Publishing Scammers Are Everywhere

That's right. It's sad, but true. There are people out there trying to suck authors dry of their hard-earned money. These predators include publishers, editors, agents, and more. It's hard to know who the good guys are sometimes, especially for newbie authors.

Indies Unlimited is running a special during the month of March (yeah, I know, I'm late), featuring articles and guest posts about scammers and their victims. Make sure to check it out, and please share and spread the word, so we can hopefully prevent others from being scammed. You can find a running update of everything in the #PublishingFoul series here: http://www.indiesunlimited.com/tag/publishingfoul/

And please, even if you have NOT been a victim, please take a moment to complete and share our #PublishingFoul Scammer Survey. It's fast, easy, anonymous, and free - and you don't have to log in to anything to take it. We're hoping to get a big response on this so we can take it to the media. Raising awareness is the only way we can stop these scammers. Thanks for your help.

Just for You: Author Glossary

So many words! Aargh! And acronyms, and slang, and I have no idea what they're saying. Have you been there? I have. Don't you just hate it?

Well, at Indies Unlimited, we're always trying to make life easier for authors. Here's just one more present we've made for you. I know, we rock, right?

New Resource: Glossary for Authors

Don’t you hate it when someone uses terminology you just don’t understand? How about that time someone said to you: “Man, today I ran my MS through the meatgrinder and when I uploaded it to KDP I changed my mind about SW and decided to go Select. I was thinking about going with LS for POD but went with CS instead. I’m going to hop on over to IU and read the tutorial about making a ToC, then I’m going to grab my MOBI and sideload it.”

 

Allrighty then.

As part of our continued effort to provide authors of all levels with helpful resources, without further ado, here is a Glossary for Authors. We will continue to add to it as we come across more terms, and we know we will.

Click on through to Indies Unlimited for the full glossary. Let us know if we left anything off!
http://www.indiesunlimited.com/glossary-for-authors/

 

The Case for Legible Titles

As you are aware, the most common issue we see with books during the vetting process is an unclear or confusing book description. The second most common issue: unreadable titles on book covers in thumbnail size.

Who cares? Right? It’s just a tiny book cover. No one expects to read it in that size.

Um, wrong.

Just last week, our Lynne Cantwell wrote about the Marketing Rule of 7 – that it takes at least seven instances of someone seeing your book before they actually purchase it. Well – what if those seven instances are in thumbnail size? Do you think they will remember to purchase a book when they can’t read the title? Moreover, will they even notice it to begin with? Probably not. Don’t waste a chance to get in front of someone and make an impression.

Here at Indies Unlimited, thumbnails are generally 120×177 pixels, which on my laptop ends up being around 1.75 inches high by just under 1.25 wide. There is no specific industry standard for thumbnails, (on WordPress it’s 150×150) and the size varies from site to site. Then, add to it people viewing sites on their tablets and cell phones – and you can end up with some mighty small thumbnails. Can you read your title under those circumstances? You may want to check.

Want to read more? Of course you do! It's riveting! You can find the rest of the article here: http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2014/03/18/the-case-for-legible-titles/#more-52481

I’ve Written a Book, What Do I Do Now?

Since my first novel was published in 2001, many people have asked me that question. Once, many years ago, an author read a news story about one of my books, talked the newspaper into giving him my street address, then came to my home and banged on my door until I answered...begging me to tell him how to get a publishing contract. That was creepy.

Today, of course, times have changed and you no longer need to rely on a publisher to get your book out there. But it is a big ocean full of decisions and it can be daunting and confusing. There are scammers out there filling first-time authors' heads full of fake dollar signs, and then stealing real dollars right out from under them.

And, there is the stigma that indie authors and/or self-published books are awful. This is not true, and the only way to overcome this blemish is to educate new authors in the RIGHT way to produce a quality book: one that's free of grammatical errors, typos, formatting errors, and poor presentation. Anyone who truly wants to be a writer wants that anyway.

At Indies Unlimited, my blog partner, Stephen Hise, and I work hard to get the information out there in a way that will be helpful to authors at all stages of their careers. We've just published a resource page for "newbie" authors in hopes of guiding them through the process to putting out a quality first book.

Please feel free share this resource with anyone asking you for advice on where to go or what to do. It'll be a lot easier on you, and they'll have one convenient place to find everything they need.

I’ve Written a Book, How Do I Publish It?

Generating a Discount Coupon on CreateSpace

Well, I guess this week is Createspace week! Yesterday we have a post by our Dick Waters showing us how easy it is to create your own print title with CreateSpace.

Authors know that selling a book directly through CreateSpace (CS) yields a much higher royalty than selling through Amazon.com. So then, how do you entice readers to purchase your book through CreateSpace? Offer them a discount coupon. Maybe that sounds crazy, BUT, usually the difference in royalties is large enough that you have at least a couple dollar’s worth of room to move, so a discount code could help sell print books and make you a better profit!

Now, keep in mind that some people are going to be reluctant to set up a new account just to buy a book. (I’m not certain, but they may be able to just use their Amazon log-in to access CS.) Also keep in mind that now that Amazon is discounting print books – so, depending on how deep they’ve marked down your book – whatever discount you offer on CS may not end up being worth it. (Not to mention that we don’t know whether purchasing a book directly through CreateSpace will show as a verified purchase when the reader reviews it.) Then, of course, Amazon also offers free Super Saver shipping. So why issue a coupon? Because this way, beta readers, advanced copy review readers, friends, and family, can all get themselves a print copy at reduced cost – and, it’s a nice gesture, even if they don’t take you up on it.

Want to know more? The rest of the article is here on Indies Unlimited.

My Birthday Wishlist

A few too many candles...

I may or may not have had a birthday a few weeks ago. I’ll never tell. But if I did have a birthday, I might be inclined to put a wishlist together. Since my life revolves around being a writer – you guessed it – my wishlist is pretty much writerly dominated. Here’s what I want – and what I shall stomp my feet in a fitting tantrum until I get – in no particular order.

Part rant, part satire, part me just being me... If you'd like to read more, you can check out the rest of the article at Indies Unlimited.

Claiming Your Book to Your Author Central Page Part 2

Last week, we showed you the shortcut method to claim a book to your Amazon.com Author Central page. If you missed that article, you can read it here. If you want to do it the more reliable way, we’ll show you that method today.

In order to claim a book to your Author Central page using this method, you must log in to your Author Central account. You can do that here: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/. Once you’re logged in, your home page will look like this:

Click on “to your bibliography” which I’ve highlighted in yellow above. That is where you will see...

Want to see more? You can, for free, over at Indies Unlimited here.

Tutorial: How to Embed a Link in WordPress (with a footnote for Blogger)

Some folks have asked me how to make words into a link on a WordPress blog – you know, so when you click on the words, you go to a web page? This may sound silly to some of you, but it’s not intuitive to everyone. So here is a step-by-step tutorial for those who want to be in the know. The logic is the same for MS Word and for Blogger (blogspot) blogs, although the little buttons are a little different. (I've included a screen capture for Blogger at the bottom of this article.)

I’m going to use our own Mr. Dick Waters’ recent post on Createspace as an example.

Dick wanted to refer to Lynne Cantwell’s post about Createspace in the body of his post. So, when he sent it in to me, he sent me his text along with the link to her article. I added the title of her article in between the reference and the link. Since it’s a title, I italicized it. It’s still highlighted in blue. See the screen below.

To see the screen below and read the rest of this article, please click through to Indies Unlimited here.

Exercises for Authors

Yeah, that’s right. I’m an author. That means I’m cerebral. I work out with my brain, not my body, which means that my Nordic Track machine is used to hang laundry. It works quite nicely in that capacity.

Do those coffee crunches!

Our Laurie Boris tried to get us to start some good habits like stretching and some strange, new-fangled ergonomic stuff. All that’s fine and dandy, but I can’t really see someone like me actually making the effort to do any of it. So, in the true spirit of entrepreneurial opportunism, I’ve developed an exercise program tailored specifically for authors (and anyone who spends extended hours at a computer). Because what good is a program you won’t actually use?

That’s right, I’ve taken activities in which you participate every day and turned them into exercises! How can you go wrong? Well, duh, you can’t.

If you'd like to read the rest of this article, please go here: http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/04/10/exercises-for-authors/

Formula for a Bestselling Horror Novel

Of course, yes, I know you’ve been waiting for this. Who hasn’t been? I’ve already shared with you the formula for writing a blockbuster action/adventure bestseller, a knock-em dead romance bestseller, a spine- and pants-tingling romantic thriller, and a Young Adult Paranormal Romance. I know – that’s really benevolent of me, right? Despite that, you thought I left out a market with huge potential: horror. Well please, patience! I can only turn out one of these labor-intensive formulas each month. They’re quite draining, you know.

Speaking of draining, this book’s got it all: vampires, werewolves, zombies – a story destined to be a bestseller once you add your personal touch to it. How can you go wrong?

Follow my advice below, and you’ll be fighting off a legion of dedicated, zombie-like fans!

Formula for a best-selling horror novel:

If you'd like to read the rest of this article, please go here:  http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/04/24/formula-for-a-bestselling-horror-novel/

Tips: Top 10 Common Book Mistakes

Between the submissions we receive here at Indies Unlimited and the ones I receive for consideration for the Hurricane Sandy Library Recovery project, I’ve vetted close to 200 books in the past two weeks. Yes, my eyes are tired, and there’s a slight chance I may be just a teeny tiny bit cranky.

I’m noticing a lot of common errors while reviewing the previews of these books, which I’m going to list below. People complain (no, I don’t know which people, just people, all right?) that indie and self-published books don’t meet the same level of quality as traditionally published books. I don’t believe that can be made as a blanket statement. What I will tell you, however, is that these errors are DEAD giveaways that a book is a not-so-high-quality self-published product. Isn’t the goal ultimately that someone can pick up an indie book and a traditionally published book and not be able to tell the difference? Well, let’s do away with the issues below and we’ll be well on our way.

If you'd like to read the rest of this article, please click here:  http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/04/23/tips-common-book-mistakes/

The Blog Nobody Wanted to Publish (Except Indies Unlimited)

Today, Indies Unlimited ran an article by best-selling author Martin Crosbie that made me want to jump up and shout "Give me liberty, or give me death!" Martin takes on the fear-mongers and doesn't pull any punches. The only gatekeeper now - is fear. EVERY author should read this.

http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2013/04/02/the-blog-nobody-wanted-to-publish-except-indies-unlimited/

Press Release: INDIES UNLIMITED TO REVEAL NEW BOOK MARKETING STRATEGY

March 24, 2012; Phoenix, AZ – On April 1st, 2012 at 8 a.m. Pacific time, Indies Unlimited – the premier multi-national, multi-author web site for the Independent Publishing industry – will announce a new and innovative ‘reverse marketing’ book promotion tactic developed by founder Stephen Hise.

“Mr. Hise is an innovator and mastermind,” Indies Unlimited co-administrator K. S. Brooks said in a written statement. “This new method is definitely not for everyone, but I believe it could start a new trend in the marketplace. Indie book promotion will definitely be impacted, and quite frankly, may never be the same again. We’re looking forward to sharing Mr. Hise’s perspicacity with the industry.”

Stephen Hise founded IndiesUnlimited.com in October of 2011 to provide a platform for independent authors to share and exchange ideas, knowledge, expertise and frustrations; and, for readers and reviewers to become exposed to the amazing depth and array of talent in the indie community.

For more information, go to http://www.IndiesUnlimited.com

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A New Resource for Indie Authors and Readers

This web site is awesome.  I'm proud to be a part of it!

STEPHEN HISE LAUNCHES INDIES UNLIMITED

New Web Site Will Be A Resource for Indie Authors and Readers

Phoenix, AZ – 05 Jan 2012 – Indie Author Stephen Hise has launched a new website called Indies Unlimited.  The goal of the site is to celebrate, educate, and promote independent authors. Content includes interviews, articles, links, video book trailers, contests, reviews, industry news, tutorials and recommendations.

“We are at the beginning of a technological revolution in how books are written, published, marketed, purchased, and read,” Hise explains. “I started Indies Unlimited to showcase the amazing amount of talent in the indie author community. I hope to connect authors with each other and with readers as well.”

IndiesUnlimited.com is designed to provide a platform for independent authors to share and exchange ideas, knowledge, expertise and frustrations; and, for readers and reviewers to become exposed to the amazing depth and array of talent in the indie community.

With a staff consisting of multi-published, best-selling and ground-breaking writers, Indies Unlimited is able to provide guidance and input to assist less-experienced authors.  Hise says, “I have recruited authors and industry experts from different areas of the publishing field to provide insight, expertise, and diverse perspectives on the many facets of writing.”

Readers from all over the world have already found their way to Indies Unlimited, where they can sample excerpts of Indie Authors’ books for free, and even engage an author directly in questions and answers through the comments. 

“Indies Unlimited offers so much to so many,” says award-winning author K. S. Brooks.  “I really enjoy the sharp-witted, fresh content.  It’s always good to be able to laugh when you’re involved in such a competitive industry.”

Authors who’d like to participate are able to submit queries via www.IndiesUnlimited.com/submissions.   

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About Stephen Hise:  Stephen Hise is an Arizona-based independent author and consultant. He has been writing both personally and professionally for many years. Hise published his first novel in 2010, along with a collection of short stories on which he collaborated with two other authors.  More information is available at http://StephenHise.com and http://IndiesUnlimited.com

The Versatile Blogger Award

Wow?  An award?  For my blog?

Really?  Sweet!

It may not be an Academy Award for best screenplay or a Pulitzer, but it sure is nice to be appreciated.  Fellow author Stephen Hise has bestowed "The Versatile Blogger" award upon this here blog.

This is a "you're awesome, pass it on"  kind of award, and there are 3 rules which are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post. 

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Pass this award off to 5 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it.

That's pretty cool.  Thanks for thinking of me, Stephen.  Hise's blog, Indies Unlimited, is loaded with side-splitting clever satire, sneak previews and author interviews.  If you haven't checked it out, you really should.  I promise it will be worth it.

Seven things about me?  Ugh.

1.  I speak French to squirrels.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe it's because the word squirrel just sounds better in French.

2.  I've been to all 50 States, and some foreign nations that were nice enough to let me in.

3.  Writing is something I've always done - even with crayons way back before fire was invented.  :)

4.  I walked before I crawled.  I've always done things a little out of order.

5.  I love turning real-life mean people into characters in my books and then humiliating them.  It's better than therapy.

6.  Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite President.

7.  I did not pay Stephen Hise in exchange for this award.  :)

And now the best part - the "Pass it on" to five other bloggers.  If you haven't been to these blogs, please take the time to check them out. 

Write Words/Arline Chase  - great advice and writing tips for authors

Book Monsters Reviews - Super friendly site featuring honest reviews, give-aways and more

Avoiding the Stairs - Poignant and satirical stories

Dames of Dialogue - A classy blog by truly classy dames!

Morgen Bailey's Writing Blog - if you can't find it here, well...

So again, a special thank you to Stephen Hise.  This was fun - well, except for the seven things about me part.  I don't like to have to think that hard.