And the Publishing Process Survey Says: Part 1

Big Al Fouled finalThis week I’m supposed to reveal the results of the survey we ran last month on the book production processes used by our readers. It was a lot of work, so I’m going to milk the survey for as many posts as I can. But we also have a theme for this month, focusing on “publishing fouls.” Guests and minions alike have been providing stories and hints on how to recognize and avoid being victimized by those in the publishing world who prey on eager neophyte authors.

I could tell the story of the book my mother self-published more than twenty years ago. At the time I was vaguely aware of vanity publishers, although I have no idea how. I was concerned someone would take advantage of her, but she’d done her research, knew the pitfalls, what her goals were, and made all the right decisions. Of course, the fact that my dad is so cheap (he’d claim the word is thrifty) and she was dependent on him to bankroll this, would mean any vanity publisher was going to be wasting their time with her. Continue reading “And the Publishing Process Survey Says: Part 1”

Global Internet Slowdown

constructionYou may have noticed a delay in loading the IU site, and sometimes you may get a failure message. Many major websites including iTunes, hosting providers, and networks are currently experiencing these types of delays and outages. These are a result of a global slowdown caused by DDoS attacks. According to the specialized site DigitalAttackMap.com, “A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources.”

Thankfully, the Indies Unlimited site has not been compromised, so there is no need to be concerned about that. We apologize for the inconvenience and we appreciate your patience.

FOULED! Part 2: Getting Your Editor to Edit

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedAuthors who have gotten sucked into a vanity press contract often get their first inkling of problems when they review their “edited” manuscript. It’s often riddled with errors – many of which have been introduced during the “editing” process. And if they complain, they’re pointed to a provision in their contract that states they need to pay extra for extra rounds of editing.

We talk a lot about Author Solutions because they’re a big outfit. But there is a whole host of other vanity publishers out there. I ran across this page of complaints about Tate Publishing while researching this post. And of course, there’s America Star Books, which used to be called PublishAmerica until criticism of their business practices got to be too loud. Continue reading “FOULED! Part 2: Getting Your Editor to Edit”

Thrifty Thursday: eBook Offers You Can’t Refuse

free eBook offers you cant refusePssst! Over here. I got some  super hot free and 99 cent eBook deals for you. Come on over to Thrifty Thursday and check ’em out!

Readers: look in the comment section below. If you see one you like, click over and buy it. How easy is that? (If you don’t see the book covers, adjust your browser’s adblock settings.)

Authors: if you have a book priced at 99¢ or less (that’s right, post your free eBooks here, too!), follow the instructions below and post it right in the comment section. Got more than one bargain book? Go ahead and post them all if you like, but only one book and ONE link per comment please!

We will convert your link to a clickable book cover. Do not attempt to insert an image in comments on your own. Just put the following information in the comment section:

1. Book title
2. Author name
3. A one sentence
blurb (~140 characters – longer descriptions will be deleted)
4. ONE link to download the book (only secure retail sites – Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, Kobo, Apple/iStore, or Sony)
5. Whether your book is free or 99 cents (and for how long/what dates)

Then let your friends and fans know your book is available here today. Use the share buttons below, or copy the link in the address bar above and share the news on your favorite social media platforms. The more, the merrier, right?

So let’s give it a try, shall we? Please make sure to follow the RULES above. Now, go ahead and tell the world about your cheap read. IU is a safe-for-work site. PLEASE do not post links to erotica, religious, or political titles.

[Note: if the book cover images below do not display properly, please check your AdBlock settings.]