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.

The Difference Between a Writer and an Author

William Faulkner

Every once in a while, I see the question brought up in a Facebook discussion group, or posed even here on the blog. There are those who equate the word author with only the highest literary form. The word writer is reserved for the next echelon of those who sully the art for mere profit, writing populist tripe about sparkly vampires and little boys going off to some sorcerer’s academy. But at least these were published by a genuine traditional publishing house.

Then, I suppose, are we mere doodlers and scribblers—little better than chimps with keyboards, the indies. We are the “Cousin Eddie” of the entire tradition. No respectable publisher would have us. Why don’t we just die? Oh, the humanity. Continue reading “The Difference Between a Writer and an Author”

Storycraft 101

Make your readers an offer they can’t refuse.

We have covered a lot of the technical aspects of writing. All of those are important. You want your manuscript to be well-edited and as error-free as possible. You want a nice cover, because you never get a second chance to make a first impression. You need a nice cover blurb that will hook the reader and invite further exploration.

Problems in any of those areas can cause a reader to hate your book. Good storycraft is the one thing that can cause a reader to love your book in spite of problems in those other areas. You can actually see evidence of this in reviews. You do not see reviews that call the author’s sparse use of the semicolon and deft application of commas breathtaking. The cover might sell a book, but it is rarely the subject of a line in a review. A good book is nothing more than a good story well-told. That is storycraft.

I break storycraft into seven elements: Authenticity, Authority, Continuity, Character Growth, Foreshadowing, Pacing, and Resolution. Continue reading “Storycraft 101”

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

It's big and it's spectacular!

I’ve often wondered how people know in advance how long they want their novels to be. I see occasional posts on Facebook that read something like, “Only 10,074 more words till I reach the end of my WIP!!! SQUEE!!!”

How do people figure out in advance how long they want their books to be? My brain just does not work that way. Probably because some sort of math would be involved.

I’ve also read stories about a publisher sending a manuscript back to an author with a note directing the author to add 15,000 words. I can only suppose this is how we end up with books that contain long passages in which the author describes in exquisite detail the flocking on the wallpaper in a room. In the same position, I might be tempted to add “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” 1500 times. Continue reading “And Miles to Go Before I Sleep”

Suggestion Box

The universe of Indie authors is a diverse one. We at Indies Unlimited do our best to provide quality content and convenient site features to our ever-growing reader base. Sometimes we get praise for these efforts. Sometimes we get helpful suggestions. Some few times we get a little mean-spirited criticism.

I’m a big, tough Evil Mastermind, so the detractors can’t really raise a welt on me, but there are times when it seems to me that people do get frustrated when we fail to act immediately on the great idea they suggested lo, these many hours ago.

I can understand that people may not know what goes on backstage at this multi-megawatt nuclear-powered deathstar of a blog, so I thought I’d offer you a peek behind the curtain. Continue reading “Suggestion Box”