Guest Post from Tricia Lorntson: How to NOT Skyrocket from Nobody to Somebody as an Indie Author

May 10, 2013 by 2 Comments
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My name is Tricia Lorntson and I’m an egoholic. Crowd: Hi, Tricia! This is a public service announcement and a cautionary tale for struggling writers everywhere. Your odds of becoming instafamous are only marginally higher than your chances of winning the PowerBall. You? Are not special. Don’t believe your mother—she has to tell you that. Let me give it to you straight, and in third person for dramatic effect:   Once upon a time in 2011, a girl named Tricia was writing a book and had what she believed to be enough of a budget to release this book into the wild where it would surely draw international fame and fortune. She met with the owner of a local collaborative… [read more]

Filed Under: Authorpreneur, Blogging, eBooks, Editing, Guest Post, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Going Indie: 4 Tips Indie Hip-Hop Group Macklemore Can Teach Authors

April 30, 2013 by 6 Comments
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We lurrrrve Macklemore.           In the past six months, indie hip-hop group Macklemore (Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis) has become HUGE. Not Harry-Potter-over-two-decades huge, but they’re certainly inching on Hunger-Games-over-five-years huge. “Thrift Shop,” a funky little ear worm that has everyone talking about poppin’ tags, has dominated YouTube waves with nearly 250 million views as of today and has gone platinum. Macklemore is the first indie group (an artist or group without the backing of a major record label) in nearly two decades to top the Billboard charts with “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us”; another hit, “Same Love” celebrates same-sex marriage, becoming a standard protest/civil rights anthem. Another hit on their 2012 album The Heist is a track called “Jimmy Iovine,” based on the legendary… [read more]

Filed Under: Audience, Authorpreneur, Branding, Fun, Indie Publishing, Kickstarter, Literary Trends, Media, Self-publishing, Social Media, Technology, Traditional Publishing, Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

3 Ways to Market Your Book RIGHT NOW!

April 9, 2013 by 8 Comments
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If you’re an indie author, you know that writing, publishing, and marketing your book is an incredibly busy job, and one that really doesn’t end once the book is out. In fact, this job doesn’t end as long as you still want your book out into the world. Book publishing is kind of like parenting–it’s not like your job ends after the nesting and delivery process, because then you have to raise your child. The fact is, YOU ARE ONE PERSON! You can only do, in one day, what one person is capable of doing in a day. Also, remember that life you had? With the friends, spouse, kids (real–not paper or e-ink), pets, etc.? Yeah, they’re still important. So… [read more]

Filed Under: Blogging, Book Marketing, Content, Guest Post, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

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: , , , , , , ,

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: , , , , , , ,

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: , , , , , , ,

The 140-Character Twitter Novel

January 18, 2013 by 6 Comments
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              This past fall, the Guardian posted a great little article in which they featured 21 well-known authors using a Twitter post to write a novel. The challenge proved to be very provocative, funny, and interesting! A few of our favorites:   Ian Rankin: I opened the door to our flat and you were standing there, cleaver raised. Somehow you’d found out about the photos. My jaw hit the floor. Jeffrey Archer: “It’s a miracle he survived,” said the doctor. “It was God’s will,” said Mrs Schicklgruber. “What will you call him?” “Adolf,” she replied. Helen Fielding: OK. Should not have logged on to your email but suggest if going on marriedaffair.com don’t use… [read more]

Filed Under: #hashtags, Content, Social Media, Twitter, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

E-books: Why Self-Publishing Will Be Preferred by Readers

January 11, 2013 by 9 Comments
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If you are an avid reader of Wise Ink, you know that we live and breathe  indie publishing. We couldn’t be more in awe of the self-sufficient, self-starting, inspirational, educational, entertaining, thought-leading, movement-making indie authors we work with. You make us strive to be as awesome as you! Indie love! We’re also realists; we realize there are STILL (still? Yep.) plenty of nay-sayers out there trying to keep self-publishing authors down. Certain booksellers and reviewers refuse to even look at self-published books because “it’s their policy.” Indies move around them–directly to their audiences. Tons of other experts (Wise Ink included) believe that indie publishing is THE BIGGEST thing happening in publishing right now. Nothing in publishing has affected the industry… [read more]

Filed Under: eBooks, Indie Publishing, Pub. Industry, Royalty Publishing, Self-publishing, Technology, Traditional Publishing Tagged With: , , , ,

4 Fresh Tools for E-Book Authors in 2013

January 8, 2013 by 4 Comments
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Your e-book is out and you need to spread the word? How do you do it? Now that e-book publishing is easier than ever, you’re up against expanding competition and a saturated market. But, never fear. New and innovative tools are being created as we speak. All you need is a thorough and realistic understanding of your audience, a well-written book, and the patience to market your e-book consistently. Here’s a recap on our e-book philosophy: Quality is just as important with e-books as a printed book E-books are just as important to market as printed books Live events to promote your e-book are essential (create an account on Authorgraph to allow you to sign e-books for your readers) Invest… [read more]

Filed Under: eBooks, Indie Publishing Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Perfect Book Title

December 7, 2012 by 5 Comments
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Choosing your book’s title is one of the most important and most influential parts of the production process. The book title is the tool to connect with the audience. It is the medium through which readers’ brains make synapses that cause them to register the thought, “Hmmmm . . . I wonder what this is about.” The title is how your book will be known, recommended, and become a  become a pop-culture phenomenon! If I’ve gotten you nervous about picking the right title, calm down. Here are some questions to ask yourself to start narrowing it down to the perfect book title.   1) To subtitle or not to subtitle? First of all, the purpose of the MAIN title is… [read more]

Filed Under: Branding, Title Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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