Month: June 2013

Flash Fiction Challenge Voting

I can’t believe you remembered THIS and forgot to vote in the flash fiction contest.

It’s Wednesday, and that means Indies Unlimited readers get to choose the next Flash Fiction Star. Let’s take a look at some of those puppies.

Remember, all our winners will be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology. So, support your fellow writers and participate in this week’s voting, then spread the word, bang the drums, and share the link to let everyone know the vote is on.

Polls will close tomorrow at 5 PM, so act quickly, while supplies last!

We had a number of great submissions this week. Kudos to all the entrants. Check out this week’s entries here. Vote for your fave then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

 

Which author do you choose as this week's flash fiction star?

  • Dick Waters (36%, 24 Votes)
  • Marjorie McCoy (21%, 14 Votes)
  • Laurie Boris (11%, 7 Votes)
  • Jon Jefferson (11%, 7 Votes)
  • Jacqueline Hopkins (9%, 6 Votes)
  • Rich Meyer (6%, 4 Votes)
  • Faye Hollidaye (3%, 2 Votes)
  • Morgen Bailey (2%, 1 Votes)
  • Per Holbo (2%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 66

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceeded the 250 word limit were eliminated from the poll.

Does This Book Have a Sell-By Date?

do-books-have-expiration-dates-copyright-ks-brooksThe other day an indie author asked for my opinion with this series of questions: “How long is it reasonable for an indie author to keep marketing the same title and expect results? Is there an expiration time for titles in general… even trad published ones? What’s the data?”

As often happens, my first inclination was to respond, of course not, don’t be silly. As Konrath points out, an eBook is forever. There are millions, billions, or trillions of people in the world (I’m not going to look it up, but it’s a bunch, and this is the only data I’m going to provide.) No matter how many copies of a book have been sold, it is only to a miniscule portion of your target audience. Even if we exclude those who don’t or can’t read, don’t understand English, or are readers who never touch your genre, by the time an author runs out of potential customers they’ll have made enough to buy Mitt Romney or maybe even Bill Gates several times over. Continue reading “Does This Book Have a Sell-By Date?”

Sneak Peek: Kings of the World

Today we have a sneak peek from the the young adult science fiction comedy by author Matt J. Pike, Kings of the World.

The galaxy is on the brink of war and only four dysfunctional, hormone-driven teenagers from Earth stand in its way. God help us all.

It didn’t take Cooper long to come to the conclusion that space sucks. It seems everyone there despises humans, everything’s too far away and the travel makes you heave. Worse still, Cooper’s stuck there with his best mate and two former classmates who want to beat the crap out of him.

And people, well, alien people are trying to kill them. Can Cooper and his inept sidekicks save the galaxy? Or are we all doomed?

Kings of the World is available through Amazon.com, Smashwords,  and Amazon UK.
Part of the proceeds from each sale go to finding a cure for Rett Syndrome.

Here is an excerpt from Kings of the World… Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Kings of the World”

Fun with Cliches

A bushel and a peck go hand in hand
To a rock star’s concert, his biggest fans.
They have no clue to his true identity;
His gilt on the edge is a harbored fantasy.

The best thing since sliced bread? Oh, what a joke!
They want a great show and all he wants is a smoke.
From his world on the stage, along his nose he looks down,
Counting seconds ’til departure from this one-horse town.

Grey at the temples but dressed to kill,
He hides the fact well that he is over the hill
By singing his heart out at the top of his lungs
And doing everything short of speaking in tongues.

For sixty long minutes he pays his dues
Then packs up his wares and makes an excuse.
In the nick of time, he leaves them wanting more
And makes a beeline and beats it straight to the door.

Though stalked by paparazzi, he has to confess
He should have flashed in the pan: no more, no less.
With his back to the wall, he would have to be frank,
So he slips through their fingers and laughs his way to the bank.

He doesn’t give a damn and won’t speak a word.
He’s as sick as a dog yet free as a bird.
He may be out of the woods but he’s never safe;
The fans’ object of desire is a colossal fake.

His no-strings-attached manner made all of them swoon
But if they knew the truth, they’d have changed their tune.
He drives the point home where he lives with his mother
And pills block the beat of a deathly shy drummer.