Since the rise of the hipster, trendy folks have fought hard to stay ahead of the mainstream. They strive to show off their knowledge of everything trendy by utilizing such statements as, "I knew them before they were popular" or "Their early stuff was so much better". For just as much time, these discussions have been mostly limited to musicians.
Of course, musicians come and go quite quickly. It seems almost every week there's a new indie musician made mainstream who thereby loses all credibility within the trend-setters now that they have gained recognition for their art.
The obscure artist is what the hep kids are looking for today and those who are far ahead of the crowd on what's cool have happened across an entire group of artists who linger in obscurity and, even if they were to ever become mainstream, would still never gain such household recognition as Polica, Bon Iver, or Vampire Weekend. Those artists are the Independent Author.
One thing hipsters find most appealing about artists of the word is that there seems to be a never ending streak of authors entering the marketplace never to see the true spotlight. And for those select few who do transition to the mainstream, a new phrase has hit the public consciousness, one that has been around for ages, but the hipsters have taken on like a new pair of skinny jeans, "The book was better."
Hipsters today have found a certain kinship with authors, as both groups love to consider themselves as unclassifiable within standard genres and completely unique. The bohemian lifestyle and ultimately unwashed appearance actually tend to make it difficult for outsiders to tell the difference between the two collectives.
Here, I present some of the most obscure, but brilliant artists, on the scene today, certain to give you a sense of pride when you show your series 1 kindle to your friends and state you got their e-autograph.
Ken Mooney:
His debut novel, Godhead, is like someone decided to take the popular Friends franchise and throw in the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. A beautiful mash-up of genres which manages to take demi-gods and make them personable, while also showing that they're willing to rock out when necessary.
Claire C. Riley:
One might be concerned with the impending season of trick-or-treat and the rise in popularity of monsters through shows like Walking Dead and True Blood, that someone like the queen of monsters might be too close to mainstream to hedge your entire hipster persona on. And you might be right. She's hot right now and shows no signs of stopping. Yet, the author of the vampiric Limerence series and the undead Odium saga securely places her within the ranks of the indie authors unwilling to conform to sparkling monsters or happy endings. In fact, when reading through her Odium series, you could be forgiven for thinking that this series is nothing more than the dragged out death of every single person in the books. As long as obscure authors like George R R Martin don't become mainstream, I'm pretty sure we can be safe in assuming that people who kill off beloved characters will never see the light of day.
Scott Butcher:
Talking birds and political fairies. Need I say more? An Eagle's Heart caused me to realize how the sudden appearance of bluejays in my yard was related to the disappearance of crows. Now that's obscure!
Angelika Rust:
A German author writing in English! That tidbit alone is sure to make you a blast at parties. And when you add in how her series, Ratpaths, is based on Italian culture, you'll quickly find this is nothing like what your mom and dad are reading. And definitely not what you're going to find those vapid Britney Spears wannabes poking their nose out of when sunning themselves on the beach. This is some purely out-there stuff which is certain to impress your friends. And don't even get me started on her humorous book about depression...
And this is just a start to the many names I can give you of wordsmiths you'll have a hard time finding on any bestsellers lists. That's not because their work doesn't warrant it, but simply because they have the foresight to stay obscure enough to cater to you, the hipster elite, who can't wait to have a new unknown name to drop at parties.
Go ahead, you know you want to...
Published by Adam Oster