Category: Tutorials

How-to articles for writers.

Linking Books to Author Central

The last guy who told me I was wrong.

Oh my. I wish I had a dollar for each time I told someone their book wasn’t claimed to their author central page and they replied “Yes it is.”

Guess what? NO IT’S NOT.

Just because you have an Amazon.com Author Central page and your book is showing up on it does NOT mean it’s properly linked. Honestly, I don’t sit around making this stuff up because I’m bored.

A book which is properly claimed to an author central page will have a little drop-down arrow next to the author’s name. I’ve circled it in magenta and drawn an arrow to it in the photo below. Continue reading “Linking Books to Author Central”

Create Eye-Popping Headlines for your Blog in Six Easy Steps

Whether you are Tweeting or writing a blog post, your headline is what captures the reader’s attention. I know that I’ve struggled with headlines my whole life. Sometimes I can sit down and pound out 800 words in minutes but it will take me an hour to figure out a six-word headline.

Headlines online are quite different from headlines in newspapers. Online headlines must stand-alone and help the reader decide if they want to click through.

So, how do you create a headline that people want to see? Continue reading “Create Eye-Popping Headlines for your Blog in Six Easy Steps”

Tutorial: Snipping Tool

A few weeks ago K.S Brooks showed you how to take and use screen captures. Today, I would like to show you how to use a very useful free tool which is a programme that is part of Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. It allows you to take specific shots of your screen. It is ideal for tutorials (ahem!) and for making your blog or website look professional. So, let’s get those scissors and get snipping.

To start the Snipping Tool follow these steps:

1. Click on the Start button to open your Start Menu.

2. Next click on the All Programs menu option.

3. Then click on the Accessories group.

4. Last, but not least, click on the Snipping Tool icon which looks like this:

If you are running Windows 8, you can just search for Snipping Tool at the Windows 8 Start Screen.

The snipping tool should now be started and you will see a screen similar to the one below. Continue reading “Tutorial: Snipping Tool”

Tutorial: How To Get A Gravatar

We still get emails asking why folks don’t see their happy faces next to their comments here on Indies Unlimited. That would be because you need to get a Gravatar. How do you do that, you ask? Well, Ms. Zoe Lake is going to tell you. Since this tutorial was run just about a year ago, if you notice something doesn’t jive, please let us know. – The Admins.

Are you like me and ever wondered how all those other bloggers, and the like, have their image on their posts? Have you spent hours trawling over a website looking for the magic button that will allow you to upload your image too, only to be disappointed when you just couldn’t find THAT MAGIC BUTTON! and ended up feeling downright frustrated with a headache to boot?

Well wonder no more my friends, because this is how you can have your image on your blog and forum posts too.

Gravatar.com is where you can access this great, free (Yippee!), online program that will allow you to do all of the above! Following is a short tutorial to help get you started.

Continue reading “Tutorial: How To Get A Gravatar”