Category: Tutorials

How-to articles for writers.

Tutorial Tuesday – Twitter Mystery Boxes

Twitter boxes
What the heck are those empty boxes???

This past Saturday, our Jim Devitt showed us how to implement the new Twitter header. If you missed that, you can read it here. Two things came from this header change: a spiffy new look and the burning question “what the heck are those empty boxes on the left-hand side of my screen?” Well, worry not. I’m going to tell you what they are, and how to use them!

I don’t know exactly when Twitter gave us the functionality of being able to upload/tweet photographs directly. Those empty boxes, however, are the most recent pictures in your photo album. If you’ve never directly tweeted a photo, your boxes will be blank. If you tweet from HootSuite, Facebook or another program – those boxes will remain empty. Here’s a quick and easy way to fill those boxes – with your book covers. Continue reading “Tutorial Tuesday – Twitter Mystery Boxes”

Twitter Adds New Header Feature

Every week there are more and more changes in social media and this week was no exception. With all the sites letting you get more creative, Twitter stepped up to the plate this week to let you add a header that becomes a background for your profile. This change will allow you to swap photos in and out over time depending on your mood, or marketing campaign.

It’s really simple to set up. Open your Twitter account and go to the little gear up in the right-hand corner. Click and select “Settings” and “Design.”

Continue reading “Twitter Adds New Header Feature”

Tuesday Tutorial: Building Your Video Empire

Mr. Pish with Jessica Biles of Busy Bee Videography
Mr. Pish with Jessica Biles of Busy Bee Videography

Now, now, Indies Unlimited is “Safe for Work.” Goodness no, I’m not talking about secret sex tapes or video from the hidden camera in the ladies’ locker room. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.

I do want to talk about book trailer videos. Those are for your book. Let’s stay on topic here, shall we?

Why have a video trailer? Really, now – a video trailer is like a commercial for your book. It’s a multimedia bubble-gum for the eyes attempt at getting someone interested enough to purchase your book. Some potential customers like static magazine ads, some like flash, color and motion. Magazine ads cost money. Making your own video trailer costs you only time. We’ve had posts here on IU explaining how to make a trailer on xtranormal.com and Animoto. Take the time to read those. Animoto is an amazing tool and has a much shorter learning curve than xtranormal. I’ve made trailers using both and in my humble opinion, Animoto’s where it’s at. Read the tutorial. Trust me.

So, now you’ve made your video trailer. Congratulations! I’m sorry, what? What do you do with it now? That all depends on how ambitious you are. Here are my recommendations. Continue reading “Tuesday Tutorial: Building Your Video Empire”

Taking Your Pulse – A BookPulse Tutorial

Quick heads up: Since I only uploaded my one book, I didn’t anticipate a problem with this. Apparently, you can’t upload more than one book unless you have a separate Facebook page for each one. This is important information BookPulse might want to place front and centre, just sayin’.

There are some things I am extremely lazy about. Unfortunately, one of those things tends to be self-promotion. I am not good at it and have no great love for it. Actually, it’s worse than that: I actively dislike it. But we’re constantly told (let’s be honest, “harangued” might be a better word) that it’s an essential part of the writer’s toolkit… and not only independent writers but those poor captives of the publishing industry, the traditional writers, too. I kid, of course: we are all brothers and sisters of The Mighty Word, and “Kumbaya” sounds exactly the same when sung by my gruel-spattered co-minions as it does in the lofty yet slightly sterile halls of Simon & Schuster… although the soft moans of existential despair accompanying the former can be a little disconcerting.

But I digress. As I tend to do. Probably because I can already feel the ennui descending as my main topic looms like a grey, haunted, driverless engine on a fog-blanketed night.

So. Once in a while, I break out of my truculent, indolent recalcitrance and stumble on something potentially useful to our collective writerly aspirations. (Apparently, I also break out the Thesaurus.) Continue reading “Taking Your Pulse – A BookPulse Tutorial”