Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies Issue #121

POSTED ON Oct 30, 2020

Joel Friedlander

Written by Joel Friedlander

Home > Blog > The Joel Friedlander Archives > Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies Issue #121

Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for October, 2020. 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

Darcy Pattison presents Illustrator: Finding and Working with an Illustrator posted at Indie Kids Books.
 
 
 
Hannah Lee Kidder presents Book Mockup Generators: 5 Free Tools posted at Self Publishing School, saying, “A complete guide to generating free 3D book mockups for use in marketing materials.”
 
 
Helen V presents Best Facebook Author Pages: 16 Examples That Inspire posted at MiblArt blog.

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Book Design and Production

Jennifer Navarre presents How to Map Out Your Picture Book in 32 Pages posted at bibliokids, saying, “Your picture book will benefit from you paying attention to layout now.”

Indie Author

Darcy Pattison presents A 5-Year Publishing Plan posted at Indie Kids Books.

Terry Whalin presents Six Keys to Consistent Social Media posted at The Writing Life, saying, “Prolific editor and writer Terry Whalin has over 200,000 twitter followers and over 18,000 LinkedIN connections, He gives six keys to consistent social media.”

Marketing and Selling Your Books

Sandra Beckwith presents 3 REASONS YOU AREN’T MARKETING YOUR BOOK (AND HOW TO FIX THAT) posted at IndieReader.

Belinda Griffin presents Author Newsletter: How to build an email list FAST posted at SmartAuthorsLab.

Frances Caballo presents 105 Hashtags for Writers posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “Are you still confused by hashtags? If so, I list 105 hashtags just for writers that will make the chore a breeze. This post will explain everything you need to know about hashtags and give you a comprehensive list of terms that you can use immediately.”

Angelica Hartgers presents Social Media For Authors: How To Use Social Media For Promotion posted at SelfPublishing.com, saying, “A brand new guide to help indie authors promote their books successfully on social media. Covers classic platforms like Twitter and Facebook as well as newer options such as TikTok.”

Pauline Wiles presents Your Author Website: Why Your Greatest Strength Is Also Your Weakness posted at Nonfiction Authors Association, saying, “As an author, you probably love to write! When assembling the content for your website, be careful you aren’t leaning too heavily on words, and ignoring the other structural and design considerations that encourage your reader to take the action you want.”

Self-Publishing Success

Jennifer Navarre presents 6 Questions to Ask When Looking For a Kidlit Editor posted at bibliokids, saying, “When the time comes for your book to be edited, here are some questions to ask when looking for a kidlit editor.”

Jo Finchen-Parsons presents Writing a book as a business marketing tool posted at The Exchange, saying, “A good proportion of my self-publishing clients are writing books to market and develop their businesses. It’s a bold and brave move but you’ll see from the first-time authors featured in this article that the potential rewards are long-lasting and well worth the effort.”

Jo Kelly presents Converting one author to self publishing posted at Authors A.I. Learning Center Blog, saying, “What are some of the reasons fiction authors choose self publishing over traditional publishing? Author John Logsdon dispels some of the myths associated with self-publishing.”

Writing Tools and Tips

Dave Chesson presents HOW TO FIND YOUR WRITING VOICE posted at IndieReader.

Anne Meick presents On Writing: A Comparison Between Committing to Writing a Book versus a Workout Routine posted at Writers’ Connection, saying, “Making the commitment to writing a book is very similar to committing to a workout routine. Whether you want to write a book or you want to get in shape and be healthy, both efforts benefit from a phased approach and plan to achieve a goal.”

C. S. Lakin presents 3 Ways to Bring Out Theme in Your Story posted at Live Write Thrive, saying, “Theme is such an important element of story, regardless of medium. Even visual arts, such as paintings or sculture, tell a story and often center on some theme. Yet, you’ll find few blog posts or podcasts discussing what theme is in a story and how to showcase it. I feel theme is so crucial to a great story that I chose it as one of the four corner pillars of novel construction. And while some novelists may argue that the genre they write in really doesn’t require themes (suspense/thriller, mystery, for example), for a deeper, richer story, themes are the ticket.”

Connie B. Dowell presents Writer Wellness with Joy E. Held posted at Book Echoes, saying, “A healthy writer is not just a happier writer, but often more productive and creative as well. Guest Joy E. Held talks about the crucial areas of writer wellness and how it interacts with our creativity.”

Donald McKenzie Jr presents 4 Simple Ways to Build an Email List posted at Digital Marketing Industry Blog – U Visibility, saying, “Many business owners believe that building their emails lists would take hard work and a lot of time. It takes a bit of patience and strategy, however, you open your website to a whole new world of prospective targets.”

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents 6 Simple Tips For Writing Non-Fiction In Plain English posted at The Business Of Self-Publishing, saying, “Writing in “plain English” is a great way to make a good impression on your audience. This means writing in a way that makes your message easy to read and understand. It doesn’t matter who your audience is or what your subject matter is about. Every audience will benefit from writing that uses plain English. This will help you build a bigger audience and sell more books. Here are my 6 favorite tips to help you start.”

Louise Harnby presents Should I use a comma before coordinating conjunctions and independent clauses in fiction? posted at The Editing Blog, saying, “Are you confused about when to add commas before coordinating conjunctions linking independent clauses? This post offers guidance and a few examples to show you the way.”

Louise Harnby presents What are expletives in the grammar of fiction? posted at The Editing Blog, saying, “Want to use grammatical expletives in your fiction? These words serve as place holders or fillers in a sentence. They shift emphasis and can affect rhythm. Used injudiciously, however, they can be cluttering tension-wreckers. Here’s how to strike a balance.”

Tambra Nicole Kendall presents Get Ready! National Novel Writing Month is Coming! posted at Tambra Nicole Kendall: Writing and other lovely creative endeavors, saying, “National Novel Writing Month gives me the chance to write something different, start or finish a project. The comraderie of other writers and the energy has helped me as an Indie author.”

Zara Altair presents Scene Dynamics posted at Write Time, saying, “The three components of every scene in your story. How to check you scene if it doesn’t feel right.”

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 November 27, 2020 and the deadline for submissions will be November 15, 2020. Don’t miss it!

Here are all the links you’ll need

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Joel Friedlander

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Joel Friedlander

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