Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

Introducing the Random Inscription Generator

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never held a book signing. It is not the sort of thing I’d likely do anyway. First off, I have the penmanship of a toy poodle with a seizure disorder. My handwriting could easily be mistaken for some script in a dead and ancient language, shorthand taken by someone who was drowsing off at the moment, or that of a physician.

More importantly, I think it would be difficult to think of what to inscribe. Just putting your name seems kind of pointless. Otherwise, you could just sit there with a signature stamp. I am told that an interesting and personalized inscription can add value to the book. Most people are going to want something in there they can show off. Continue reading “Introducing the Random Inscription Generator”

The Writer’s Malaise

Mood swings – of course it does. (Thought I’d catch you there!)

Seriously now:

Authors tend to teeter between elation and despondency. I have yet to meet a writer of any sort who has not – at one time or another – suffered from depression, anxiety or plain sadness. This occupation seems to attract the type of insular introvert with mood swings that are either affected by the writing habit, or that cause it. Continue reading “The Writer’s Malaise”

Have others promote your book – How to get Reviews

Fellow Indies Unlimited Minion Ed McNally had a great post the other day about self-promotion. We all hate it, but it is a necessary evil. I want to shift gears a bit from where Ed led us and examine a method to allow others to promote us—reviews. Reviews are more important than just getting feedback about your book. It’s common knowledge that Amazon figures reviews in their ranking system. So the more reviews you have, the better ranked your book could be.

Please stay with me until the end of the post where I’ll divulge a super million dollar secret for book promotions (I’m not selling anything, just in case this sounded like an infomercial.) Okay, maybe not a million dollars, but it sure helps.

Reviews are one of the best methods to generate buzz about your book, without you being the one shouting from the rooftops. We’ve all spent countless conversations begging our friends and relatives to “post a review, please!” It’s frustrating and many times, a fruitless endeavor. So, how do we go about getting reviews? Continue reading “Have others promote your book – How to get Reviews”

A Reader’s POV – Past or Present

Reviewer Cathy Speight

I have a question for authors this week…..

Looking at my list of books to review, it’s rather eclectic – there are all sorts of genres, fiction and non-fiction. I try not to turn away review requests (I don’t like to refuse a genre I haven’t tried, I might love it!), but to date, I have had to turn away three. The first was a non-fiction book that ‘teaches computer forensics to any level computer user’. With respect, I think I would prefer to pull my fingernails out. The second was 115 Reasons Why It’s Not Your Fault if You’re Fat. Puuuhlease. There is only one reason you’re fat – you eat too much and exercise too little. The third – and I felt just a teensy weensy bit guilty about turning this one down – aside from the fact it was 300k words long, it was in the present tense (3rd person). I confess I have only read one book in the present tense (Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen). I enjoyed that book (sort of), but I just did not warm to the present tense (1st person in this case). I have shied away from this ever since.

Continue reading “A Reader’s POV – Past or Present”