Just back from an enjoyable visit to IndieReader.com, a lively Web site dedicated to showcasing independently published books and their authors. This curated collection features hand-picked, high-quality works of fiction and nonfiction. IndieReader.com was launched by Amy Edelman, the author of Manless in Montclair and a creative dynamo. The site is a fount of useful advice for both published and aspiring authors, especially anyone who’s thinking of traveling the independent publishing path.

If you are, then IndieReader.com is a great place to start. After scoping out the books featured, hit the “SELL“ category and look for “Guest Author.” There, you’ll find the inspiring story of Lisa Genova, who wrote Still Alice. In a nutshell, Lisa made every effort to go the traditional route. After numerous rejections from agents, she finally decided to take her book’s future into her own hands and self-published it — despite the gloom-and-doom warnings from naysayers who told her she was going to “kill” her writing career.

Lisa went into self-publishing with a mission: she wanted to use it as a nonconventional route to a book deal. To win that deal, she was determined to prove it had an audience. As she said so well: “I wanted to give my book a chance to wave its arms in the air and yell at the top of its lungs, to create a buzz loud enough for the literary agents and publishing houses to hear.”

To build that buzz, she launched her own self-designed marketing campaign and used the internet creatively and aggressively (check out her story for some great leads on author sites). Seven months in, she began to generate press and hired a pr firm. Ultimately, she landed a literary agent. The happy ending: Still Alice was sold at auction and became a NY Times best-seller. The takeaway for us all: believe in your book with all your heart and anything is possible. Bravo, Lisa!