Reading lists
Somewhere to start
Short, hand-picked lists of indie books: a first handful for each genre, and the moods readers ask for most. Five books at a time, refreshed as new ones arrive. Prefer the whole shelf? Browse by genre or by mood and trope.
5 creepy indie books for Halloween season
Haunted childhood homes, a hostel with something in the walls and a river that keeps what it takes. Five indie books for reading with the lights on.
5 books
5 indie fantasy books to start with
New to indie fantasy, or just new to our shelves? These five are a good first handful: a town where the roads can't be trusted, a grimoire with strings attached and a prophecy that goes badly wrong. Start anywhere.
5 books
5 indie thrillers to start with
A viral video, a corrupt city, a cruise nobody wanted to take. Five thrillers and mysteries to start with, from St Albans to Delhi.
5 books
5 indie romance books to start with
A fresh start in a Maine seaside village, a summer romance in the Georgia hills and a betrayal measured in dollars. Five romances to start with, from sweet to heartbreaking.
5 books
5 indie science fiction books to start with
A war academy's first real war, a world divided by locked doors and a clock in the attic that opens onto another century. Five science fiction starters.
5 books
5 slow-burn indie romances for a long weekend
A castle on Lake Como, a werewolf pack, a desert motel. Five slow burns worth clearing a weekend for.
5 books
5 indie books about found family
The family you choose: travelling companions, a princess and her guard, friends who carry you through. Five books about finding your people.
5 books
5 cozy and comforting indie reads
Low stakes, warm hearts, the reading equivalent of a blanket. Five comfort reads for slow evenings, a few dragons included.
5 books
5 enemies-to-lovers indie romances
They can't stand each other. Give it a hundred pages. Five enemies-to-lovers stories where the sparks are the point.
5 books
5 indie books you can finish in an evening
Short novels, novellas and collections you can start after dinner and finish before midnight.
5 books
5 indie young adult books to start with
Small-town mysteries, hidden realms and one very annoying transfer student. Five young adult books to start with, every one independently published.
5 books
5 indie romantasy books to fall into
Fae courts, tower mages and a dream world with excellent men in it. Five indie romantasy books where the magic and the romance carry equal weight.
5 books
5 indie literary fiction books to start with
A mother who walks into the Otherworld, a New York studio with one room you can't rent, a girl who sees feelings as colours. Five literary novels to start with.
5 books
5 indie historical fiction books to get lost in
Kyiv in 1043, revolutionary Moscow, wartime Finland and a river in 19th-century England. Five historical novels, some with a touch of magic.
5 books
5 indie dystopian books to start with
A city run on kindness, an app that knows your death date, a world after the fall. Five dystopian books about futures that went wrong.
5 books
The Little Star Who Forgot How to Shine
Children'sIndieFictionThe Little Moonbeam and the Lost Star
Children'sIndieFictionFree indie short stories you can read right now
Every one of these is free to read on IndieFiction right now, start to finish, no account needed.
28 free stories