Author Collectives (and Why all Authors Need One)

Writing is a lonely profession. I spent my first five years as a fledgling writer in isolation. I was an author island, typing away in my armchair day after day with no colleagues, no compatriots, no co-workers. You see, I'm not one of those fortunate people who's married her first reader. My husband is a lovely man. He'll do dishes and put kids to bed until the cows come home, but ask him to read a teen dystopian manuscript and he slowly dies a little each page. There is no one in my household that yearns to read my fiction. I have teacher-writer friends who started reading my work in the beginning, but I knew after a few pages it became tiresome for them. Later I was lucky enough to stumble on some online writer friends who were kind enough to give me feedback on my writing. Writing conferences garnered new friends here and there. It was amazing how exciting it was to talk to fellow authors, to share trade secrets and miseries, to give virtual pats on the back. Insert semicolon smiley face and hug icon here. 

This past year I started talking with some indie authors whose books sat beside mine on the Amazon shelves. I met some amazing people and quickly formed a bond. It was not much later when nine of us decided to pool our resources and form an author collective. I'd seen the Indelibles do it and thought it was brilliant. "You mean you guys work together, support each other and spread the love around? Sign me up." 

Today introduce you to Infinite Ink, my author collective. Please go to the website and poke around. There's a fantastic giveaway, a list of our books, our author bios and free books. These ladies write speculative fiction like me. They are fabulous people. You'll love them and their books. 

Any authors out there who are considering an author collective, I'd recommend it 110% percent. The camaraderie and support has been phenomenal. Not a day goes by that I don't receive valuable information, tips and help. When a bad review gets on of us down, we pump her back up. When a new promotion site pops up, we consult about its worth. We share blog posts, tweets, and jokes. I'm no longer an author island. I'm a guest at the best indie party in town. And the lampshades abound. 

The moral? Find a buddy, a writer friend, someone who's book you've seen on your Amazon shelves and reach out to them. I've found indie authors to be some of the most wonderful people on the internet. Your marketing efforts will be magnified and you'll feel more fulfilled. And if all else fails you'll have lots of couches around the country that you can crash at. 

So what about you? Anyone out there interested in author collectives? Sound off below. 

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