Self-Publishing: The Carnival of the Indies Issue #106

POSTED ON Jul 28, 2019

Home > Blog > Self-Publishing, Social Media > Self-Publishing: The Carnival of the Indies Issue #106

By Joel Friedlander

Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for July, 2019. We welcome your submissions on topics related to writing, self-publishing, book design or marketing books.

A collection of outstanding articles recently posted to blogs, your reading here will be richly rewarded.

See the end of this post for links to submit your blog posts for the next carnival, or for participating Bloggers and Featured Bloggers to grab your sidebar badges. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Featured Posts

Lisa Poisso presents Why you need a critique partner or group and how to find one posted at Clarity, saying, “Allowing others to gaze upon the visage of your book can seem all but impossible, but if you mean to be a published author, you don’t have time to be precious about it.”

Henry Baum presents 20 Book Marketing Strategies for New and Experienced Authors posted at Self-Publishing Review.

Louise Harnby presents Formatting your book in Word: How to save time with the Styles tool posted at The Parlour, saying, “Are you spending too much time on your novel’s text design? Here’s how to use the Styles function in Microsoft Word to ensure the various elements are formatted consistently.”

Book Design and Production

Dave Chesson presents The Top Software For Writers Of 2019 posted at Kindlepreneur, saying, “A self-publisher is only as good as his or her tools, and in this article, I share my favorites for crucial book production steps like formatting, cover designing, editing, and more.”

Glenna Collett presents Book front matter elements posted at Book Design Made Simple, saying, “Every book has front matter elements, with a title page and a copyright page being absolutely essential. But many authors find it very confusing, so we’ve gone back to bookmaking basics to straighten it all out for them.”

Ebooks and Ebook Readers

Carla King presents How to Resize Image Files for Your eBook & Website posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Tech Guru, Carla King, shares 4 easy ways for authors to resize image files in JPG or PNG so your eBook is smaller to avoid big Amazon download fees and your web images load faster.”

Indie Author

Joy E. Rancatore presents How to Force a Submission from Your Challenges posted at Logos & Mythos, saying, “What do you get when you play with a mixed metaphor for the challenges in life and writing and kick in some MMA examples? How to Force Submission from Your Challenges!”

Patrice Williams Marks presents Everything You Wanted to Know About Sensitivity Reading But Were Afraid to Ask – Top Ten Questions Answered posted at Author Patrice Williams Marks.

Sarah Bolme presents Are You Using the Right Social Media Channel? posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “Using social media to promote your books is a smart marketing strategy. Social media is a great way to gain exposure for you and your books. One survey found that 90% of marketers report that investing in social media has a direct impact on their revenue. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Snapchat—with so many to choose from, how do you know where you should spend your time and energy?”

Marketing and Selling Your Books

Belinda Griffin presents How to Build Relationships with Your Email Subscribers posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Reader Relationships Expert, Belinda Griffin, reveals how forging relationships with subscribers is key to using your email list to grow your author platform.”

Connie Dowell presents Lessons from Comicpalooza: Tabling and hand selling your books posted at Book Echoes, saying, “This episode gives lessons learned from my experience selling at Comicpalooza in Houston and helpful hints for authors wishing to sell their books at festivals and conventions.”

Iola Goulton presents Reviewing 101 | All You Need to Know about Reviewing Online posted at Christian Editing Services, saying, “Amazon are forever tightening their reviewing guidelines, and I’m seeing more and more authors complaining that the reviews from their street teams aren’t posting. In this resource post, I’ve given the three most common reasons why reviews are rejected, and offer a links to posts on various reviewing questions”

Jay Artale presents How to Launch a Free Podcast to Share Book and Blog Content posted at How to Blog a Book, saying, “If you’ve been hesitant to start a podcast, this post will help you feel much more inclined to move forward. Why? Jay Artale, a digital nomad and full-time writer and blogger, explains how to get started and use a free podcast to share both blog and book content with readers.”

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents Benefits Vs. Features: A Crucial Key to Selling More Books posted at Kunz On Publishing, saying, “One of biggest marketing mistakes we non-fiction authors can make is to confuse the benefits and features that a reader will get if they buy our book. And, at first glance, it might seem a little difficult to understand the differences – especially if you are writing a book for the first time. And, if you the author don’t understand how to explain the benefits and features of your own book, the reader/buyer will certainly be confused – which means that they won’t buy your book. So, here is a quick explanation to help you understand the basic differences between a book’s benefits, and a book’s features.”

Nate Hoffelder presents Nine Tips for Authors Going to Their First Book Fair (updated) posted at The Digital Reader, saying, “Going out in public and meeting readers face to face is the best way to grow your fanbase, but it can be hard to figure out what you should be doing. Here are nine tips for authors going to their first book festival.”

Sarah Bolme presents This Phrase Can Ruin Your Marketing Efforts posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “I hear and see this phrase more than I should. Indie authors with great intentions who are enthusiastic about promoting their books often say the phrase. Sadly, what these authors don’t understand is that this one little phrase can ruin their book marketing efforts.”

Self-Publishing Success

Dave Chesson presents Make the Most of Your Dedication Page posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Author Branding Expert, Dave Chesson, shares the why’s and how authors can make the most of the dedication page of their book.”

Lisa Poisso presents Decide Now, Decide Later: Decisions to Make Before an Edit posted at Clarity, saying, “Most authors assume the right editing package—the “best” one—means as much spit and polish as they can afford. But that’s not the way it works. The right editing approach for your book is all about your personal publishing goals.”

Tyler Doornbos presents DIY Author Website Themes That Work & Save You $ posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Author Website expert, Tyler Doornbos, continues his DIY series with a how-to on choosing a good theme for your site from among the gazillion options available, that will perform well and spare you some dough.”

Writing Tools and Tips

Dmitri Barvinok presents News for authors and editors from AP: What changes are in the 2019 Associated Press Stylebook? posted at Front Edge Publishing Blog, saying, “In this Front Edge Publishing column, Dmitri Barvinok looks at the big new Associated Press (AP) Stylebook that is landing on writers’ and editors’ desks nationwide. About 200 changes were made, some of them as the result of AP editors talking with Twitter users. You may be surprised, pleased or perhaps frustrated by the news you’ll find in this update. In his column, Dmitri picked his own most intriguing changes to highlight for all those of us who rely on this book. The big changes range from the use of the percentage sign (%) to the complex issues faced by writers and editors when covering race-related issues.”

Jay Artale presents Yes Nonfiction Writers Use Freewriting posted at Birds of a Feather Press, saying, “All forms of physical activity require warm-up activities, and writing’s no different. If you’re struggling to write those first few sentences and the challenges of your day are dominating your imagination, freewriting could be the workout buddy you’ve been looking for.”

Laura Cross presents 5 Step Process to Write a Nonfiction Business, Self-Help or How-To Book posted at Expert Author.

Louise Harnby presents How to write great dialogue in your novel posted at The Parlour, saying, “Is your dialogue pushing your novel forward or making the reader feel like they’re eavesdropping on a mundane conversation at the bus stop? Here’s how to ensure your dialogue pops.”

Terry Whalin presents Interview Others to Grow As a Writer posted at The Writing Life, saying, “One of your best ways to grow as a writer is to interview others. Prolific writer and editor Terry Whalin gives you insights and tips in this article.”

Zara Altair presents Mystery Character Secrets and Lies posted at Write Time, saying, “Add depth to your characters. Give your mystery characters a secret and the lies they use to hide it.”

Well, that wraps up this issue. I hope you enjoy some of the great articles here, and let other people interested in self-publishing know about the Carnival—Use the share buttons to Tweet it, Share it on Facebook, Link to it!

The next issue is August 25, 2019 and the deadline for submissions will be August 15, 2019. Don’t miss it!

Here are all the links you’ll need