Creativindie Experiments in self-publishing, productivity and building a creative empire

Creativindie is a good idea that I plan to explode into an enormous helpful blog for indie authors and writers; hence I’m looking for a wordpress theme that will make it user-friendly and have that “professional blogger” look that earns nearly instant credibility. If you know what I’m talking about – the clean, crisp, bold style of many pro blogger …

How to advertise your book and why you should. There’s a self-published book being advertised on Facebook called “Replenish the Earth”. The cover is ho-hum. The first time I saw it I smirked, thinking the author was throwing their money away. The 10th time I saw it, I bought the book. Why? Exposure creates interest and curiosity. Who is this …

I’ve been reading a bunch of thriller indie novels lately that aren’t at all thrilling. This is because newbie authors frequently make the same mistakes when writing thrillers and fail to build up any suspense – hence, in this post I’m going to teach you how to build tension and keep readers immersed in your story. 1) Why should I …

My name is Derek, which means “leader of the people.” My sister’s name is “Terra” which means earth. Both names reflect our parents’ backgrounds, ethnicity, and popular names of the time period. When you’re choosing character names for your novel, you can pretend you’re planning out the future lives and success of your children (you are, in a sense!). Is …

Preparing for Nanowrimo 2011, I’ve been reading Alan Watt’s The 90 Day Novel: Unlock the Story Within. I love it. Alan coaches you on how to relax and get the work done. Here are a few of the most important tips if you’ve been wanting to write a novel but can’t seem to find time. 1) Have a plan Writing a …

A novel, any novel, thrives on conflict, resolution and change. You need to show readers what’s at stake, then allow it to happen. Show the characters worrying and trying to prevent things – then always let those things happen. Everything the character does makes things worse. There is conflict on every page that is believable (characters have a real motivation …

All good books start with a murder. While that probably isn’t the golden rule of writing, for many types of novel, beginning with murder, death or at least the threat of it is a must. In a mystery, the murder happens first and the detectives have to sort it out. In a thriller, the murder is what starts the plot …

Maybe you’ve done your research and have decided that to give your book a fair shot in the competition against mainstream published books, you need to use a distributor like Lightning Source. If so, here are some tips to help you set up! 1) Make sure all your files are perfect, unimpeachable, eternal. Unfortunately, unlike Createspace where you can keep …

Recently I read John Locke’s kindle book, “How I sold 1 million ebooks in 5 months.” It’s well worth reading so you should check it out. Locke reveals exactly what his title promises. A few of my favorite tips are below: 1) You need to have more than one book. A complex marketing strategy to promote yourself won’t be as …

I put out my self published non-fiction research book about a year ago. I did almost everything wrong. I’m starting to come to grips with what I should have done, which I’ve arranged in the following 3-step plan for those who can benefit from my mistakes. 1) Distribution. The book has to be OUT there, easy for people to buy …