#indiesbeseen

[mackenzie-brown]

5 Stars for THE SHIFTING in the UK from @guernseyevacuee ‘totally engrossed by the twists and turns’ 

viewBook.at/TheShiftingTheShiftingTrilogy 

[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

This is Me ~ A Review~

This is Me ~ A Review~

I’ll admit it. I’m a huge fan of C.E. Wilson. This means I snatched up the chance to get an ARC of her latest book. Check out the cover:   So… was it everything I’d hoped for? Yep. And more. This Is Me feels a bit futuristic, but more like an alternate universe.  It has a sci-fi feel to it that I love. Speaking of love… it has some great romance in it, too. That’s right. A well-blended work  that…

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[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

Don't Marry a Feminist

Don’t Marry a Feminist

My birthday was a short week ago. We won’t discuss numbers; I’m not a math person ;) Anyhow, my mom took me out to lunch this week to celebrate. I was excited. I don’t get to spend as much time as I’d like with my parents. The only consolation was that my daughter and niece went, but really that was okay. They’re about the same age and can entertain each other without much adult intervention.…

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[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

Have you read an indie book lately? If you haven’t, why not?

You’ll probably give me one of the of the following reasons why you haven’t delved into the world of indies:

“I can’t find a book/author that I like enough to buy.”

What?! There are over 4 million titles on Amazon. 45% of those are indie books. (Thanks, Author Earnings Report.)

Recently, I’ve read a story about a girl who gets trapped in a world of giants, one about a town’s women getting kidnapped and left to die in a pool of ice, a historical romance about two people who raised to hate each other but fell in love anyway, and several non-fiction that range from people’s perspective on the world, to nutrition, to writing and marketing. Once (before I was an author) I read an indie book and didn’t even know it!

If the “buying” is your problem, then search for free books. Hundreds of indie authors give away ebooks for free throughout the year. In fact, I’m giving away Beasts and Savages to anyone who signs up for my mailing list. (Which you can do here.)

  “I only read print books.”

And? I read indie print books. There are thousands out there and I also publish my books in print. Here’s a suitcase full of my first book in paperback:

“Indie books are nothing more than terribly written stories full of typos.”

I think this one is the most uninformed and unintelligent “status quo” statements I’ve ever heard.Sure, there are self-pubbed authors who really have no idea and hit the publish button a little too soon. And ones with thin skin probably never publish another book. The remaining indie authors learn from their mistakes, and fix them, too. I’m one of the latter. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve updated my first book, and my second is on its third go-round with an editor. I’ve even gone so far as to list the editors on my Amazon page and in the copyright info. Why? Because one typo in my story means someone, somewhere will scream, “This is why I don’t read indie!”

But aren’t there terrible books from trad-publishing? These photos say there are:

  James Patterson’s book has a 2.3-star rating on Amazon, and that last photo is making fun of Fifty Shades, just in case you didn’t know.

As for typos and formatting errors, they can happen in any book. I think it’s all about perception. Take this picture from Ally Condie’s Matched:

Is that space and lack of indentation supposed to be there? I’m sure someone will say, “It’s only the style of content break the publisher chose to use.” Okay, maybe it is. I really don’t know. BUT, what would happen if I chose to use the same style in my self-published work? At least three someones would be crying, “Poor formatting! This is why I don’t read indies!”

Now that I’ve proven that “reasons” are really “excuses” for not reading indie, are you going to give an indie book a chance? Or are you going to continue to let “The Man” tell you what to read?

Indie Pride Day Have you read an indie book lately? If you haven't, why not? You'll probably give me one of the of the following reasons why you haven't delved into the world of indies:

[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

How to Ask for a YouTube Review...

How to Ask for a YouTube Review…

So far, I haven’t asked anyone on YouTube to review Beasts and Savages. Not that I don’t want them to, I’ve just been focused on other things. More on that tomorrow. Anyway, as I’m a stickler for research, I searched for reviewers of teen books and began my descent down the rabbit hole. That’s where I found this gem:   That’s right.…

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[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

Book Cover Competition

My book cover for Beasts and Savages has been entered in a competition. That’s right, this one:  It’s number seventeen. The numbers are listed under the covers. I was confused when I checked that out, so I thought I’d mention it.   So, wonderful followers, I’d love it if you could stop by and give me a vote: http://www.ultimatefantasybooks.com/competitions.php     We’re in the first part of three…

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[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

Character Interview ~Illusional Reality's Becky~

Character Interview ~Illusional Reality’s Becky~

This week, a new NA romantic fantasy hit the Amazon shelves. Illusional Reality by Karina Kantas is a book full of romance, action, and magic. Becky, or Thya, as she’s know in Tisnia, is an executive that is taken from her home on Earth and told that not only is she the princess of a magical land, but she is expected to marry Kovon, son of warlard Darthon  so that peace will prevail over her…

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[wordsofnotsoverywisdom]

Making the Most of Your Book Description

Making the Most of Your Book Description

So I’ve recently been obsessed with podcasts. I’ve listened to ten over the past three day. Instead of radio, I turn on the podcast player on my phone while I’m driving. Great multi-tasking, right? Of course! What does this have to do with writing? Well, I’ve listened to four episodes of The Self-Publishing Podcast. And my favorite, so far, is  #176 Optimizing Your Amazon Sales Page for…

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