On the surface, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a movie with values I can get behind. A boring photo-processor daydreams about epic adventures because he’s too scared and socially awkward to actually do anything. He’s made fun of, ignored and taken for granted. He’s supporting his mom and his dead-beat actress sister; a
This month I was asked to be a guest judge on the Author’s Database 2013 indie book cover design contest. It was an interesting experience, both in seeing the quality of what’s out there, and becoming more familiar with my own guidelines for quality cover design. There was a wide variety, and I was supposed
Was 2013 as good as you hoped it would be? Did you accomplish what you had your sights set on? Going into a new year is always a good time to take stock of your life, set goals and make a concerted effort towards real change. Think back over 2013 and ask yourself these questions:
Today I noticed a few posts popping up on blogs I like about doing a 2013 “Year in Review” and mapping out goals and New Year’s Resolutions for 2014. This is something I’ve usually done on my Birthday (Dec. 22nd) or Christmas, or closer to the new year. Setting and achieving goals has been a
A few years ago I was touring “dracula’s” castle in Romania after applying for a Fulbright scholarship to study vampire literature. I republished a translation of an early story that I couldn’t find in the Kindle store, which *should* have been well past the creative commons copyright date. In an unexpected Christmas...
A month ago I gave away a one week luxury writer’s vacation, and I’d like to do it again before the end of the year. (If you’re new here – I bought 20 weeks worth of time shares that aren’t convenient for me to use, so I’ll be giving away a couple every year). How
Recently I finished a guide to book marketing, and discouraged authors from using a free or paid press release service because I don’t think it’s worthwhile for authors or book promotion. But you might want to do it anyway, especially if you A) have a non-fiction book or B) are promoting some kind of business.
This is a work in progress, I plan to update it soon with more plugins and more info. 1. My Book Table A really handy plugin to add in “Buy Now” links to various online bookstores, you really need this. 2. Totally Booked 3. Buy This Book 4. Highlight and Share Makes it easy for
The last time I added a book to Amazon (2011) things were a little different, and I had to learn to tricky, not-quite-html code. But the situation has improved. From what I understand (as of Nov. 2013) or so, you can login to Author Central and manage your book description, but on Author Central you
Something interesting I thought I would bring up, because I encounter it often in my work with indie and self-publishing authors. If you do a search for “best cover designs”, you’ll routinely see covers that designers love – like on this page. And they are very clever, very clean and simple, usually “flat” or...
I’m about ready to launch a package of DIY book cover templates in MS word, to give indie authors and affordable options for high quality cover design. I’m trying to bulk upload to Pinterest (where “DIYdecember” is trending) but alas, Pinterest is fickle, so I’m going to upload some of my favorites on this page
I’m writing a book on book marketing. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but after reading everything else available, I’ve realized a lot of advice for indie authors is outdated, disorganized or just plain wrong. Which is why most indie authors are terrible at promoting their own books. Since I’ve worked with hundreds of...
