Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

The Cost of a Comic Con for an Indie Author

Comic Con Lexington K. Rowe BoothA couple of months ago I wrote about becoming a vendor at a local comic con. Now that all is said and done, I’m ready to tell you how much it cost, and what I gained from it. For a first time experience, I can’t exactly say what the gold standard is, but I can share my experiences as an author in a widely commercial setting.

Okay, let’s crunch some numbers. I have to admit, it was a good case of sticker shock. For an Indie author, going to an event such as this is a leap of faith. And I was crazy enough to take that leap. These totals are for the three-day Lexington Comic and Toy Convention (Kentucky) which started on a Friday evening and ran until Sunday afternoon. My big plan was to debut a new release so folks would feel like they were getting in on something new and great — and that idea worked!

Here is the breakdown for you: Continue reading “The Cost of a Comic Con for an Indie Author”

Does Your Muse Inspire Your Writing?

is the writers muse realYour muse …

Do you have one? Where does that flow come from? Where am I going with this?

Let’s start from the beginning. We all remember some of the crap we wrote. You sat down and started typing (or writing for you hanger-on-ers.) You had an idea and put it down in some form or another. You read it. It was crap. You tossed it. Continue reading “Does Your Muse Inspire Your Writing?”

Writers’ Font: Tips and Encouragement for Beginning Fiction Writers

Writers font series advice for beginning authorsIntroducing Writers’ Font, a monthly series devoted to beginning fiction writers.

My author tagline reads: Candace Williams is a late-blooming novelist who believes you can live your dream.

Easy for me to say, right? It was not easy for me to become a novelist. I was 63 when my first book was published. I’ll be 66 when the next one comes out. Yet, for many years I had dreams of being a novelist. Dreaming isn’t doing, though, is it? I hope it will be easier for you, at whatever age you decide to start. In this Writers’ Font series, I want to encourage aspiring writers to start living their own dream, now, by sharing my journey. If you’re dreaming the same dream, maybe Writers’ Font can help. Continue reading “Writers’ Font: Tips and Encouragement for Beginning Fiction Writers”

Preparing Your Microsoft Word Document for eBook Publication

Microsoft Word LogoThere’s an ongoing debate on the Kindle Direct Publishing forum regarding formatting and uploading eBooks in Microsoft Word. Some believe it can’t be done. Others insist it can. I’m on the “can” side of the debate. The key is in making sure your document is free of any hidden code, markups, page breaks, etc.

Today, I’ll take you through clearing your manuscript of anything hidden that will cause problems during the conversion process once uploaded KDP.

A couple of things to know before starting: Continue reading “Preparing Your Microsoft Word Document for eBook Publication”