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.

Subtext

CigarOne of the questions we ask authors who participate in our book brief feature is: “Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?” The reason I ask that question is because I want to know what you want your readers thinking about when they have finished the book. I want to know if it is meant to prompt some kind of introspection or an examination of issues.

Some authors struggle with that question. Some will say the book is just intended as pure entertainment. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. I think Milton Berle said that. He may have stolen it from Freud. Continue reading “Subtext”

The Mean, the Bad, and the Ugly: Strategies for Dealing With Unfavorable Reviews

Fail-1Writers, being artsy types, require a certain level of emotional availability to render characters that seem real and relatable. That emotional availability can be difficult to turn on and off as we please or ought.

We invest a lot of ourselves into our books, and it can be hard to take when someone leaves a negative review. I know authors who fixate on a single one-star review out of fifty overwhelmingly positive reviews.

They over-analyze it, they dissect it, they obsess over it. Sometimes, it only takes that one dim little star to fill them with so much self-doubt and recrimination that they proclaim to the world that they give up. This is called a doubtburst. Okay, it’s not called a doubtburst. I just made that up, but I like it.

We’re supposed to draw from a deep emotional well so we can bring a tear to a reader’s eye when we write about the difficulties of being a sparkly werewolf, but we are supposed to be iron-skinned when a review calls our beloved sparkly werewolf stupid. That’s a tall order. But that’s real life. Writers need coping strategies for dealing with unfavorable reviews. Continue reading “The Mean, the Bad, and the Ugly: Strategies for Dealing With Unfavorable Reviews”

12 Secret Meanings of Beta Reader Lingo

dictionary-wideIt is said we find the truth we seek. That makes it very easy to look at feedback and see it as glowingly positive when the reader may actually be trying to tell us something else. Here are a few common phrases used by readers and what they might really mean:

1. The story was absorbing.
I used your book to clean up something I spilled.
2. It moved along very quickly.
I skipped over quite a bit of this drivel.
3. The writing was accessible.
The author’s vocabulary is very limited.
4. The plot dynamics were intricate.
It may be time to up the author’s medication.
5. The characters were instantly relatable.
We all know boring people.
6. The style was captivating.
You know, like a train wreck you can’t help but stare at.
7. The dialogue was gritty and real.
This author knows a lot of bad words.
8. It’s easy for the reader to become immersed.
Swallowed up by a whirlpool of convoluted sentences.
9. I wondered how everything would be wrapped up.
It should be wrapped up, set on fire, and stomped out with golf cleats.
10. The ending was very satisfying.
So relieved this is over.
11. It left me wanting more.
More plot, better dialogue, better characters…
12. I am looking forward to the author’s next book.
It has GOT to be better than this one.

NewsBites: Fresh and Hot!

NewsBitesGather ’round, my indies. Closer…closer… too close! It’s time to hear wondrous tales of fact and fancy and all sorts of what-not – the buzz, the 4-1-1, the low-down, the skinny.

We track down the truth, no matter how many mouse-clicks it takes to get to it.

Today’s NewsBites is brought to you by Wyer’s Cheese: Strong enough for a man, but made for a human.

First up, Indies Unlimited, Carol E. Wyer has a problem and needs your help. Her non-fiction book How Not to Murder Your Grumpy is a finalist for the People’s Book Prize Award and she’s been invited to attend the awards ceremony in London on May 28th when the winner will be announced.

When she got the email, she got over- excited and bought a new dress for the event and now has to justify the expenditure to her grumpy old man who has told her the book won’t win.

Please can you help prove him wrong and bring harmony to the household by voting for her book? You’ll find the bright yellow cover on the finalist page. You need to register to carol wyervote. (That only involves an email address and collecting a password from http://www.peoplesbookprize.com/how_vote.htm) Then, please assist an IU minion and vote for her book?

Voting is from 21st May to 27th May.

How about it? Can ya help a sistah out?.

Round two of the Author Earning Report is out and shows self-published authors are earning 27% more than traditionally published authors for ebooks published since 2011. Just looking at my sales, I have to say I am not at all sure I am holding up my end. Continue reading “NewsBites: Fresh and Hot!”