Marketing by Indie Authors: A Blogger’s Opinions by Ritesh Kala

Blogger/Reviewer Ritesh Kala
Blogger/Reviewer Ritesh Kala

I started blogging recently and posting my book reviews online. I have come in contact with lots of authors through a number of online websites and social networks. Through these interactions, I have seen authors trying everything they can to promote their books. While some of these things have appealed to me as a blogger as well as a reader, others have fallen short of really grabbing my attention, and there are still others which have left me seething in anger. The following is a list of what I find most successful to get my attention from my perspective. Continue reading “Marketing by Indie Authors: A Blogger’s Opinions by Ritesh Kala”

Sneak Peek: Richard Hale’s “Near Death”

Today, we get a sneak peek of author Richard C. Hale’s thriller, Near Death:

For Jake Townsend, the loss was shattering. And every night for the past two years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The moonless night. The piercing screams. The horrific crash. The night his wife was taken from him. The last time he saw her alive.

Everyone tells him to move on. But for Jake, there can be no closure. A message appears in his dreams—a warning he is reluctant to heed.

The omens ignored, Jake finds himself caught between the desire to see his beloved wife again and disrupting the delicate balance of life and death. The technology he developed has shown him the path, and others will do anything to use it, but at what price?

He must choose, and the consequences may ultimately shatter his world.

Near Death is available from Amazon. Learn more about Richard C. Hale and his writing from his blog. Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Richard Hale’s “Near Death””

To KDP or Not to KDP – by Valerie Douglas

Author Valerie Douglas

To KDP or not to KDP, that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to deny or accept the corporate monster… And there are some who do believe Amazon is a corporate monster. Certainly the Big Six (or five) publishers aren’t too happy with them right now. But I’ve lived long enough to know that change is the only constant. There was a day not too long ago when they were predicting that Amazon would never work and the Big Six were the only way to get published.

What many people don’t see is that there is competition. Barnes & Noble is pushing into the e-reader and e-book fray, although still in small numbers. In the UK an ex-exec with Waterstones is developing an e-reader over there, Kobo has just been purchased by Rakutan, the Amazon.com of Japan and sooner or later the traditional publishers are going to realize it’s change or die. Continue reading “To KDP or Not to KDP – by Valerie Douglas”

IU Writing Contest – The Undiscovered Country

Photo by K.S. Brooks

The entry period for this contest is now closed. Voting for favorite entry is open from now until 5 pm mountain time on Thursday January 5, 2012. The recipient with the most votes wins a feature post and publication at year end.

The coming new year is like an unexplored alien landscape. We stand now looking at this vision of a new place that promises adventure. This wonderful landscape photo by K.S. Brooks depicts a beautiful but forbidding world.

Is this scene from long ago, from a distant future, from here, from a distant planet? In 250 words or less, tell me a story about the exploration or quest you and/or your party must undertake across this frozen plain.

Use the comment section below to submit your entry. Entries will be accepted until 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012.

On Wednesday morning, we will open voting to the public with an online poll for the best writing entry accompanying the photo. Voting will be open until 5:00 PM Thursday.

On Friday morning, the winner will be recognized as we post the winning entry along with the picture as a feature. Best of luck to you all in your voyage into the undiscovered country – both that depicted above and toward the wonders of a new year.

*     *     *     *     *

Photograph by K.S. Brooks, used here with the photographer’s permission. Copying or reproduction of any kind without express consent is prohibited. All rights reserved.

For a more detailed explanation of the contest & its workings, please see the post called Writing Exercises Return with a Twist” from 12/24/11.

By participating in this exercise the contestants agree to the rules of the contest and waive any and all further considerations or permissions otherwise required for any winning entries to be published by Indies Unlimited as an e-book, showcasing all the photos and with the winning expositions credited appropriately and accordingly.

[subscribe2]