You Asked For It–Building Your Platform

In my last post I talked about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and into a visible venue, someplace where your readers can see and meet you. There are so many different events where you, a published author, are seen as a rarity and even a bit of a celebrity. Here at Indies Unlimited many of us are published authors, and it is easy to forget how impressive this is to non-writers. Remind yourself every day that you have done something many people just dream about. Then, find those local events where you can strut your stuff.

Anyone who asks me about Pinterest will quickly realize that I am smitten. It is a brilliant concept based on the idea that one of the three founders is a prodigious collector. Pinning to your boards is like collecting in a virtual sense. I did research for this post in order to back-up my Pinterest obsession with solid facts and statistics so that you can understand why I spend any time on the site. I believe that time spent on Pinterest is an investment, and another creative way to build my marketing platform by branching out beyond the Facebook and LinkedIn groups I belong to.

Pinterest is now the third largest social media site behind Facebook and Twitter. It is, reportedly, 65% women and 35% men. This is a huge shift from January 2012 when it was over 90% women. I’ve found different numbers as to how many millions of pinners there are. Suffice it to say there are millions. And many of them are avid readers. Continue reading “You Asked For It–Building Your Platform”

Featured Author: Marjorie Swift Doering

Dear Crossing
by Marjorie Swift Doering

Ray Schiller’s personal demons are sucking him down like quicksand, but when the wife of a prominent Minneapolis businessman is the victim of a grisly murder in the couple’s lakeside summer home, Ray follows the trail of evidence to the Twin Cities where he joins forces with homicide detective Dick Waverly. With his own marriage on the verge of disintegration, Ray works to uncover the widower’s carefully guarded personal life. The executive’s plan to take over his father-in-law’s corporation depends on preventing Ray from succeeding.

As the tangled web of secrets and lies begins to unravel, the case is turned on its head as ambition, power, love and hate result in lethal consequences. When an unthinkable incident makes Ray the subject of a harrowing Internal Affairs investigation, he soon learns the “devil” is in the details.

Dear Crossing is available from Amazon. Continue reading “Featured Author: Marjorie Swift Doering”

Happy Birthday Indies Unlimited

Waaaaay back in October of 2011 Indies Unlimited was no more than a twinkle in the eye of a certain Stephen Hise, fondly (or not) referred to by us, his minions – er, I mean, members and staff, as EM or Evil Mastermind. That moniker has proven to be apt as you will see. Continue reading “Happy Birthday Indies Unlimited”