Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

Amazon.com: Use the Monster Part 1

Whether you think Amazon.com is too big for its own good, or not, doesn’t matter. As Indie authors, we’re all on it, and we all need it. One thing Amazon does do well is providing authors with tools to get the word out about their work(s). You’ve got to give them that.

But not all authors are taking advantage of the free tools offered by Amazon.com. Today, we’re going to start with Amazon Author Central pages – because this is the FIRST thing an author should do.

One way Amazon makes Author Central pages convenient is that you don’t need to set up a special author account. You can use your existing customer account log-in (if you’re already a customer). If you’re not, you can set up an account. This account is NOT linked to your Kindle Direct or Createspace accounts, if you have those. This is completely separate.

Before I show you how to claim and set up your author page, you’d probably like to know why you need one. #1 – they’re free. It’s like having your own multi-media website from which people can also buy your books. #2 – you can post your biography, video trailers and even rss feeds from your blog(s) and twitter there. #3 – you can post upcoming events, signings, appearances, etc. #4 – potential readers can post questions directly to you in the “discussions” forum. And lastly #5 – All your books will be linked to one page where people can see everything: how many books, how many reviews, and the cost. Here’s a screen shot of my Amazon.com Author Central page to give you an idea (click on it to enlarge): Continue reading “Amazon.com: Use the Monster Part 1”

Help us help you

by K.S. Brooks and Stephen Hise

We indie authors need all the help we can get to spread the word about our writing. We don’t have an army of agents and publicists at our disposal. We don’t have a big publishing house pushing our books onto the front shelves of every remaining brick and mortar store in the world.

Still, we don’t have to bear the burden alone – we have each other. We use social media to build networks and connections. We learn from each other and we teach each other. We help each other.

I established Indies Unlimited for the express purpose of helping indie authors. We provide a number of different types of features that can showcase you and your writing (e.g., interviews, guest posts, sneak-peeks, video book trailers, etc.). We also get a ton of page views here, and that number is trending consistently upward. The exposure you get here can be very beneficial to you.

You want help and Indies Unlimited wants to help you. This should be easy. Some people make it difficult. Below are some things that will facilitate that process – and keep us from wanting to kill you. Continue reading “Help us help you”

New Year – New Resolutions!

Reviewer Cathy Speight

Hello everyone!  Wow, it’s 2012.  A very Happy New Year to you all!

Right – all the introductions have already been done and dusted, so I won’t bore you all again with who I am and why I’m here (despite the fact that I do keep pinching myself and asking how on earth I managed to find myself in the company of such extraordinary talent!).

So, tell me, what are your New Year resolutions?  Yes, I know you’ve made some – we all do – and the month of January usually goes swimmingly well – it’s February when the determination starts to wane and you wonder what on earth possessed you when you resolved to get up at 6 in the morning and run 10 miles in the hope of shifting those naughty little love handles that seemed to appear after Christmas day, convinced you only had one portion of Christmas pudding – or was it three? Continue reading “New Year – New Resolutions!”

Ed’s Casual Friday, no. 1

M. Edward McNally

Hi, everybody. This is to be my little neck of the woods here at Indies Unlimited, and I’m going to call the place “Casual Friday,” as I feel that will allow me to blather about the largest number of topics possible, sometimes until I’m halfway through a post. As a writer, I’m a “pantser,” see, so that’s pretty much “how I roll.” If anybody has anything they’d ever like me to opine upon, just say so, as I’ll probably be out of ideas by the end of this post. Like I say, “casual.”

So here’s how me and my muse spent the holidays. Continue reading “Ed’s Casual Friday, no. 1”