Author: L. A. Lewandowski

Lois Lewandowski graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Political Science and French Literature. A passion for life lived well is reflected in her novels, Born to Die-The Montauk Murders, A Gourmet Demise, and My Gentleman Vampire, giving readers a glimpse into the world of the beau monde. Lois lives in Tampa, Florida. Learn more at her lifestyle blog, and her Amazon author page.

You’re Going Viral

Hundreds gather to protest global warming.

How times change. What would have been a pointed insult  in the not so distant past, is now a reason to cheer. Did your photograph, quote, video or blog post go viral? The social media world will not quarantine or blackball you. Rather, your success will brand you a marketing genius and the world will follow your every step. Pimm Fox will interview you on Taking Stock.

Why do you want to go viral? Because. If you wish to create your masterpiece in obscurity and never feel the rush of adrenaline as you walk into a room and realize that the people are there to see you, then stop reading this post. It is perfectly fine not to care about interacting with others, be they your niche readers, local book clubs, or other literary/social venues. But if you do care, and want to use the power of the Internet to create a viral phenomenon, then read on. Continue reading “You’re Going Viral”

Kickstart Your Indie Project

Spunky rests after a hard day

Let’s be honest. It would be wonderful to climb the stairs to our private tower, a writing oasis, carrying a cup of coffee and nary a financial concern. Oh, the blissful euphoria, to have our creativity flowing freely, unimpeded by the worry of small things like the electric bill. We could travel extensively, immerse ourselves in foreign culture and inspire our masterpiece. We could be like Spunky the cat, who has had a fabulous benefactor her entire life allowing her to work on her favorite project–herself. Proper grooming and self-absorption have been, in this feline’s case, taken to a lofty level.

To have a patron who writes the checks and funds our creative vision should be a benefit available to all dedicated artists. Unfortunately, the funds to support art and artistic endeavors are the first line item cut by the bean counters. Without the joy of visual art, music, dance and literature we would certainly live a black and white existence. There is hope, my friends. From a small office in Brooklyn the idea of crowd funding was realized in a brilliant platform called Kickstarter. You can read about Kickstarter basics here. Continue reading “Kickstart Your Indie Project”

You Asked For It–Building Your Platform

In my last post I talked about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and into a visible venue, someplace where your readers can see and meet you. There are so many different events where you, a published author, are seen as a rarity and even a bit of a celebrity. Here at Indies Unlimited many of us are published authors, and it is easy to forget how impressive this is to non-writers. Remind yourself every day that you have done something many people just dream about. Then, find those local events where you can strut your stuff.

Anyone who asks me about Pinterest will quickly realize that I am smitten. It is a brilliant concept based on the idea that one of the three founders is a prodigious collector. Pinning to your boards is like collecting in a virtual sense. I did research for this post in order to back-up my Pinterest obsession with solid facts and statistics so that you can understand why I spend any time on the site. I believe that time spent on Pinterest is an investment, and another creative way to build my marketing platform by branching out beyond the Facebook and LinkedIn groups I belong to.

Pinterest is now the third largest social media site behind Facebook and Twitter. It is, reportedly, 65% women and 35% men. This is a huge shift from January 2012 when it was over 90% women. I’ve found different numbers as to how many millions of pinners there are. Suffice it to say there are millions. And many of them are avid readers. Continue reading “You Asked For It–Building Your Platform”

Walking The Runway

Mr. Pish for President

A new feature offered at Indies Unlimited is “You Asked For It.” Elina Castro asked, “What are the latest ideas/techniques in platform building?”

Our own K. S. Brooks recently discussed the importance of social media in platform building, and you can read Kat’s article here. There are, however, many additional pieces to the platform puzzle. In order for us to be on the same page I will quote from a book I really like, Get Known Before The Book Deal by Christina Katz. Just because we are part of the exciting Indie movement doesn’t mean we can’t appropriate ideas from traditionally published authors and their support team. Continue reading “Walking The Runway”