

Blessings on you if you lasted through the whole thing... probably only a couple people will read it. That's a whole other thing--the hellsite Twitter and its mission to boost inanity & subdue meaty, valuable content.
A rant for another day.

Peace.

GO BUY SOMEONE'S BOOK!