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 Oddville Press Goes Live

Last year, we ran a guest post from Lorraine Sears, Managing Editor of The Oddville Press.

Lorraine was facing the task of re-launching an eZine that had enjoyed 400,000 downloads in its first life.

She wanted to reach out to writers to make them aware of the opportunities presented by having work published in a well-crafted online publication.

Lorraine contacted me to let me know The Oddville Press is now live. She included a nice hat-tip to Indies Unlimited and thanked us for our assistance in connecting her with some talented writers:

“After our article was published on your site submissions went through the roof.”

OddvillePress_v2_i01In this edition, you’ll see a short story contribution from IU stalwart, Shaun McLaughlin. We encourage you to check it out.

Most of us have a few short stories lying around collecting dust. Maybe they just don’t fit in anywhere within the bodies of our existing work, or maybe we were saving them for an anthology that got put on the back burner. Publications like The Oddville Press present an interesting way to introduce yourself to new readers and to build your portfolio.

You can download your copy here. If you are interested in submitting a short story to the Oddville press, you can find submissions information here.

How to Develop an Elevator Pitch for Your Book

book descriptionWriting your book is isn’t the only part of being a writer, and it may not be the hardest part or the most important.Your unquestionable eloquence aside, it’s precious little good to write a fascinating book if you can’t get anyone interested enough to read the damn thing.

Did anyone ever come up to you and ask, “So, what is your book about?”

In response, you find yourself stumbling and stammering, “Oh. Well, it’s about this guy – it’s set some time in the future, you see. Anyway, he works at a glass-blowing factory in Manchester. He’s poor, you know, but his wife wants a fur coat. So anyway, he decides to raise chinchillas…”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh…” He/she looks over your shoulder and says something like, “Sounds interesting. Hey, there’s no one at the taco bar. Excuse me.” And off they scamper, spending the rest of the evening avoiding you.

What you need for such occasions is an elevator pitch. Continue reading “How to Develop an Elevator Pitch for Your Book”

NewsBites: Snarkalicious

NewsBitesGreetings, cybercitizens and all ships at sea. Gather ’round your computational devices. It is time once again for NewsBites, your leading source for stuff other people have already reported about.

With all the things going on, something is bound to happen. When it does, we’ll be there to tell you what someone said about it.

Chances are, it may be something of interest to YOU. If not, it may still be on the test, so keep reading… Continue reading “NewsBites: Snarkalicious”

IU Named Among Six Great Blogs for Indie Authors

6 Great BlogsWe are very pleased to share the news that Indies Unlimited has been named in Publishers Weekly to a list of six great blogs for indie authors.

The article, by Betty Kelly Sargent, features blogs with “… passion on the part of the creator, extensive knowledge of all aspects of self-publishing, consistency, and clean, clear, entertaining prose.”

The other blogs honored include some of our perennial faves: The Book Designer, The Passive Voice, Jane Friedman, The Creative Penn, and No Rules Just Write.

Of course, Indies Unlimited is more than just the fevered dream of a lone evil mastermind brought to fruition. We would not be what we are today except for the talent and dedication of my partner, award-winning novelist and photographer, K.S. “Kat” Brooks, and the able assistance of our associate editor, Laurie Boris.

No blog can accomplish anything without a lot of high-quality content. Our staff contributors have given Indies Unlimited the certain je ne sais quoi we enjoy. Guest contributors also provide valuable and informative content.

Most importantly, we want to thank YOU. Thank you for making the occasional donation, for sharing our links around the internet, for engaging, and for spending part of your valuable time with all of us. Without you, our readers, none of this could happen.

Be sure to check out the whole article at Publisher’s Weekly.