Tag: book vetting

Why Indies Unlimited No Longer Accepts Paid Advertising from Authors

no money from authors pixabay dollar-551932_640That’s right; IU no longer accepts paid advertising from authors. It was a decision that took a lot of consideration, and ultimately, it came down to one question: Do we really want to take money from authors? Sure, we’re drowning financially over here – operating for free means the money comes out of the admins’ pockets and from the occasional donation – but we want to stick to our guns.

Indies Unlimited has never been about taking money from authors. We go to a lot of trouble to offer all our resources for free – from tutorials, to breaking news, to resource pages, and more. The minions are most generous with their time and knowledge. Give them a round of applause.

It’s more complicated, but it basically comes down to the principle of the matter: We do not want to take money from authors. Continue reading “Why Indies Unlimited No Longer Accepts Paid Advertising from Authors”

An Inside Look at Indies Unlimited

Author K.S. Brooks
IU Admin & Award-Winning Author K.S. Brooks

As a newbie here at IU, I’ve developed a list of questions over the past few weeks. I had a virtual sit-down with the woman in charge to quench my curiosity about dealings with authors, feedback about their books, and how it feels to be constantly paying it forward. The answers surprised and disappointed me a little. I convinced Ms. Brooks to publish my findings as an interview, because I thought others might have the same questions, and might have drawn the same assumptions I had.

Kyle: IU gets hundreds of emails from authors. I know I only coordinate a small number of them, so that means you are doing the rest, which must take up a monumental amount of time. Why do you do this when you could be spending your time writing? Continue reading “An Inside Look at Indies Unlimited”

Last Book Standing – January 2015 Edition

last book standing logoHappy New Year, everyone. Today we’re giving you a chance to win a free IU Featured Book Basic ad, and get some input on your book at the same time.

LAST BOOK STANDING is like a cross between Last Comic Standing and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Not really. Just kidding. Mostly.

Here’s how it works: Authors will post an Amazon link to ONE of their books in the comments section below. (One book per author, please! Multiple entries will be deleted.) We will turn that link into a pretty book cover. Then, books will fight to the death. Kidding.

Next, the books will begin elimination rounds. They will be distributed to the IU Vetting Committee and judged per our vetting process as follows:

  • Round 1 – covers.
  • Round 2 – amazon author pages.
  • Round 3 – categories.
  • Round 4 – book descriptions.
  • Round 5 – look inside – formatting/too much front matter.
  • Round 6 – look inside WRITING.

Authors whose books do not make it to the Final Round (Round 7) will receive a private email telling them at which point their book was eliminated, why, and because we are so swell, we will include a link to an IU post that will help them fix the problem.

Final Round – throw down steel cage match – audience voting. Books that make it through all six rounds will be featured in a post where the Indies Unlimited audience will vote for which book they think should win a free Featured Book Basic ad on Indies Unlimited. Don’t worry, each book that makes it to the Final Round will be invited to participate in our standard free features. But only one can win the ad.

Entries will be accepted for one week. After that, commenting will be closed. Please, entries only in the comment section. No discourse or critiquing. Thank you.

Fine print: Minions and their families, offspring, spawn, or other relations are not eligible. Books that have already been advertised or featured on Indies Unlimited during 2014 are not eligible and will be removed if they are posted. Don’t forget, Indies Unlimited does not feature books that are primarily religious, political, or erotic in nature. Books of those themes will be removed from the competition if they are entered. We will attempt to respond to all entries as quickly as possible. Please do not get butthurt if your book doesn’t go as far as you were hoping it would. We are just trying to help. The old adage goes, “Don’t ask a question if you don’t want the answer,” so if you don’t think you can handle constructive input, do not enter this contest.

New from Indies Unlimited – Last Book Standing

last book standing logoWell good day, everyone. Here at Indies Unlimited Laboratories, we are always looking for new and better ways to help you. That’s right, it’s all about you. And your books. So, we’re introducing a chance for you to win a free IU Featured Book Basic ad, and get some input on your book at the same time! See? Everyone’s a winner! (Except for Brooks, of course, since she’ll be doing most of the work.)

LAST BOOK STANDING is like a cross between Last Comic Standing and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Not really. Just kidding. Mostly.

Here’s how it works: Authors will post an Amazon link to ONE of their books in the comments section. (One book per author, please! Multiple entries will be deleted.) We will turn that link into a pretty book cover. Then, books will fight to the death. Kidding.

Next, the books will begin elimination rounds. They will be distributed to the IU Vetting Committee and judged per our vetting process as follows:

  • Round 1 – covers.
  • Round 2 – amazon author pages.
  • Round 3 – categories.
  • Round 4 – book descriptions.
  • Round 5 – look inside – formatting/too much front matter.
  • Round 6 – look inside WRITING.

Any author whose book does not make it to the Final Round will receive a private email telling them at which round their book was eliminated, why, and because we are so swell, we will include a link to an IU post that will help them fix the problem.

Final Round – throw down steel cage match – audience voting. Books that make it through all six rounds will be featured in a post where the Indies Unlimited audience will vote for which book they think should win a free Featured Book Basic ad on Indies Unlimited.

EVERYONE IS A WINNER in the Last Book Standing. So spiffy up your covers and your book descriptions – make sure your book’s categories are correct and all the other particulars are in order. Come December, your book could be a star!

Fine print: Indies Unlimited is not responsible for any injury incurred by anyone at any time and especially not for getting overly excited by this awesome opportunity! Minions and their families, offspring, spawn, or other relations are not eligible. Books that have already been advertised or featured on Indies Unlimited during 2014 are not eligible. Those books already know how awesome they are. This offer is void where prohibited. Don’t forget, Indies Unlimited does not feature books that are primarily religious, political, or erotic in nature. Books of those themes will be removed from the competition if they are entered. Vetting does not have to be completed by any date in particular because, you know, we have the right to be capricious, but we will attempt to respond to all entries as quickly as possible. Please do not get butthurt if your book doesn’t go as far as you were hoping it would. We are just trying to help. The old adage goes, “Don’t ask a question if you don’t want the answer,” so if you don’t think you can handle constructive input, do not enter this contest. This contest may cause itching and other types of dermatitis, and has been known to increase mental capacities. The prize of one Featured Book Basic has a value of $15 USD and cannot be traded for food stamps, coupons, or farm animals. And we thank you.