Month: February 2016

Goodreads Giveaway Tutorial Update 2016

goodreads logoIf you’ve been avoiding Goodreads giveaways, you might be missing out on one of the best opportunities to reach new readers. I hear the arguments about why more authors are taking a pass, though. Books are expensive. Postage is expensive. Fewer winners are reviewing. And everyone wants something for nothing, right?

Well…yes. But I’m still a fan, for several reasons. If I have a new book coming out, a giveaway can help generate interest. In 2011, almost nine hundred Goodreads members signed up to receive one of eight ARCs (advanced reader copies) of my first published book, The Joke’s on Me. That’s nine hundred readers who hadn’t known about me or my work prior to the event. This boiled down to eighty-some readers who decided to add me to their “to-read” shelf. Okay, not great, but not too shabby for a completely unknown author. And of my eight winners, six gave me a written review or a rating. (Giveaway winners are encouraged, but not required, to reciprocate with reviews.) Continue reading “Goodreads Giveaway Tutorial Update 2016”

What Does the Perfect Literary Hero Look Like?

freelancer Stephanie NormanGuest Post
by Stephanie Norman

If you ask a sentimental woman who the perfect hero in fiction is, you’ll instantly hear the name Mr. Darcy. Most men, on the other hand, would choose Tyler Durden as the character who gets close to the perfect hero. These are two extreme choices, but they have something in common: they are imperfect. Mr. Darcy is really proud; he is a character who would annoy most women in reality. Durden is far from perfect, too. He is mysterious and weird, but incredibly charismatic at the same time.

There is only one conclusion we can draw when analyzing the most notable heroes from literary fiction: they are not a reflection of our idea of the ideal human being. Keeping that in mind, here are some important hints that tell you what readers want in their “perfect” fictional hero: Continue reading “What Does the Perfect Literary Hero Look Like?”

The Sun Magazine Is Accepting Submissions

the sun magazineThe Sun Magazine publishes essays, interviews, fiction, and poetry. They tend to favor personal writing, but are also looking for provocative pieces on political and cultural issues. They rarely run anything longer than seven thousand words; there’s no minimum length.
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Deadline: None stated.

Entry fee: None noted.

Payment: $300 to $2,500 for nonfiction, from $300 to $1,500 for fiction, from $100 to $250 for poetry, and from $1,000 to $2,000 for interviews. Contributors also receive a complimentary one-year subscription to The Sun.

For more information, please visit their website.

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Indies Unlimited is pleased to provide this contest/submissions information for the convenience of our readers.  We do not, however, endorse this or any contest/competition.  Entrants should always research a competition prior to entering.

Using Memories to Shape Our Characters

characters writing authors chalkboard-620316_960_720Most of us know that memory can be a slippery, elusive thing. Ask any small group to describe the same incident and each one will recall it differently.

Many of you may be familiar with a common game played during training sessions in the workplace. The first person in the circle is given a scenario and told to whisper it word for word to the person next to them. Each person then passes it on to the next. The last one repeats it aloud. When it is compared to the original it inevitably differs, often in many ways, in spite of the instruction to repeat it word for word. Continue reading “Using Memories to Shape Our Characters”