Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

The Beta Hero: A Non-Stereotypical Male Character

beta hero antihero hipster-358479_960_720I think, somehow, I am destined to create what I learned only yesterday are beta heroes. I had never, until this week, heard there was such a phenomenon. Now I am so glad I know what he is. You see, several members of my critique group have been telling me that the male protagonist in my current novel is not “strong enough” – that he ought to be more macho, more – and these are my words now – traditional. It has been a profoundly frustrating experience. You see, I don’t want my main characters to be constrained by traditional boxes, not the men and especially not the women. So, while all the members of my group think my female lead is great, they have been telling me my male lead ought to be more stereotypical (my words again). I was even told he is a “wuss” and that that’s not what readers want. They seem to equate “strong” with “macho.”

I beg to differ. When I think back to my previous books, none of my male protagonists really fit the mold. Yet, my readers have loved those characters. They see no problem with them. And this is true even of my male readers. It seems readers and writers respond differently. Hmmmmm. Continue reading “The Beta Hero: A Non-Stereotypical Male Character”

Indie Author Newsbreak 9-28-2018

indie author newsWelcome to Friday. A lot of people don’t know the word “Friday” is derived from the latin term fridaeus, which is translated literally as “Glad that’s over.” That’s not true, but it should be. Anyhoo, as you know, stuff is going on out there and it spans the spectrum from nefarious to hilarious. Or possibly just mildly interesting. Here is some of that stuff.

For all you bibliophiles and collectors out there, you may be interested in learning that a copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover used by the judge who presided over the novel’s 1960 obscenity trial will go up on auction this fall. This version contains annotations from the Judge’s wife, pointing out all the naughty bits! They must have been a fun couple.

If you are not yet in the audiobook game, you may want to give that another think. Seems audiobooks are the fasting-growing segment of the digital book market.

Every once in a while, people like to know what kind of marketing is moving the needle. For instance, you might wonder if Amazon sponsored ads work. Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Your mileage may vary. That’s true of all marketing, really. But Amazon has adopted the Google approach to ad placement, packing the top of the page with so many ads that organic traffic becomes less relevant – because scrolling. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

From our It Was Bound to Happen division, we have sad news for all you readers and authors who just will not give up your print books: you are destroying the planet. Are you happy now? Power to the pixels, baby!

Be sure to set your internet dials for this station next week as we finally announce the winners of our 2013 Procrastinator of the Year Awards.

Is This the End of KBoard’s Writers’ Café?

kboards house is on fireUsers of KBoards may remember that KBoards, originally named KindleBoards, was founded by Harvey Chute in 2007 as a gathering place to discuss Amazon’s new Kindle eReader.

Amazon launched Kindle Direct Publishing in 2007, and in November of 2010 (according to Harvey’s “Hello from Harvey” post), a haven for writers was added at KBoards. Over the years, the Writers’ Café has attracted thousands of authors, some in search of information and answers, others donating time and expertise. As of this date, there are 2,580 pages of discussions at the Writers’ Café with posts made by many of the 100,000+ KBoards members. Continue reading “Is This the End of KBoard’s Writers’ Café?”

Banned Books Week Challenges Us to View a New Perspective

banned book burning book fire-1075162_640 (002)Banned Books Week is Sept. 23-29 this year. Sponsored by the American Library Association, the week is designed to highlight the importance of access to information. While the week is called “banned books,” very few books are actually banned nowadays. They’re more often asked to be removed from libraries, with many libraries refusing the requests.

Banned Books week got its origins in the school settings, when librarians noticed a surge in calls to remove books from libraries. The ALA now compiles a list of books that are most often challenged to being included in libraries. When you look at the most recent list (2017), challenged books included Continue reading “Banned Books Week Challenges Us to View a New Perspective”