Day: January 29, 2014

Your Author Platform: Building the Plane While Flying It

Karen DoddGuest Post
by Karen Dodd

From the perspective of a newly published indie author (the glow hasn’t quite worn off yet but I’m expecting to see it on my pillow, scowling back at me, sometime soon) I want to share with you the single most important activity to engage in before you publish your book. Okay, I should say the most important activity besides writing a great book.

Is it having beautiful graphics designed for your website and social media presence? No. Is it having fabulously flashy business cards or bookmarks? No. It’s in engaging with others long before your book goes live. Continue reading “Your Author Platform: Building the Plane While Flying It”

Flash Fiction Vote: Which Was Your Favorite?

vote countsSooooo many good entries in the flash fiction challenge this week: which one will come out on top? This is where you come in. Take a read; cast your vote. Which was your favorite?

Check out this week’s entries here. Make your choice, then use those share buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word.

Voting polls close Thursday at 5 PM Pacific time.

[NOTE FROM ADMIN: The poll software failed to close the poll at the proper time, allowing votes to be cast and registered past the time specified in the rules. As a result, additional votes were registered that should not have been counted.The contest information states the voting will close at 5 PM US Pacific Time. Therefore, the vote will revert to the totals at 5 PM US Pacific Time on January 30, 2014.  Entrant Brenda Perlin wins with a final count of 32 votes to 31 for MT Decker.]

NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll.

The Indies Unlimited Vetting Process

LabelRecently, we ran a post showing you How Indies Unlimited Works. We explained about our staff and our content, including the features we run which help authors promote their work. Book promotion is only a small portion of what we offer here on Indies Unlimited. We run only two paid feature spots per week. The rest of the book promo opportunities we offer are of the free variety: book briefs, announcements, or book video trailers.

We also offer some self-serve posts, wherein we invite authors to post links to their books in certain formats or venues. Books listed in those post threads are subject to a lower standard of vetting focused on whether the book genre is within those accepted on the site.

All books featured on Indies Unlimited, whether the promotion is free or paid, are run through a vetting process. This is why we ask that all queries, including those for paid advertising, include a link to the book authors want featured. We need to see how this book is presented – so we will know what our readers will encounter if they click through to the book’s purchase page. Continue reading “The Indies Unlimited Vetting Process”