Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for August, 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
Darcy Pattison presents Illustrators: Finding and Working with an Illustrator for Your Children’s Picture Book posted at Indie Kids Books, saying “Here’s the thing about searching for an illustrator for your indie children’s picture book: it’s all about creating the best book possible. Within the bounds of your story, your creative sensibility, and your budget, how do you create the best book possible?”
Helen Sedwick presents Avoiding Defamation & Libel When Using Real People in Your Writing posted at BookWorks Blog, saying “Every writer, whether tackling fiction or nonfiction, uses real people. Whether our main character shares our father’s love of puns or we are naming names in a tell-all about an ex-lover, real people populate our work. Is this safe, legal? Can we be sued for defamation by everyone who recognizes themselves in our work?”
Erica Verrillo presents Getting Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries posted at Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity, saying, “According to the American Library Association there are nearly 120,000 libraries in the United States. If you are considering self-publishing, that number should make you salivate. Libraries are not only a huge market, they are frequently an untapped one for self-publishers. Unfortunately, libraries usually order books from their own distributors, which means approaching them directly to purchase your self-published book may be an uphill battle. Don’t despair! Self-published authors have several options for getting their books into libraries.”
Indie Author
Alexander Zoltai presents Thought Leaders & Writers of Originality posted at Notes from An Alien.
Amie Irene Winters presents How to Write Fantasy Books and Have Fun Doing It posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “Bookworks member and Book of the Week author Amie Irene Winters shares tips for writing fantasy books in the latest installment of our “Notes from the Field” series.”
Kyoko M presents Hindsight is 20/20: My Fourth Year in Self-Publishing posted at She Who Writes Monsters, saying, “I reflect over the painful lessons I’ve learned during my fourth year as a self-published author.”
Niki Tschirgi presents So You Want to Be in Pictures? “Connecting with Hollywood” Writers Conference posted at BookWorks Blog.
Robin Storey presents Novellas – Why Readers And Authors Love Them posted at Storey-Lines, saying, “Novellas are gaining in popularity and indie author Robin Storey reveals why they appeal to readers and authors.”
Sophie Playle presents What You Need to Know Before You Judge Self-Publishing Authors posted at Liminal Pages, saying, “These days, the decision to self-publish is made by hundreds of thousands of authors – and the stigma isn’t what it used to be. If you’re unsure whether you should self-publish, consider the bigger picture …”
Terry Whalin presents Several Ideas to Face the Daily Challenge posted at The Writing Life, saying, “Each of us have the same amount of time in a day.In this article, Terry Whalin gives us insights and encouragement for the Daily Challenge.”
Marketing and Selling Your Books
Amy Collins presents The Coveted Book Table: How Those Books Get There posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Book Retail Expert explains how books are chosen for the seasonal promo book table displays in stores and how indie authors might get there.”
Brad Graber presents 5 Lessons I’ve Learned about Blogging and my Big Bad Self posted at Updates from Brad, saying, “Why blog? It’s a way of reaching out and letting an audience know who you are and why they might enjoy your work. To blog is just another way to pitch – but quietly – and with heart.”
Carla King presents Affiliate Marketing Can Help Authors Make More Money posted at BookWorks Blog.
Frances Caballo presents How I Accumulated 38,000 Twitter Followers posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “I remember when I joined Twitter six years ago. Within the first day, I had four followers, and I recall running out of my office and into the kitchen so I could tell my husband that four people were following me. “Me!” I said. I was stoked. I didn’t know back then that to gain followers you had to follow people, so I did nothing, aside from posting a few tweets every day.”
GISELA HAUSMANN presents 3 Ways how Indie Authors Deal with the “Non Verified Reviews” Issue posted at Gisela’s Straightforward Blog.
Ian Sutherland presents 5 Landing Page Options for Book Giveaways posted at Author Platform Sidekick.
Iola Goulton presents Introducing Buffer posted at Christian Editing Services, saying, “Despite what some people might think, I’m not on social media 24/7. Instead, I use tools like Buffer and SocialJukebox to help manage my social media sharing. In this blog post, I introduce Buffer, and explain how I use it.”
Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents Examples of Great Customer Testimonial Statements posted at Kunz On Publishing, saying, “Testimonials are a very effective way to get more clients and customers, and sell more books. As a business person, self-publisher, and author, you must understand what characteristics make up a great testimonial. So here I give you a list of five ingredients, and six examples, that can help you make a great testimonial, which will help get you more clients and customers, and sell more books.”
Nicky Bond presents Let’s Just Write First Drafts Forever… posted at Nicky Bond and Writer’s Ramblings, saying, “My blog treads the fine line between informative posts about my indie-publishing experiences and letting off steam about the frustrations that go along with them. This post reflect on the drawbacks of my naturally reserved personality in the big bad world of book promotion.”
Sabrina Ricci presents Guest Post: How YouTube Helps Your Social Media Marketing posted at Digital Pubbing.
Sarah Bolme presents Are You Showing Your Best Face? posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “Social media. Authors tend to love it or hate it. Social media is a powerful way to connect with your readers. For many readers, getting to know the author of a book they love or relate to is natural. Once they have read the author’s book, they feel they already know that author on some level. Social media allows them to deepen that connection.”
Penny Sansevieri presents Amazon Keywords Can Make or Break Your Book Sales posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Marketing Expert Penny Sansevieri on how to update your Amazon keywords, including subtitles to stay current with changing reader trends.”
Self-Publishing Success
C. Hope Clark presents Writing: Money vs. Heart posted at FundsforWriters.
Frances Caballo presents Email Marketing for Authors: How to Use MailChimp posted at BookWorks Blog.
Linda Maye Adams presents The Importance of Writing Every day posted at The Writings of Linda Maye Adams.
Writing Tools and Tips
Debby Gies presents Punctuation in the Know posted at DGKayewriter.com, saying, “An old and often unheard of punctuation mark – The Interrobang”
Georgina Jeffery presents What Does Editing Look Like? posted at An Inspired Mess, saying, “We don’t often get to see how others edit their writing in practice – it’s something that often happens behind closed doors. If you’re as curious as I am about the process of others, I’ve shared this view of my own editing as I prepare an online serial for e-book publication.”
Joanna Elm presents BeforeYou Hit The “Publish” Button: An Indie Author’s Checklist posted at Joanna Elm, Author, Journalist, Attorney, saying, “Based on an interview with former Indie Author, J.D.Barker, who sold more than 250,000 copies of his self-published supernatural thriller, Forsaken, and now has a $1 million dollar deal for his second thriller.”
Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents Book Dedications To Spur Your Imagination posted at Kunz On Publishing, saying, “To be a successful book marketer, you must never miss an opportunity to reach out and make a connection with the reader. Whether your dedication is only a few sentences or an entire paragraph, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity to give the reader a small look into your life’s story. Here are a variety of book dedications that will help you to start to formulate your own.”
Kate Sullivan presents Children’s Literature Genres: The Difference Between Children’s Lit, Middle Grade, YA, and New Adult posted at TCK Publishing.
Kate Tilton presents 5 Productivity Tips For Writing On The Road posted at Kate Tilton, Connecting Authors & Readers, saying, “Trаvеling writеr Daniel Smith offers his top five tips for writing on the road.”
Kate Tilton presents Imperfection: The Key to a Perfect Story posted at Kate Tilton, Connecting Authors & Readers, saying, “Author Will Van Stone Jr. explores why imperfection is the key to the perfect story.”
Katie McCoach presents The Dos and Don’ts to Dialogue Tags posted at KM Editorial, saying, “Writers use dialogue tags constantly. In fact, we use them so often that readers all but gloss over them. They should be invisible. However, there are ways to misuse them and make them stand out.”
Lisa Poisso presents The quick and easy guide to using beta readers posted at Lisa Poisso.
Louise Harnby presents What’s the difference between a rule and a preference? Advice for new writers posted at The Proofreader’s Parlour, saying, “In the world of the written word, rules and preferences are often confused. This article debunks some of the most common myths.”
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 September 24, 2017 and the deadline for submissions will be September 15, 2017. Don’t miss it!
Here are all the links you’ll need
- Have something to share with our community? Submit your article here
- The original announcement post
- Carnival of the Indies web page
- Bloggers, grab your official Carnival of the Indies Badges here
- Follow Carnival of the Indies on Twitter to get deadline reminders
- Subscribe to The Book Designer Blog
