New Indie Books Outlet - Grub Street Reads

 

 

Two women have decided to embrace the wonderful world of Indie Publishing and came up with the brand name of Grub Street Reads which you can check out more information at

www.GrubStreetReads.com

 

Can Two Girls Change The Way You Choose Your Next Book?

By Jessica Bennett

 As one of the two girls mentioned in the title, I hope the answer is ‘yes’. But more on that in a moment. First, let’s talk about a few small changes you – savvy reader – have probably noticed in the book world over the last couple of years. For instance, you may have noticed that the whole pages/ink/cover/physical mass trend is so yesterday. Today, many of you probably read some or the majority of your books on a Kindle, Nook, iPad or even on your phone.

 Another trend is that ebook prices are falling faster than the Queen of England when she decides to go sky diving. No longer do readers have to shell out $24.99 for a hardback or $12.99 for a paperback. Amazon and Barnes & Noble are practically bursting with ebooks for $4.99, $2.99, $0.99 or even books for free.

Getting books for almost nothing and/or free…hmmmm, there couldn’t possibly be a catch, right?

Sorry to disappoint, but there’s always a catch. Many of those cheap new books are self-published, which means quality is always a question.

Online publishers have made it exceedingly easy for authors to self- publish their novels (trust me, I’m a self-published author). Many choose to price their books low, which is a good thing for your wallet. Unfortunately, when anyone can publish their book, anyone can publish their book.

That means your mechanic can finally release his 500-page ninja space opera into the world, and your Uncle Barry can self-publish his coming-of-age story of a young, dyslexic sea crab that tries to pursue an impossible relationship with a particularly attractive coral reef.

 You love your Uncle Barry (who doesn’t), but geez. A dyslexic sea crab? You might be able to get through it because Uncle Berry once changed your diapers, but what about all the other people in the world who shell out $2.99 for his underwater masterpiece?

 Here’s the sitch: there are a ton of great indie books on the market (I’ve read a lot of them), written by talented authors who are consummate professionals despite the lack of a big publisher’s stamp of approval. However, there are also a lot of what I like to call “hobbyist” writers. These guys are great in their own way. They’re passionate. They want to write. They should…just not for the masses in most cases.

So how do you choose your next book? There are a lot of “Uncle Barrys” on the market, luring you in with low-priced ebooks, enticing covers and good reviews on Amazon posted by sympathetic family members and friends.

 It may be easy to just swear off indie novels altogether, but then you might be missing out on some of the best new authors in the biz (and great savings, since most traditional publishers still price their books in the $9.99 - $24.99 range). All you have to do is figure out how to distinguish the good from the bad and the ugly.

 So, let me and my business partner, Leslie Ramey, help. We are like you, voracious and passionate readers who want to support the indie book movement and find great new books that can sweep us away. That’s why we created Grub Street Reads, a funky little company that is seeking to establish the quality standard in the indie book market. Our premise is simple. We believe that there are certain core storytelling components that are shared by all good books regardless of genre or any specific plot points. These are things like well-developed characters, a consistent plot, strong pacing, and few (if any) grammar mistakes.

 Those books that pass our evaluation standard receive our endorsement in the form of a seal they can put on their book’s cover. We also include them in our endorsed book library, a convenient location where readers like you can find great indie books. We offer books in almost every genre of fiction, and our library grows every week as more and more authors submit their books for our evaluation.

 The changes occurring in the book world may feel abrupt and even a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve been burned in the past by indie books that turned out to be not only low-cost, but also low-quality. Have faith. Stop by the Grub Street Reads Endorsed Book Library to find great indie books that have each passed our careful evaluation. No guesswork. No coming-of-age sea crab stories. Sorry Uncle Barry.

 What do you think of the concept of Grub Street Reads? Have you ever been burned by a bad indie book? Do you think the indie book world could use standards? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.