Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

Newbie Writer Mistakes

beginning author mistakes slip-up-709045_960_720As an editor and proofreader, I have the opportunity to read quite a few first attempts by aspiring writers. I can absolutely relate to having a story to tell, to having characters take my brain hostage until I agree to set their story down on paper. At the time, it might seem that my only choice is to comply or go crazy. That’s how compelling and/or desperate the urge can feel.

So I applaud all of you newbie writers. I applaud you for having the guts to actually do this; to fight the doubts, the fears, the second guesses, and write your story down. Many people feel they have a book in them; only a fraction of them actually start to write. Of those, only a fraction of those finishes the book. And, of those, only a fraction commit to getting the book published. If you’re still with me, you’re in a very small, very special minority. Congratulations.

However, there is one tiny little fly in the ointment. Continue reading “Newbie Writer Mistakes”

BAM! Publish: A Vanity Press?

#PublishingFoul Logo Indies UnlimitedIt’s a common dream among first-time authors: you walk into your favorite local bookstore and there’s Your Book, sitting on the shelf for everyone to see – and buy. Alas, it’s unlikely to happen if you’re an indie author. If it happens at all, it will require a lot of hard work and persuasive energy on your part, as well as a store manager who’s willing to take a chance on an unknown author.

Books-A-Million, the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States, has developed a route for indies to get their books onto store shelves – but there’s a catch. Continue reading “BAM! Publish: A Vanity Press?”

When Words No Longer Pay; An Author’s Alternative Income

broke writer trouser-pockets-1439412_960_720As the industry fluctuates, there will be times when your books aren’t earning what they used to. So what do you do? If you’re like me, you appreciate some income each month. But here’s the kicker: you need to have some skills.

Skills, you ask? Yes, skills. If you’re vaguely computer savvy (like me) you can turn what you love into another business. Did you format your own manuscript for publication? For print and eBook? Did you get pretty good at CreateSpace’s print book cover creator? If you answered yes to more than one of those questions, there’s hope for you. Continue reading “When Words No Longer Pay; An Author’s Alternative Income”

Slow Thriller* Writers and Free Books

(*It’s the rate of writing that’s slow, not the pace of the fiction…)

confusing author issues question-mark-1872665_960_720Back in 2012 I tried enrolling a novel of mine in KDP Select, or whatever it was called back then. I booked five FREE days, and was surprised when the book got thousands of downloads, hitting the number one free download ranking in both the US and UK Amazon stores. In the month that followed, thanks to the generous Amazon algorithms at the time, I sold several thousand full-priced copies of the book.

It was about then that I got a mail from a company called BookBub, explaining that they had promoted the title for FREE, without me knowing. That’s how BB started, targeting mainly indie authors as a means of showing how effective BB advertising could be.

I remember saying on Indies Unlimited back then that however beneficial a FREE run on Amazon might be, I didn’t think I’d ever pay to advertise the fact. Pay to give stuff away? I mean, who’d do that? Continue reading “Slow Thriller* Writers and Free Books”