Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

Genre Writing is Like Playing Jazz

JAZZ BOOKS (002)You have to try a new genre in order to find out what genre writing is all about. I did that recently, and here are some thoughts that resulted.

My Story

I have been a Sci-Fi fan since I was about 10 years old. I cut my teeth on Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov, so the genre runs deep in my subconscious. But I have never written a Science Fiction novel.

So in the depths of the winter of 2018, when we had no snow and no sun and I was heavily submerged in Seasonal Affective Disorder, I decided to make a change. I would write some Sci-Fi. Nothing fancy. Just a fun Space Opera, with spaceships and artificial intelligence and…well, I decided to keep it simple and have no aliens. I was just starting out, after all.

A Warning from Another Art Form Continue reading “Genre Writing is Like Playing Jazz”

Can Matchstick Literary Pass the Predator Test?

#PublishingFoul Logo Indies UnlimitedA week ago I received an email from Matchstick Literary.  (We’d give you the link but we don’t want to send you there.)

Let my observations serve to guide you through the initial things that serve as red flags when searching for a company to publish or market your books.

Here’s how it began: Continue reading “Can Matchstick Literary Pass the Predator Test?”

The Author’s Guide to Fiverr

fiverr-logo-new-811d32e3fed0c305495fcda26a793128If you’re a self-published author, there are chances that someone has suggested you get a cover or some editing on Fiverr. Upon learning the site Fiverr got its name because you could pay people five bucks for an assignment, you quickly dismiss whoever gave you that advice. You’re certain you can’t get anything good for that price. Well, don’t dismiss Fiverr so quickly. Just like a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover, Fiverr is more nuanced than its name suggests.

What is Fiverr? Continue reading “The Author’s Guide to Fiverr”

6 Types of Writers and How to Edit Them

WRITERS_DOGS (002) courtesy of pixabay.comWriters, did you ever wonder what those editors were saying about you as they sat around the gruel pot fighting over the crusty bits? Well, I was kicking back at the off-leash doggy park the other day, and I noticed a distinctly familiar topic of conversation: relationship problems and how to deal with them. This post is to give writers and editors an idea of how the other half thinks.

The ideal relationship between a writer and an editor is when either one of them can say pretty well whatever they want about the manuscript, and the other will react to the comment as if it was a comment on the manuscript. And only the manuscript. I’m sure you know what I mean.

This does not always happen. Let’s look at a few points along the spectrum of interaction. If you’re an editor, just enjoy this. If you’re a writer, try to figure out which of these apply to you. Both of you think about how it affects your relationship. (For this post, the generic masculine pronoun has been used to protect the guilty.) Continue reading “6 Types of Writers and How to Edit Them”