Day: July 8, 2014

Why I Don’t Write Sequels or Series

stack-of-books
Image credit:
http://www.mycutegraphics.com/graphics/book/tall-stack-of-books.html

As an author, is there any better feeling that that of being on fire? I mean, of course, being inflamed with inspiration, with an idea, with a story. What’s better than that little *pop* as an idea flares to life, blue and orange and yellow, that little flicker that when shielded from the wind, when protected and encouraged begins to bite into the fuel of possibilities and grow, reaching ever upward, ever outward as the possibilities turn into inspired plot points and compelling characters? You know the feeling. But does it happen every time we sit down to write? Does it herald the beginning of every new project?

We wish. Continue reading “Why I Don’t Write Sequels or Series”

Are Indie Books Being Squeezed out of Book Promo Sites?

NoIndiesI was at dinner with a couple of friends recently and my buddy reached over and grabbed my wrist. He told me that his wife was using his credit card to pay for books on her Amazon account. She was buying books every day, and it was all my fault. After he released me, she leaned over and said she couldn’t leave the house in the morning without checking her daily emails from three different book promo sites. We laughed it off and he admitted that secretly he was glad because even though she was buying more books than she had when she was buying print books she was actually spending less money.

She’d found those book promotion sites from Facebook posts that I’d promoted. Now she purchases books almost every day and she’s very happy. She doesn’t care who publishes the book; she just wants to find a good read, and sites like Bookbub, Peoplereads, and The Fussy Librarian offer great books. It’s just that simple. I’m one of many who post links to these sites and others and it’s helped them build their lists of subscribers. Things are changing though. A colleague pointed out to me recently that a book promotion website that we’d utilized in the past, (not one of those listed above), posted in their guidelines that their main emphasis was now on promoting mainstream published books. And they said they intended to only promote a limited number of independently published books. That means the majority of books on their site are published traditionally. Continue reading “Are Indie Books Being Squeezed out of Book Promo Sites?”

Indies Unlimited Resource Pages

gradutation capHere at Indies Unlimited, we are constantly trying to identify the needs of authors at all levels of the publishing spectrum. In an effort to provide useful information in a sea of internet data, we’ve recently introduced some Author Resource Pages. Some of our new resource pages include:
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I’ve Written a Book, How Do I Publish It?
This resource page includes articles on the entire process from proofreading to how to find an editor to the anatomy of a copyright page, all the way to pushing the publish button. It’s a great resource for newbies and experienced authors alike.

 

Glossary for Authors
Sometimes it’s just not obvious what abbreviations mean, and sometimes it’s just a wee little bit embarrassing to have to ask what someone’s talking about. This glossary will help.

 

How to Spot a Scam
Scammers change their company names all the time. The best way to protect yourself is to know what to look for. This resource page will teach you what you need to know, so you don’t become a victim.

 

Reviews and Review Sites
As you hopefully know by now, IU does not review books. This handy resource page will help you figure out how to find the right reviewers for your book(s).

 

KnowledgeBase
This page contains all the useful IU articles arranged by tag. Know what you need? Just click on the subject which interests you and all the articles associated with it will magically appear. Yes, we did this just for you.

 

We’re adding new resource pages all the time. Please feel free to share these pages if you know someone in need, and please use the contact form if there’s a resource page subject you’d like us to research.

I Hate Strong Female Characters

Sabrina ZbasnikGuest Post
by S.E. Zbasnik

Like nonplussed and literally, the phrase “strong female character” has come to mean its antithesis. When people hear it, they picture a full fleshed out woman with her own wants and desires. What they get is a woman in a mini skirt and thigh high boots that occasionally punches people.

But, that strong female character cannot actually save the day. Her entire existence is for the main male hero. She may be spunky, and sassy, and is always met beating up some guys; but the second she teams up with MMH (main male hero) she abandons everything in her life to help him on his quest. She may even get captured and forget how to fight, allowing the MMH to do all the cool stuff while she waits around in a metal bikini. Continue reading “I Hate Strong Female Characters”