For a long time I have been an advocate of the Indie author community, I still sadly see people dismissing Indie’s because of a perceived lack of quality control or that somehow the stories just won’t be as good. Indie authors, in fact more often that not, go to great lengths to ensure they put the best book out they can, it’s their living after all. Many authors employ professional editors, proofreaders, alpha and beta readers to ensure they get the best product out there for us. There are also many great storytellers out there who don’t have that capacity as it’s a costly process, the story is still amazing though and if you can get past a few typo’s, which to be fair you can find in any traditionally published book, you’ll be in for a treat!

If you’re looking for a new indie read or wanting to test the waters of indie publishing but don’t know where to start, check out this list of some of my favourite indie authors and their books!

Bethany Adams

If you’re in the mood for fantasy romance, with plenty of elves and amazing and beautiful world building then I highly recommend reading Bethany Adams’ Return of the Elves Series. I love her descriptive writing style and ability to utterly pull you in to the characters and their story. It’s hands down one of my favourite series and each book consistently gets 5* from me. Book 1 is Soulbound and if you’re a kindle reader it’s currently free on Amazon.

Lydia Sherrer

A great example of Cosy Mystery wrapped up in an urban fantasy world. If you enjoy witches, wizards, and snarky cats then give the Lily Singer Adventures a try. Again great characterisation and world building, with a monster of the week feel running alongside of the main story Arc in earlier books. These books have great interlude sections which always bring a different point of view and they’re always my favourite parts! The series is free to read as part of a kindle unlimited subscription here.

Martina McAtee

In very much a case of do judge a book by its cover, the Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things series is just as amazing inside as it is from the outside. It’s a YA paranormal romance, however, it is all very slow burn and never outside of what’s appropriate for the YA market. The series is also full of diversity and inclusivity with a strong LGBT story arc within it. This is also free to read as part of a Kindle Unlimited subscription which you can find here.

Victoria Kinnaird

Whilst Victoria Kinnaird has written several series all based within the LGBT community, this YA paranormal romance is the only series of hers that I have read, however I’m sure the others are equally as outstanding. This series is written in a coming of age style, very much exploring those first feelings and coming out, alongside of a strong paranormal urban fantasy element. Sadly these books are not currently available as the author is moving publisher, but keep your eyes peeled for when they do go on sale again!

Katie M John

Katie M John has sewn up the YA spectrum from end to end, she has several series out but my favourites are the Witchy Meadowsweet Chronicles, which do have a darker undertone and the upper YA series Bathory Academy. The thing that pulls me into her writing so much is that she writes how I speak, if that makes sense? The words are just so easy to read, with creative story lines underneath. The Bathory Academy books are due back on shelves in December with brand new covers and Witchcraft (the first in the Meadowsweet series) is perma-free for Kindle on Amazon.

C.M Owens

A few years ago I was a massive romance reader and Indie Authors were the go to for me. C.M Owens is a great introduction to indie romance, there is no genre she has left untouched but the contemporary Sterling Shore series is one of my favourites.  She is a great example of writing for market done well, there is plenty of steam but there are always great stories and characters underneath. The majority of her series have book 1 as perma free on amazon so it costs nothing to give her writing a try!

M.A. Phipps

The Project W.A.R trilogy is such a great YA dystopian trilogy, the first two are already available and they are one of the rare occasions where I will go back to a book and re-read and with book 3 coming out this year I wanted to be up to speed! M.A Phipps is brilliant at getting emotion across through the pages and has created some truly fantastic characters, I’m so excited to find out how things end! The first two books are currently free to read as part of a Kindle Unlimited subscription here.

Cameo Renae

I’m going to be honest and say that book 1 in the Afterlight Saga, ARV-3, was the book that was the deciding factor in my starting up a book blog. When I started I was under a different name focusing on mainly dystopia. The Afterlight Saga reads in a hugely cinematic way, kind of like Divergent meets the zombie apocalypse. It’s a YA series with some feels added in, it’s hugely fast paced and I couldn’t put it down! Book 1 is currently free to read as part of a Kindle Unlimited Subscription here.

Jo Michaels

Saving the best for last, Jo Michaels is never one to be constrained by a little thing like genre! There is honestly something for everyone in her writing. From Middle Grade books and books designed to get young people writing, through to designer drugs and serial killers! I get so much joy from her writing style which makes every book of hers such an easy read, even if the topics are sometimes hard. I highly recommend checking out her amazon author page and pick a world to escape into.

I hope that you consider giving one or even all of these authors a try, many of them have their books available for free within KU or around £1.99 for ebook. All of them defy the misconceptions about self published or hybrid published authors and create some amazing worlds and characters – Happy Reading!