So, you’ve decided you want to self-publish your book because you’ve heard it’s a great way to get your masterpiece into the world. But now that you’ve started researching, you come across term after term that make no sense. While Google is great, it can also turn into a black hole that swallows up your valuable writing time. So here, we’re going to take a look at 10 terms every self-publisher should know. The goal is brevity and clarity, to get you a good grasp on what it means without sucking away your time. That said, let’s get to it. Continue reading “10 Publishing Terms Every New Author Should Know”
Category: Staff Articles
Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.
The Business of Pirating Books: Graycity.net
A friend recently notified me that there was a site offering eBooks for free download, and several of my books were among those offered. The site is called graycity.net, and it’s got quite an extensive library of “free” books— extensive enough to have ten of mine and several of many other indie authors I know.
This, however, is not a new occurrence. Unfortunately, I get notices of this sort of piracy fairly often. The thing is, there are actually two diverse scenarios here. The first is that, yes, a site may have pirated books available for free download. Yes, it’s illegal, but yes, it goes on. What can you do about it? I’ll get to that in a minute. Continue reading “The Business of Pirating Books: Graycity.net”
Writing Tip: Another Set of Words to Trim
I wrote an article here a couple of years ago suggesting ways to tidy up shaggy writing. It’s been a while, and perhaps it’s time for another trim.
Everyone has a list of words and phrases you should “never use.” Many of these are not specific taboos. They are just loose writing that could be tightened if you recognize the symptoms and want to try harder.
Here are a few words and phrases you might consider adding to your private list. Note that I have found all of these at one time or another in a “real” book, and often while I’m polishing my own work. Continue reading “Writing Tip: Another Set of Words to Trim”
When You Split with Your Publisher: Book Covers
Many of us, in our writing odysseys, have had intervals working with traditional publishers, some more reputable than others, and many of us have seen those arrangements come to an end for one reason or another. Our IU mailbag often includes letters from writers who have been taken in by predatory publishers and who want to cut their ties, but also from writers published by small presses that have come on hard times and shuttered their doors. While the larger issue of what to do to get out of a bad contract or when your publisher goes belly-up would take more time to detail, let’s concentrate on one part of that equation: the book cover design.
If this issue resonates for you, the first thing we would suggest Continue reading “When You Split with Your Publisher: Book Covers”