Month: July 2014

How to Spot a Scam

snakeWelcome to the cyberverse. There are plenty of hucksters, scammers, con artists, and assorted seedy characters looking for every opportunity to move some money from your pockets to theirs. Some writers have spent thousands of dollars following the path of promises, misrepresentations, and “expert” recommendations made by some very bad people. They’re out there. Learning how to recognize them is your best protection.

There are a couple of very good watchdog resources every author should know: Writer Beware and Preditors & Editors. Both these sites do an outstanding job of tracking the latest scams and bad behavior in the publishing industry.

Indies Unlimited is not a watchdog site. Part of the reason is that we know these shadowy scammers can (and do) easily change their names and open up under a new banner whenever they are outed. Trying to compile a list of suspicious actors becomes a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. But a leopard cannot change its spots. If you know what to look out for, the name of the beast doesn’t matter.

Here are some guidelines which will help you identify scammers, no matter their name: Continue reading “How to Spot a Scam”

The Paralysis of Perfectionism

diamond
Ahhh… perfection!

What I have to say here is going to be very unpopular with a few folks in the indie community. It will offend those who say, Don’t settle for less than the very best. Spend as much money as it takes for editing, cover design, formatting. Your book deserves your utmost effort.

In truth, the perfect is the enemy of the good. If you live in dread of a reviewer pointing out an errant comma, you will never hit the publish button.

I’m not suggesting that you should publish an unproofed first draft. What I am saying is that indies operate in a different and more dynamic publishing environment than traditional publishers. Continue reading “The Paralysis of Perfectionism”

Anthems for Authors – My Book

Wouldn’t it be kinda neat if, when someone asked you what your book was about, you could pick up a guitar and sing a song about it? Okay, maybe not. I’m not sure what The Beautiful South is doing here while performing My Book – what with those hats and all – and is that dude reading his lyrics out of the book? In any case, if you can get past the nagging sensation that you’ve heard this tune before (*ahem* Spooky by ARS), then you should be able to get a kick out of it.

Like Anthems for Authors? You can see more here.

Featured Book: Mazie Baby

Mazie BabyMazie Baby
by Julie Frayn
Genres: literary fiction, contemporary
Available at Amazon.

Mazie Reynolds’ husband used to adore her. Now he’d rather blacken her eyes. When he tires of her and turns his attentions to their daughter, Mazie hatches a plan to get them both out, now. But can she outwit the man she vowed to obey until death do they part?

Excerpt:

His breath was heavy and laboured, his chest rose and fell in fast rhythm with each inhale and bourbon-scented exhale. “Mazie.” His voice was gravelly. A hoarse whisper. “Baby.” She used to love it when he called her that. Mazie Baby. It spoke of his love for her, his desire to take care of her, protect her. Like a mother is supposed to keep a child safe from harm. It morphed into a taunt, like a schoolyard bully mocking a weak kid crying for his mommy. What’s the matter, baby? You gonna cry, baby? “Come on, baby. Untie me. You’ve made your point.” He smiled one of his fake smiles. “You know I love you, right?” How many times had he said that? After he hurt her. After the apologies that used to mean something but now rang as hollow and untrue as most every word he spewed.

What others are saying: “Her characters are raw and too real to ignore.” ~ Darcy, Amazon.com