Day: January 26, 2016

Sizing Up Book Giveaway Programs

Author Bruce FottlerGuest Post
by Bruce Fottler

Part of an indie author’s quest to obtain reviews (and gain general exposure) will likely include book giveaways. But where do you find them and how do they compare? While I don’t profess to be an expert, I’d like to share my experiences from two (free) sites.

1.  Goodreads is the undisputed king of “social cataloging” sites, with over 40 million members worldwide. They sponsor a giveaway program limited to print books only. There’s no charge for this service, but all expenses associated with it (cost of books, postage, etc.) are your responsibility. I’ve run ten giveaways since 2013 (with one currently running) which offered two or three copies per giveaway. None of my giveaways were promoted and didn’t exceed thirty days in length. My shortest giveaway was ten days.

Results: Continue reading “Sizing Up Book Giveaway Programs”

Indie Reads – January 2016

Indies Unlimited does not review books, but we do have a couple of renowned reviewers on staff. We thought a great way to celebrate indie writing would be to ask those reviewers for their top indie picks of the month. Here are this month’s top picks from our experts:

mountains of mischief gordon a long 120x177Mountains of Mischief by Gordon A. Long

“…Long does an excellent job rounding out his secondary characters, and painting the pictures of the landscapes…”

Read the rest of the review by ?wazithinkin.

Mountains of Mischief is available through Amazon.com.

I came to find a girl by jaq hazell 120x177I Came to Find a Girl by Jaq Hazell

“The prose flowed. The dialogue was clipped and realistic. And the pages kept turning. The author owes me some sleep.”

Read the rest of the review by Pete Barber.

I Came to Find a Girl is available through Amazon.com.

The Reveal by Mike Markel 120x177The Reveal by Mike Markel

“I was kept guessing until the end… This one kept me up late, eager to find out whodunit.”

Read the rest of the review by BigAl.

The Reveal is available through Amazon.com.

Dies Irae BV Lawson 120x177Dies Irae by BV Lawson

“…there are some faint clues toward the climax…anyone clever enough to guess the killer is still in for a satisfying surprise.”

Read the rest of the review by Sam Waite.

Dies Irae is available on Amazon.com..

Mondo Bohemian by Quentin ParkerMondo Bohemiano by Quentin J. Parker

“It’s funny, witty, light-hearted, colourful and very memorable. … An enjoyable debut novel.”

Read the rest of the review by Cathy Speight.

Mondo Bohemiano is available through Amazon.com.

Tips for Realism in Writing

boring writing book-15584_960_720The mantra for writers these days is “Make it realistic.” After all, it won’t be long before we’re competing with three-dimensional, five-sense virtual reality. But we will never try to do that. It is impossible to give the reader everything, and you don’t want to. The trick to giving the reader a wonderful experience is to make the right choices in what we show.

Naturalism: the Ultimate Reality

There was a movement in the theatre world in the nineteenth century. The performers were trying new ways to make their performances as realistic as possible. One offshoot of this movement was the “naturalism” school. These people had the brilliant idea that the best way to show realistic theatre was to show reality. Actors woke up in the morning pretending to be their character. They went through their whole day as their character. By the time they reached the theatre, they were totally immersed in their role. This is now called “method acting,” and many performers use adapted versions today.

However, other theatrical geniuses tried to take the “reality” much farther. Someone actually had the idea of taking the side off an apartment building and placing seating there instead, so the audience could watch the tenants go about their daily lives. Can you imagine? Continue reading “Tips for Realism in Writing”