In case you’re not aware, Amazon’s Author Central is a FREE service. If you missed our very first tutorial on setting it up, see that HERE. If you haven’t already, read it. Do it. Then come right back here and I’ll show you how to merge your books. I heard that grumble. Yes, you need to merge your books. Here’s why. Continue reading “How to Link Book Editions on Amazon’s Author Central”
Author: K.S. Brooks
K.S. Brooks is an award-winning novelist, photographer, and photo-journalist, author of over 30 titles, and executive director and administrator of Indies Unlimited. Brooks is currently a photo-journalist and chief copy editor for two NE Washington newspapers. She teaches self-publishing and writing topics for the Community Colleges of Spokane, and served on the Indie Author Day advisory board. For more about K.S. Brooks, visit her website and her Amazon author page.
The Case for Legible Titles: Book Covers in Thumbnail
As you are aware, the most common issue we see with books during the vetting process is an unclear or confusing book description. The second most common issue: unreadable titles on book covers in thumbnail size.
Who cares? Right? It’s just a tiny book cover. No one expects to read it in that size.
Um, wrong.
Just last week, our Lynne Cantwell wrote about the Marketing Rule of 7 – that it takes at least seven instances of someone seeing your book before they actually purchase it. Well – what if those seven instances are in thumbnail size? Do you think they will remember to purchase a book when they can’t read the title? Moreover, will they even notice it to begin with? Probably not. Don’t waste a chance to get in front of someone and make an impression.
Here at Indies Unlimited, thumbnails are generally 120×177 pixels, which on my laptop ends up being around 1.75 inches high by just under 1.25 wide. There is no specific industry standard for thumbnails, (on WordPress it’s 150×150) and the size varies from site to site. Then, add to it people viewing sites on their tablets and cell phones – and you can end up with some mighty small thumbnails. Can you read your title under those circumstances? You may want to check. Continue reading “The Case for Legible Titles: Book Covers in Thumbnail”
How to be a Good Guest Poster from a Site Admin Who Kind of Cares
Here at Indies Unlimited, we literally get dozens of emails each week from people trying to “trick” us into running their guest posts to advertise products, publish links to their sites, and more. Clearly, those articles would do nothing for our readers, so, those emails are deleted. We love the delete button.
The best guest posts are a mixture of educational and entertaining. For this site, they should include tips to help authors improve their writing, sales, book publishing procedures, or other aspects of their career. This can be done through recounting personal experiences, providing a tutorial, and more. That’s what readers want.
But what do site admins want when you contact them in hopes of writing a guest post? Yes, that’s right. Site admins have feelings, too. Alas, who cares, really? Well, Ben Steele cares, and he has some great advice on how to pitch a guest post here. Ben’s guidance is polite and sensible. Today, we’re going to hop on the snark bus and go for a ride down Guest Post Lane. Continue reading “How to be a Good Guest Poster from a Site Admin Who Kind of Cares”
New Resource Page for Authors Whose Publishers Close Doors
Authors who have never self-published can be at a loss for what to do with their works if their publisher closes its doors. But, never fear! Indies Unlimited is here to guide you through what do to if that happens to you. (Man, that’s a lot of dope rhyming, isn’t it?)
There are a lot of other “publishers” and “service providers” who are offering “packages” to authors whose publishers have closed their doors. Don’t be surprised if you receive an email that goes something like, “Dear Author, we noticed that [Insert Publisher Name] is no longer in business, and we’d love to provide you with our services to get you back in print…” It’s like they have a list of authors published by those houses, and are contacting them all in hopes of making money off them, isn’t it?
Well, don’t do it. Don’t spend a penny on it. Remember, when it comes to publishers: if you have to pay, run away. Publishers are supposed to make their money from readers, not writers. Learn how to spot a scam here. Continue reading “New Resource Page for Authors Whose Publishers Close Doors”