Tag: advice for authors

Promoting via Local Television? Yikes!

Author Rachel Hunter
Author Rachel Hunter

If any of you are like me when it comes to public speaking or appearances, you know what it feels like to get “the jitters.” Yes – “the jitters.” It’s what I call the strange tightening of the gut, the chill that spreads throughout the body (starting with the temples), the warmth that claims the fingers… and, of course, the sensation of noticing every little thing goes on with your body: from every swallow to every seemingly imperceptible blink. Yet, part of the responsibility of being a published author is that one must make a presence every now and then – whether that be through conventions, signings, or, as I wish to expand upon today, television interviews. Yes, that’s right: television. Some of you must be quivering in your flip-flops and curl-rimmed fedoras at the word; though, some of you may also be perking your head up with interest, ready to make an appearance. Either way, whether you are the of the former or the latter, I am here today to assure you: interviewing on television is quick, painless, and ultimately rewarding – not only for the feeling of accomplishment that it brings, but also for the promotional benefits it delivers. And you don’t have to be on Good Morning America or Oprah in order to be featured and reap the benefits. Continue reading “Promoting via Local Television? Yikes!”

Armless and Legless

Our wonderful interwebs are full of blogs and writing websites that showcase an endless procession of writing advice and tips. We’ve discussed the pros and cons here on Indies Unlimited many times, so I don’t want to go over old ground. While planning the content of this post in the quiet small hours, however, it seemed like a good idea at the time to take a slightly skewed, bizarro-world look at writing tips using our trusty list format. Now, it seems… well, slightly stupid. But since I didn’t have a backup, here it is, anyway: a new kind of list. Twenty Five Writing Tips That Probably Suck. Seriously, though, I’m not wasting anyone’s time: loosely hidden within this apparent drivel are some actual decent tips, once they’re extricated and unpacked. You’ll see. Continue reading “Armless and Legless”

Ed’s Casual Friday: 10 Writing Commandments

The Ten CommandmentsOne of the noble goals here at Indies Unlimited is to help other writers along this dark and winding road of putting words down on paper. (Okay, I know. Only six people still write by hand, but bear with me). And of course after that, we’re all hoping to sell those words to the legions of eager readers who have been waiting their whole lives to partake of our literary mastery and storytelling prowess, whether they know it or not (they don’t).

Here at IU, and in every other place writers gather for that matter, that help is rendered in large part by giving advice. Most often, unsolicited advice. And that’s great, as we are all at different points along our writing road, and nobody has been doing this whole Indie/Digital publishing thing for more than a handful of years. Everybody has some experience they are willing (and sometimes falling over themselves) to share. If you can count on nothing else as a writer, you can be sure that somebody out there is going to tell you how they do this most individual and internal process of creation, and why you should do it their way, too. Continue reading “Ed’s Casual Friday: 10 Writing Commandments”