Celebrating Independent Authors
Last week, I talked about writing and planning software for indie authors. But indies wear a lot of hats, so we need more than just a good writing and plotting package. Here’s a list of some graphics programs to look at – as well as some other assorted programs that can be useful for indies. Continue reading “Which Software Is Best for Authors – Part 2”
Newbies to the wonderful world of indie publishing can be forgiven their bewilderment at the range of software options out there for our use. The thing is, some programs work better than others for our purposes, and some don’t really have any use for us at all.
The minions sat around the gruel cauldron recently and discussed what’s out there – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We came up with so many options that I’m going to split this into two posts. Today, I’ll talk about project planning and writing software, including a couple of options for people who don’t have access to Microsoft Office. Continue reading “Which Software Is Best for Authors – Part 1”
You may have heard of Project Gutenberg, the effort by the World Public Library Association to provide public-domain books online for free. What you may not know is that Project Gutenberg has a separate program for indie publishing.
It’s called the Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing Press. Since its inception in July 2012, the project has grown to include some 3,500 titles, all available for free viewing on their site. As a site member (which supposedly costs $8.95 a year, but I joined without hitting a paywall, so I’m not sure about that – maybe they’ll email me an invoice), you can save a title to your bookshelf or a reading list, save a copy to Google Drive or Dropbox, or email the file to yourself for reading offline. Continue reading “Project Gutenberg for Indies”
Indie authors are always looking for ways to get their names out in front of readers – and doing it inexpensively is a plus. One typical way is to contact bloggers and offer to write a guest post for them. This process works, but it takes a lot of time to line up your guest shots – time you would probably rather spend writing.
While you’re sending out your tenth or 25th email to some blogger you barely know, you might wonder whether there’s a more efficient way. Well, sure – you could do a blog tour or a blog hop. But what’s the difference? And will either of them sell any books for you? Continue reading “To Hop or to Tour? Some Options for Guest Blogging”