Author: Stephen Hise

Stephen Hise is the Evil Mastermind and founder of Indies Unlimited. Hise is an independent author and an avid supporter of the indie author movement. Learn more about Stephen at his website or his Amazon author page.

Book Blogger Spotlight: Big Al

Book bloggers provide a vital nexus between the reading public and the writers of books. The fortunes of an individual book can rise or fall on the recommendations of book bloggers. It was mommy bloggers who propelled E.L. James into stardom, highlighting their importance in facilitating the discoverability of books that could otherwise (and all too easily) remain obscure. The point is, they’re kind of a big deal and they deserve a little recognition. This week, we turn the spotlight on one of our faves – an all-around cool guy and tough customer, Big Al.

Big Al runs both Big Al’s Books and Pals and The Indie View. We are also proud to claim him as a feared and respected member of the Indies Unlimited staff. Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: Big Al”

The Total Idiot’s Guide to Stupidity for Dummies

You’re smart. Peers seek out your counsel. You are the boss’s go-to person for the most challenging projects. Your friends ask for your advice on every decision. How’s that working out for you?

You’re surrounded by incompetents and work for morons. Every project that comes along gets dumped on you because the supervisor knows you’re smart enough to figure it out. Down the hall, that bozo Johnson whiles his day away playing Worlds of Warthogs.

If you’ve always believed intelligence would get you somewhere in life, you’re right. It got you where you are – overworked, underpaid, and perpetually mobbed by people who refuse to think for themselves. Ready for a change?

In The Total Idiot’s Guide to Stupidity for Dummies, you’ll learn the hidden power of stupidity. That’s right. Look around and you will realize something. The top celebrities, politicians, and the barons of Wall Street are all dumb as a box of rocks.

When you tap into the power of your own inner stupidity, you’ll find advancement and prosperity no longer elude you. Your workload will decrease, your day will no longer be filled with petty annoyances.

Here is just a sample of the treasures you’ll get when you buy The Total Idiot’s Guide to Stupidity for Dummies:

The seven key words you can misuse to make people think you are stupid;

101 stupid ways to respond when the boss asks if there are any questions;

How to look vacuous when someone is explaining something;

Top tricks for tuning out vital instructions; AND

How to make wardrobe choices that lower other people’s expectations of you.

Learn why they say ignorance is bliss and start bumbling your way to success with The Total Idiot’s Guide to Stupidity for Dummies. Remember, even if you only have average intelligence, you’re still smarter than 50% of the people. Are you willing to take that chance?

As the Stigma Fades

Some people think indies stink. That’s a strange kind of bigotry in a culture that reveres artisan workmanship and reviles mass-produced cookie-cutter goods of every other sort.

Indies are innovative and original. We are the cutting edge. It’s the big publishing houses that produce the bland sameness: the one-size-fits-all content.

If you saw someone making jewelry that looked interesting, would you ask them if it was available at Wal-Mart then decide if it’s not good enough for Wal-Mart, it’s not good enough for you? Yet it seems to me that is just how some people regard indie books. If it’s not available on the shelves of Barnes & Noble (or whoever else is left in the brick and mortar book business) it must be because it’s no good. Continue reading “As the Stigma Fades”

Rising to the Challenge

Any author who is on the lookout for interesting opportunities has to be prepared for about anything. K.S. “Kat” Brooks is a veteran of the interview circuit. She’s been involved in every kind of interview situation there is and has done it long enough to see just about everything that can go wrong do so. She always manages to handle the situation with style and grace. Kat has been kind enough to share some of her experiences with IU readers before.

To offer a little context here, I think it’s necessary to explain that for Brooks to do an interview is a monumental task. First, she lives in [SECTION REDACTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT] pumas and escaped mental patients. So, she can’t just pick up her princess phone and make a call. Even doing an internet interview [SECTION REDACTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE WILDBLUE ADVOCACY COUNCIL] and the horse they rode in on.

She’s had to deal with lights that glared too brightly in her eyes for her to read her prepared notes, mics that didn’t work, bad signals, dropped calls. Once, while delivering some remarks on the influence of organized crime in mainstream publishing [SECTION REDACTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE FEDERAL WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM] in a hail of bullets. Fascinating story, right? Continue reading “Rising to the Challenge”