Self-Publishing: The Carnival of the Indies Issue #82

POSTED ON Jul 30, 2017

Joel Friedlander

Written by Joel Friedlander

Home > Blog > Self-Publishing, Social Media > Self-Publishing: The Carnival of the Indies Issue #82

By Joel Friedlander

Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for July, 2017. 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

self-publishingCarla King presents 7 Keyword Tools to Help Authors Create Good Book Metadata posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Tech Expert Carla King presents her 7 top keyword tools to help authors research and select the best keywords & phrases for their books’ metadata.”

Mark-CokerMark Coker presents 2017 Smashwords Survey Helps Authors Sell More eBooks posted at Smashwords blog, saying, “The sixth annual Smashwords Survey shares data driven insights that can help authors and publishers make their books more accessible, more desirable and more enjoyable to readers. Packed with lots of new information on the best ebook prices to maximize readership and author earnings, new data confirming the magic of free series starters and preorders, and much more.”

Erica VerrilloErica Verrillo presents Mega-List of Free Promotional Sites for Self-Published Books posted at Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity, saying, “The hardest task faced by self-published authors is promotion. Fortunately, there are plenty of places for you to promote your book for free. Hundreds of online reviewers are happy to receive a book in exchange for an honest review, and many post their reviews on multiple platforms. There are also numerous sites that publish interviews with authors, as well as places to post your cover reveal and book excerpts. These resources will help you on your way to effective marketing and promotion.”

Book Design and Production

Louise Harnby presents Design essentials: Creating a stand-out book cover. Advice for authors posted at The Proofreader’s Parlour, saying, “Chris Hamilton-Emery, design director of The Cover Factory and co-founder of independent publisher Salt, shares his expertise on cover design. Chris’s core mantra? Avoid being dull.”

Victoria Elliott presents Adventures in Creating Diverse LGBT Book Covers posted at Rainbow Gold Reviews.

Indie Author

Alexander Zoltai presents Stories That Change Lives posted at Notes from An Alien.

Helen Sedwick presents Using Public Domain Works in Literary Mashups posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Legal Expert and Book of the Week author, Helen Sedwick, explains Public Domain works and how to use them correctly in your literary mashups.”

Lois Hoffman presents Your book and what you really want out of life posted at The Happy Self-Publisher, saying, “If you need one more reason to write a book, find out how writing a book can help you can get what you want out of life.”

Nate Hoffelder presents Never Write for Exposure, and Other Illogical Advice posted at The Digital Reader, saying, “The phrase “writing for exposure” has a bad reputation, which is weird because authors are told all the time that they should write for free on social networks and popular blogs, and that they should give the first book in a series away for free.”

Robin Cutler presents BookExpo 2017: Shifting Sands in the Publishing World posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Distribution Expert, Robin Cutler, Director of IngramSpark, reports on BookExpo 2017 & BookCon as they reveal the shifts in publishing for indie authors.”

Robin Storey presents Why Crime Writers Are Such Nice People posted at Storey-Lines, saying, “Indie author Robin Storey reveals why crime writers, who spend their days immersed in evil and depravity, with a variety of characters from miserably flawed to downright nasty, are really very nice people.”

Sabrina Ricci presents 140 Tools and Resources for Building Your Author Website and/or Blog posted at Digital Pubbing, saying, “Author websites and blogs are important components to building an author platform. With that in mind, here is a list of resources that can help you set up and optimize your site.”

Startup Indie Author presents How to Launch a Self-Published Book: 10+ Real Strategies and Results posted at Startup Indie Author, saying, “Startup Indie Author is a new blog about one indie author’s journey to learn more about business and digital marketing.”

Marketing and Selling Your Books

Chris Well presents Email Marketing for Authors: 7 Reasons Every Author Needs to Build An Email List posted at Build Your Brand Academy, saying, “With all the shiny new platforms popping up in the news, it’s easy to take email for granted. But experts agree that building an email list is still one of the best strategies for your author business. An email list allows you to engage more personally with your readers, drive new book sales, and insure your author platform against inevitable changes in search engines and social networks. Don’t have a list yet? Here are seven reasons you should start today…”

Deanna Cabinian presents Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Scheduling an Author Event posted at Deanna Cabinian, saying, “Are author events a great way of getting the word out about your books? Of course. But not all are created equal.”

Elizabeth Andre presents Diary of a lesbian BookBub feature posted at Medium.

Erica Verrillo presents 10 Scifi and Fantasy Review Sites for Indie Authors posted at Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity, saying, “Attention scifi and fantasy writers! Here are ten great sites that publish reviews of self-published science fiction and fantasy books. All offer reviews for free, the only exception being RT Book Reviews. Some accept books for review, while others accept freelance reviews, in which case someone – not the author – would have to submit a review. The advantage of these sites is traffic. While there are hundreds of bloggers who review self-published books, review sites, with their multiple reviewers, offer more exposure.”

Frances Caballo presents A LinkedIn Primer to Help Indie Authors to Build Their Platform posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Social Media Expert Frances Caballo instructs authors on how to set up and optimize their LinkedIn profile to build their platform and brand.”

Frances Caballo presents Turn Your Blog into a Book Production Machine with Nina Amir posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “I recently interviewed Inspiration to Creation Coach Nina Amir as part of my Conversations with Frances series. We talked about blogging, how to blog a book, and what blogging has done for Nina’s life and career. Be sure to listen to the webinar. I’m certain you’ll learn a lot.”

Jay Artale presents Why Indie Authors Should Make Audiobooks Part of their Self-Publishing Strategy posted at Self-Publishing Advice Center from ALLi, saying, “Have you been assuming that only top-earning bestselling indie authors can cost-justify self-publishing audiobooks? Think again, sayd Kevin Tumlinson, indie author of thrillers and marketing director of ebook aggregator Draft2Digital, which has just announced a new product aimed at making audiobooks more affordable and viable for self-published authors. Here he outlines many reasons you might want to consider entering the audiobook fray yourself.”

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents How To Use Marketing Channels To Drive Book Sales posted at Kunz On Publishing, saying, “Understanding how online and offline marketing channels can work together is essential for your book’s financial success. These channels, if consistently used together, can help you as an author achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It will also help your book build a continuous stream of income. Here is a short discussion and explanation about book marketing channels, and how they can help you become a more successful author.”

Kate Tilton presents Use This Book Review Tip Sheet to Get Better Reviews posted at Kate Tilton, Connecting Authors & Readers, saying, “As the title says, use this handy tip sheet by Tamara Palmer to get better reviews and more reviews of your books.”

Penny Sansevieri presents Craft a Bodacious Book Bio That Will Boost Sales posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Marketing Expert & Book of the Week author, Penny Sansevieri, instructs authors on how to create the kind of book bio that will boost their sales.”

Sarah Bolme presents How to Bring Attention to Your Book posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “Every author wants to bring attention to their book. Finding a way for your book to stand out from the crowd in an eye-catching way is good for publicity. What’s the best way to do this without standing out in an “odd” way?”

Terry Whalin presents Steal This Book Marketing Idea posted at The Writing Life, saying, “Acquisitions editor and author Terry Whalin writes about a smart marketing idea from Evan Carmichael. Every author can take this simple idea and apply it to their books.”

Self-Publishing Success

Jay Artale presents Is Self-Publishing Vanity? posted at Self-Publishing Advice Center from ALLi, saying, “Last week at an event in London, leading indie author Joanna Penn was asked to stand up in a room full of publishing professionals and address the question of whether her chosen vocation is an act of vanity. Would this happen in any profession except publishing? asks Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross.”

Louise Harnby presents Spooks, books and marketing hooks: An interview with indie author Andrew Langley posted at The Proofreader’s Parlour.

Writing Tools and Tips

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents How to Write a Book Foreword: A Checklist For Authors posted at Kunz On Publishing, saying, “Here is a list of important questions that you should think about to help you make sure that you have written a full and complete foreword. Not all questions here will apply to your foreword. But, these 26 questions should help you to take a critical look at what you have written and help you fine-tune your foreword.”

Kate Tilton presents Why Worldbuilding is Not Just for Science Fiction posted at Kate Tilton, Connecting Authors & Readers, saying, “Author Will Van Stone Jr. digs into the power of worldbuilding in all genres.”

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, Plus-1 it on Google+, Link to it!

The next issue is August 27, 2017 and the deadline for submissions will be July 15, 2017. Don’t miss it!

Here are all the links you’ll need

Joel Friedlander

Written by
Joel Friedlander

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