Category: Guest Posts

Special Guest: Dannye Williamsen

Dannye Williamsen

I became a self-published author for the first time in 2004 with my husband. We produced a 5 CD audiobook titled “It’s Your Move! Transform Your Dreams From Wishful Thinking To Reality.” It was a Bronze Award winner in ForeWord Magazine’s 2004 Book of the Year Awards. Shortly after that, we moved to the Atlanta, GA, area. Since then, I have published a book of metaphysical essays with journal pages included titled, “Metaphysical Minute – Philosophy on the Run.” One of the most popular essays is my metaphysical interpretation of the movie, The Matrix.

When the P.O.D. publishers like CreateSpace came onto the scene, I chose to follow that route rather than having to deal with inventories. I published two business books there based on the philosophy of the Creative Process—“The 12-Step Business Plan For The Solopreneur” and “The Creative Model For The Solopreneur” When I published my two novels, I employed both CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing. Continue reading “Special Guest: Dannye Williamsen”

Things Readers Wish Writers Knew – by K.D. Rush

K.D. Rush

K. D. Rush is the author of the forthcoming novel, The Guild Inc., a supernatural thriller:

The Guild, a secret organization that can trace its lineage back to the dawn of civilization, has accumulated wealth and power beyond imagination. Entrance into this powerful, male only society, is strictly by birth. When an unexpected pregnancy triggers an ancient prophecy, many see it as an imminent danger to the organization. Some view it as mankind’s next evolutionary step.

Today, K.D. hits IU readers with a top ten list of things readers wish writers knew:

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As a new writer my credentials are slim. Yes, I hope to finish my first novel this year, and no, I don’t expect to miraculously become an expert on the topic of writing once it’s published.

However, there are a few areas where my experience might be helpful to the new writer, or struggling author. I would like to share a few things from a reader’s perspective that could possibly save you some time and frustration. Continue reading “Things Readers Wish Writers Knew – by K.D. Rush”

Characters Are The Lifeblood of a Story by David A. Cleinman

Author David A. Cleinman
Author David A. Cleinman

A character is more important than plot, locale, conflict, or any other part of a story. This is because a character is the only thing that a reader can truly relate to in a strong and meaningful way. We may have visited a location where a story takes place and even love the region. If a character visiting that area is not strong and real to us, however, the location will have less meaning. The deeds of a character might be amazing. But if the character is not well rounded and strong, their deeds are fairly insignificant. The best way to describe that is to say this: Characters need to be individuals we can relate to, or individuals that we recognize. The strength of a character is in their consistency. Their words match their actions and their actions match their personal traits. Emotionally connecting with a character requires that a character possess consistency of presence. Continue reading “Characters Are The Lifeblood of a Story by David A. Cleinman”

Making Video Trailers on xtranormal.com by Pete Morin

Author Pete Morin
Author Pete Morin

Thanks to IndiesUnlimited for inviting me to share some thoughts about book promotion.

The genesis of the invitation itself is worthy of note. As part of my marketing efforts, I spend a bit of time occasionally dropping in to the many LinkedIn writing-related groups. One of the threads was a discussion on what people do to promote their books. I posted a comment with links to several short teasers I composed using the xtranormal.com website. Within minutes, K.S. Brooks messaged me with an invitation to discuss them. So – social networking works.

What is xtranormal.com? Surely you’ve seen the iconic So You Want to Write a Novel! In November of 2010, aspiring novelist David Kazzie uploaded the clip to promote his novel, The Jackpot. Since then, the clip has amassed 230,000 views. There was a time after it came out when it was all over the web. Has it helped sell The Jackpot? Hard to say, but it certainly hasn’t hurt. Continue reading “Making Video Trailers on xtranormal.com by Pete Morin”