Making Time for a Dream: Interview with Mystery Author Deborah K. Jensen

April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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never did I think that I wanted to or could write a novel. But the gift of a dream was given to me… This week, we were fortunate enough to sit down with Deborah K. Jensen, an inspiring indie author with a killer book called Beyond Escape, an exciting new novel based on a true story with family secrets, betrayal, murder, and lust. She shared with us how she melded this true story with one of fiction, and how she found time to make her dream a reality.   1) You’ve been writing for many years. Did you always want to write mysteries? When I was a young girl, I fell in love with the idea of writing and told my… [read more]

Filed Under: Author Interview, Authorpreneur, Book Marketing, Indie Publishing, Motivational, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How To Target Beta Readers, Reviewers, and Bloggers [Sample Letters Included]

March 22, 2013 by 10 Comments
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Wise Ink is still a baby blog. We’re not the rockstars in the indie publishing world…yet. Needless to say when we get approached by folks who want us to review their books or post guest blogs, we’re still somewhat shocked. It’s humbling. We love to support our indies so if you would like us to interview you about your book or you have a great post for our audience (bloggers, writers, authors), shoot us an email. We’re not terribly picky. We get how hard it is to reach out to strangers and hope someone answers you back. But here’s some advice: put your best foot forward.  Bloggers, even newer ones like Wise Ink, get spammed a lot. And here’s how… [read more]

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Guest Post, Indie Publishing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Author Interview: Indie Author Genese Davis’s Gamer Fiction, “The Holder’s Dominion”

March 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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This week, we (electronically) sat down with one of our favorite indie authors, Genese Davis, to talk about her journey in indie-publishing!   On March 1, 2013, Davis released her very first novel, The Holder’s Dominion, a new-adult gamer-fiction title. Though Davis never thought she would become a gamer—nevermind a gaming enthusiast—she discovered the world of gaming as an adult through Final Fantasy XI, and has since cracked the top 100 in the world for her class in World of Warcraft. Her experiences in gaming laid the groundwork for The Holder’s Dominion, a book meant to encourage excitement around the gaming world.       Genese, please tell us a little bit about yourself. I grew up in Santa Fe,… [read more]

Filed Under: Author Interview, Authorpreneur, Book Launch, Branding, Indie Publishing, Literary Trends, Publishers Weekly, Self-publishing, Thought Leader Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Top 5 Reasons Traditional Authors Are Going Indie

March 1, 2013 by 16 Comments
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      NDIE!     It’s probably not a surprise–we’re always hearing about authors who have previously published traditionally choosing to go indie.  But what is making them? When they’ve been accepted by the literary elites, and they’ve been given advances and have received the support of a publisher, what motivation could make them switch to publishing independently? The top 5 reasons we see authors going indie:   1. The “support” traditional publishers offer is no longer as relevant or valuable. Traditionally, publishers would give authors a nice, fat advance. Then they’d take the brand-spankin’-new author’s book, publish it, deliver it to the exclusive sales channels (the traditional bookstores, unreachable to anyone but publishers and the ONLY place anyone… [read more]

Filed Under: Indie Publishing, Literary Trends, Pub. Industry, Publishers Weekly, Royalty Publishing, Self-publishing, Traditional Publishing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

More E-book Drama! Amazon and the Big 6 (3?) Sued by Indie Bookstores over E-book Sales

February 22, 2013 by 1 Comment
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                      Yesterday, it was announced that three independent bookstores–Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Fiction Addiction, and Posman Books–filed a suit against Amazon and the “Big 6” (3?) publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin, Random House, and Simon & Schuster) over Amazon’s monopoly over e-book sales due to DRM. These publishers have made agreements with Amazon to allow Amazon the advantage in selling their e-books. DRM, or “digital rights management,” prevents the transfer of e-book files from one device to another. For example, if you purchase an e-book on Amazon, that file can’t be transferred to a non-Amazon-friendly device (nook, for example) if you choose to change devices. Last year, J.K. Rowling historically… [read more]

Filed Under: Bookstores, eBooks, Pub. Industry, Technology Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Lady Gaga’s Four Tips for Captivating your Audience

February 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
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Last Wednesday I (Dara) had the privilege of seeing Lady Gaga in concert. My good friend Oscar and I enjoyed Gaga’s “Born this Way Ball” and it was a night to remember. Between you and me, I’m not a Gaga die-hard, otherwise known as a “Little Monster.” In fact, I went as a cynical observer. It was all that you might imagine: loud, fun, crazy, and otherworldly. I danced, screamed, and cried–and I’m only talking about the first five minutes. From the costumes, to the dancing, to Gaga antics galore, I could hardly catch my breath the entire show. Her audience loved every second. By the end of the night, I had a different opinion of Lady Gaga. I also… [read more]

Filed Under: Audience Tagged With: , ,

Is Your Book a Magic Wand?

February 11, 2013 by 1 Comment
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If your book was a magic wand, what would it do when you waved it? Maybe you have great culinary abilities AND you’re a super-cool nerd. So you went to culinary school and used that knowledge to develop a cookbook for all the other Trekkies of the world. Maybe that cookbook got you a table at Comic-Con, where you made connections that led to an introduction to Peter Jackson, who hired you to become his live-in chef.  Maybe you’ve written a book on time management (be sure to send me a copy!) that led you to giving speeches to college students, corporations, and entrepreneurs on how to manage time to optimize success. You created the world’s best time-management program and… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Motivational, Planning, Self-publishing, Thought Leader

How to Be a Writer Who Thinks Like a Publisher

February 1, 2013 by 3 Comments
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There are many mistakes to make as an indie author. We’ve seen them all. Common mistakes include not researching your audience ahead of time, underestimating your publishing expenses, and not hiring a professional editor. But here’s the biggest and most devastating mistake indie authors make: They forget to think like a publisher.  Yes, you are a writer. Yes, you are an author. But you’re also a business owner the moment you decide to self-publish. What exactly does this mean? It means you wear two hats (at least) and for some that’s uncomfortable. For the authors that learn the publishing ropes and when and how to wear both hats, indie publishing becomes more manageable. Once you know your book is also… [read more]

Filed Under: Self-publishing

Writers: Live In Your Potential

January 25, 2013 by 5 Comments
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You are smarter, braver, and more capable than you know. The best advice I’ve (Amy) ever gotten. This very simple statement allows us to leave the space where we only measure ourselves by our proven skills, and move INTO a space where we are fully aware that there are heights and depths and mountains and canyons that we CAN reach. While the rest of the world might measure you by your proven achievements, YOU must measure yourself by the achievements yet to be had. Without living in the presence of your full potential, you won’t seek to reach it. You won’t even know it’s there! What frightens you about becoming an author? Is it the work that you’ll have to… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Motivational, Thought Leader, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How to Discover Your Book’s Brand

January 23, 2013 by 3 Comments
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Take a few minutes and name your favorite authors. No, really, think about it. If you were to take a look at their books, you’d notice the synergy of tone, cover, and title. What about your book? Have you considered the stamp you want to leave in  your readers’ minds? If you’re wondering how to create a brand for your book or even what we mean by the word “brand,” just remember this: your book’s brand is your book’s personality. You don’t need a marketing firm to help you create your book’s brand. You just need to know two things: Who is your audience  and How do you want them to feel reading your book.  It’s that simple. Here are… [read more]

Filed Under: Book Marketing, Branding, Self-publishing Tagged With: , ,
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