Month: September 2014

Which Story Should Win This Week?

Vote5Whose story about the New World do you think deserves to win this week? There are so many good entries. We leave it up to you, IU readers, to choose which story should win the honor.

Remember, the winning entries will all be included in the next edition of the IU Flash Fiction Anthology.

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

Voting polls close Thursday at 5 PM Pacific time.

Which "New World" story do you think should win publication?

  • AL Kaplan (35%, 9 Votes)
  • Michael Seese (19%, 5 Votes)
  • Jon Jefferson (19%, 5 Votes)
  • NC (12%, 3 Votes)
  • Lois Nelsen Lewandowski (8%, 2 Votes)
  • MathoSka (8%, 2 Votes)
  • Lisa Williamson (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 26

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NOTE: Entrants whose submissions exceed the 250 word limit are eliminated from the poll. ONE VOTE PER PERSON, please. Duplicate votes will be deleted. The results displayed above are unofficial until verified by administration.

How I Went from Traditionally Published Author to Indie Author (With the Scars to Show for It)

eileen goudgeGuest Post
by Eileen Goudge

The term “traditionally published” took some getting used to when I first began hearing it. Back when my first novel, Garden of Lies, came out in 1986, there were two kinds of writers: published and unpublished. Those who were self-published didn’t count.

The digital revolution changed all that. In today’s world, not only is there no stigma to self-publishing, there’s valor in it. And money to be made. Statistics from two recent surveys on self-publishing show that indie authors dominate eBook bestseller lists by a whopping 54%. That’s more than all the traditionally published authors from the major houses combined! That said, I had to be dragged into the new reality even though my indicator lights were blinking, warning me I was in danger of being crushed by the old ways. My reluctance was understandable. Like an adult child living at home, I was spoiled. For my fifteen women’s fiction titles that were traditionally published, I’d had other people doing the work of bringing each book to the marketplace. I didn’t need to concern myself with pesky details such as editing, cover design, distribution, marketing strategy, and promotion. Continue reading “How I Went from Traditionally Published Author to Indie Author (With the Scars to Show for It)”

Wattpad Back to Writing Fest

Follow on WattpadLate last month, our Kathy Rowe wrote about how Wattpad had helped her get her writing back on track. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to check Wattpad out and get some good stuff up there for the world to see. Now you’re ready for our Wattpad Follow Fest.

This is how it works: If you are an author, publisher, publicist, literary agent, book reviewer, librarian (or especially a book-lover), etc., in the comments below, paste in the link for your Wattpad profile. Make sure you show some love to the profiles in the comments above yours, and check back throughout the day to catch up. To get your url, merely go to your profile and copy the link next to the BIG pink arrow at the top of the picture above (i.e. – http://www.wattpad.com/user/KSBrooks).

Click on the person’s link in the comments section below, and you will go to their profile. Then click Follow. (See photo above.)

This should be fun and should generate a lot of exposure for everyone who plays. Let’s get the party started!

Making a Splash at Book Festivals

Tucson Book FestivalI used to live in Tucson, Arizona, where they started a new Book Festival back in 2009. That first year, there were over 50,000 attendees, and by the third year that number had jumped to 100,000. Quite quickly, the Tucson Festival of Books was rated in the top 5 book festivals in the country. I attended every TFOB until I moved out of the area, and it was gratifying to see so many people excited about books and reading. But being used to smaller events in book stores and libraries, I quickly realized that a book festival of this magnitude was a completely different animal, and there was a lot to learn. Every year I did things a little differently, and every year I had a more successful time. Continue reading “Making a Splash at Book Festivals”