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 Fountainhead of Creativity

While it is always wrong to make absolute declarations and sweeping generalizations, it is undeniable that there are three types of people in the world:

1. Those who are good at math, and

B. Those of us who aren’t.

The easy conclusion is that people who are good at math are organized, logical thinkers. This may be true—the old left-brain/right-brain thing. I can never remember which is which. That may mean I am the third of the two types. However, I think there is a reason the people who are not good at math tend to be the more creative types—artists, writers, thespians, short-order cooks.

The very simple and obvious explanation is that we had to think up reasons we did not have our math assignments ready to turn in. This forced us to turn on our creative juices to move beyond the old trope of “the dog ate it” to the more entertaining (if no more credible) mitigation of epic singularities such as alien abductions, evil twins, foul play, espionage, talking rabbits who are late for parties, and inter-dimensional portals opened by the magnificent correctness of a formula you calculated (which sadly resulted in its theft by miscreants from another galaxy). Continue reading “The Fountainhead of Creativity”

What Reviewers Want (Part 1)

[This is a golden oldie—it ran on Indies Unlimited back on October 8, 2011.]

In the movie, “What Women Want,” Mel Gibson’s character is able to read women’s minds after he suffers an electrocution event. Is there anything electrocution can’t do? It got me wondering, wouldn’t it be nice if authors knew what reviewers want?

Sadly, the cord from the hair dryer was too short to reach the tub, so I thought: why don’t I just ask them what they want? I e-mailed several book reviewers, asking if they would be willing to answer a few questions about what reviewers want to see from authors. Several of them just graded my e-mail and returned it with no stars. Nonetheless, a few very good reviewers were willing to take a chance, lift their restraining orders, and come out to play. Continue reading “What Reviewers Want (Part 1)”

The Future is Soon!

In an age where yesterday seems like it was only 24 hours ago, it is almost dizzying to realize that at this very moment, scientists are already working on the problems of tomorrow. Clearly they’ve given up on the problems of today. Undaunted by their failure to deliver on the promised Jetsons-style flying car, science now boldly moves beyond teaching monkeys to smoke and putting sleeves on blankets.

Digital technology has changed the way books are written, published, distributed, purchased, rated, and ignored. Thanks to science, it takes less time than ever before for an aspiring author to become disillusioned. The two things we know about people is that 1.) They do not like the way things are, and 2.) They hate change. This is why science stopped listening to people a long time ago.

Continue reading “The Future is Soon!”

So You’ve Decided to Become an Indie Author…

You’re one of those people with a vivid imagination and a way with words. Your friends all tell you you are smart or deep or articulate or funny or witty or creative. You spin stories and people love those stories. They have been telling you for years you should write a book, because they would definitely buy that book.

Maybe you have characters in your head whose stories are demanding to be told, who will not leave you alone until you sit down at a computer and let it flow. Maybe these characters in your head talk to you, and you talk back to them, and the medication doesn’t seem to be helping at all.

So, you’ve decided to become an indie author. Wise choice. Now you’re thinking about:

  • Fame
  • Wealth
  • Critical Acclaim

These are just three of the things that won’t be happening anytime soon. But don’t worry, all is not lost. I’m here with some helpful tips on how to survive on an indie author income of tens of dollars a year. You won’t have to do this for long, of course, because your big break is right around the corner. I can feel it. But, until then, this may be a big adjustment if you’re used to having things like spending money and electricity. Here are 7 suggestions that will help ease the transition: Continue reading “So You’ve Decided to Become an Indie Author…”