Celebrating Independent Authors
Guest Post
by Kevin Tumlinson
Yesterday, in Part 1 of this article, I wrote about book formatting and end matter. Today, we’re going to talk about what comes after that.
Wide Distribution
You likely won’t have been in the indie author space for more than a few minutes without hearing the terms “exclusivity” and “wide distribution.” Welcome to the Debate of Our Time: Indie Author Edition. Continue reading “The Indie Author Roadmap – Part 2”
Guest Post
by Kevin Tumlinson
Indie authors are incredible.
Few industries match publishing for the sheer volume of challenges, demands, and overhead—from production costs to distribution considerations to marketing strategies. These are the types of challenges met by tech giants and globe-spanning corporations, with budgets and teams of experts and professionals to help meet the demand. And yet, these same challenges are faced by the independent author on a daily basis, often operating with only a shoestring budget and a lot of elbow grease.
Bring it. We’re indie. We can take it.
Indie authors have all the tenacity and courage it takes to DIY their way to publishing success, but that doesn’t mean they have to do it all alone. In 2012, Draft2Digital was formed by a bestselling author and two of his code-genius friends, specifically to help will-be authors to convert, publish, and distribute their books worldwide, with support the whole way. The idea was to build tools and resources that would let writers … well … write, while not having to worry about much else.
There are several things to consider when you’re building and growing your indie author career. Let’s take a look at the roadmap, with a few mile markers from D2D, to help you along the way. Continue reading “The Indie Author Roadmap – Part 1”
Guest Post
by Jordan Buchanan
Let’s try a little experiment. Remember these? <—
I know what you’re thinking—you haven’t seen those since chemistry class. Now imagine sticking a dime-sized piece of painter’s tape on the center of the right lens before painting the outside surfaces of the goggles black. Once they’re dry, pull off the tape and put those bad boys on. That’s not too bad; you have to turn your head a lot and your peripheral vision is completely gone, but there’s still that little opening to see through. But wait… there’s more! Tape a piece of thin tissue paper over your peephole. All set? Awesome! Now boot up your laptop and write a novel. Will it be easy? No. Is it possible? Of course! All you need are a few tech tricks and patience. Lots and lots of patience.
I’ve been in the process of losing my eyesight nearly my entire life. Continue reading “Writing from the Blind Spot”
Guest Post
by Dale E. Lehman
Are you satisfied with your writing? If so, something’s wrong. After all, who writes to perfection? If our writing is to grow, we must constantly hone our craft. In what follows, I’ll share four secrets essential to improvement; key practices I’ve learned through decades of experience.
Let’s begin with that tired cliché about writing being a solitary business. If you’re like me, you spent years writing privately and sharing with nobody. You liked what you wrote. Sometimes you amazed yourself with a character or a turn of phrase or even an entire story. Sure. It’s easy to amaze ourselves. Amazing others? Not so much. Continue reading “The Top 4 Ways to Hone Your Writing”