Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for January, 2018. 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
Louise Harnby presents 5 ways to use audio for book marketing and reader engagement posted at The Proofreader’s Parlour, saying, “Sound still engages because audiences can do something else at the same time. Here are 5 ways that self-publishers can use audio to build engagement and promote their books.”
Deborah Jay presents How I sold 1000 books over the holidays posted at Deborah Jay Author, saying, “I used good old-fashioned advertising for my holiday promo, and became a #1 bestseller in 2 countries. This report details ROI for the different sites I used.”
Joanna Penn presents How To Use Dictation For A Healthier Writing Life posted at The Creative Penn, saying, “Dictating your books can help you write faster, bypass critical voice, and help you become a healthier writer. Here’s some tips on the process and technical setup.”
Book Design and Production
Eric Zarth presents CreateSpace or KDP Print? Which One Should YOU Use? posted at Zbooks.
Indie Author
Robin Storey presents How Mindfulness Can Enhance Your Life posted at Storey-Lines, saying, “Indie author Robin Storey reveals how mindfulness can not only enhance your daily life, but also your creativity and writing process.”
Yesenia Vargas presents My 2018 Theme, Habits, & Goals + Q1 Goals (How to Plan by Quarter) posted at WriterMom, saying, “In today’s post, I share my 2018 goals, habits, and theme. This is the kind of process I wish someone had shared with me when I was first starting out. Plus, I share why I now plan by quarter as well as what specific goals I’m striving for during the first quarter of the year! If you’d like some new year inspiration and goal-setting tips, you’ll love this video.”
Marketing and Selling Your Books
Chris Well presents Making Your Media Kit Easy to Use posted at Build Your Brand Academy, saying, “Your author media kit needs to be easy to find, easy to download, and easy to use. In the final article in my series “The Ultimate Guide to Creating an Author Media Kit,” I share how to package and share your media kit so you get the most value out of it. This is how it should work: Somebody like me hears about you, and comes to your website looking for information. I’m on deadline, so I need to find the right kind of information about you quickly and easily. I should be able to grab it and go. In the article, find out three ways you can present your media materials on your author website to make it easy for me to promote you…”
Chris Well presents Media-Friendly Author Website Content – Part One posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Media Expert Chris Well instructs authors on the 5 types of website content the media look for in Part One of a 3-part series.”
Darcy Pattison presents Catalogs: A Marketing Tool for Indie Publishers posted at Fiction Notes.
Frances Caballo presents How to Sell a Truckload of Books with Penny Sansevieri posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “I recently invited Penny Sansevieri to my Conversations with Frances webinar series. Below you’ll find a condensed summary of some of our conversation. Be sure to watch the video to glean all of Penny’s great suggestions.”
Glenn Miller presents What to Put in Your Author Newsletter posted at Career Authors, saying, “At a loss for what to put in your author newsletter? Start with these suggestions that show how much you care about your readers.”
Kate Tilton presents How to Get Your Audiobook Reviewed by Audiobook Reviewer posted at Kate Tilton, Connecting Authors & Readers, saying, “Learn how you can get your audiobook reviewed by Audiobook Reviewer and about their new audiobook awards.”
Nate Hoffelder presents How to Give Away an eBook From an Author Website posted at The Digital Reader, saying, “There are a hundred and one different sites on the web where authors can give away an ebook, but the first choice should always be the author’s own website. This gives authors a chance to connect directly with fans.”
Nate Hoffelder presents How to Save Yourself From Headaches While Migrating Your WordPress Site to a New Hosting Company posted at Valiant Chicken, saying, “Moving day is bad enough when you’re only moving a household, but it can be excruciating when you have to move a website. I usually prefer to let the new hosting company handle the move, but there are other options that sometimes work better in specific situations.”
Penny Sansevieri presents Common Book Marketing Traps to Avoid posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWork.com’s Book Marketing Expert, Penny Sansevieri, outlines the 8 common book marketing traps that indie authors would do well to avoid falling into.”
Penny Sansevieri presents How to Get a BookBub Deal to Boost Sales posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookBub deals are not easy to get but can really boost sales. BookWorks.com Marketing Expert Penny Sansevieri reveals how to optimize this coveted eBook promotion.”
Sarah Bolme presents The Rule of Seven posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “The importance of persistence in promoting a book.”
Terry Whalin presents Time for a Reboot posted at The Writing Life, saying, “Is your book not selling? Maybe it is time for a reboot. In this article, prolific author and editor Terry Whalin gives practical ideas and inexpensive resources.”
Self-Publishing Success
Carla King presents Use Beta Readers to Perfect Your Story and Cultivate Fans posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Tech Expert Carla King explains how beta-publishing and beta readers can help perfect your story, eliminate errors, create fans and get the jump on marketing your book.”
Frances Caballo presents Quotes for Authors to Live and Write by in 2018 posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks Social Media Expert Frances Caballo shares some of her favorite quotes for authors to help inspire and motivate your writing and life in 2018.”
Tracy Cooper-Posey presents How Going Wide Helped Me Quit My Day Job posted at Kobo Writing Life.
Yesenia Vargas presents Writing to Market Update #1: The Research Phase, What To Do, and What I’ve Learned So Far posted at WriterMom, saying, “In this post, I share the first official update as I write my first series to market, following Chris Fox’s book of the same name step by step. I describe the research phase of the process, everything I’ve learned about my genre, the specific steps I’m taking, and how anyone can get started writing to market.”
Writing Tools and Tips
Sharon Connell presents Tips at Hand posted at A Writer’s Work Is Never Done, saying, “By indie author, Sharon K. Connell, writing Christian Romance Suspense with a bit of mystery and humor mixed in.”
Linda Maye Adams presents Respecting the Writing, Respecting Yourself posted at The Writings of Linda Maye Adams.
Alexander Zoltai presents Pay Money or Self-Edit ? posted at Notes from An Alien.
C. S. Lakin presents 3 Important Tips if You’re Planning to Write a Memoir posted at Live Write Thrive, saying, “A lot of memoirs I work on are boring. Which got me thinking about why they were boring to me. They were boring because, just as with some novels, the material didn’t engage me. The content didn’t interest me or apply to me or satisfy my desire for entertainment, enlightenment, or inspiration. Here are 3 key tips to consider before writing a memoir, to see if your story has potential.”
C. S. Lakin presents Masterful Narrative Scenes in Novels posted at Live Write Thrive, saying, “Show, don’t tell. Yeah, we know that’s the rule. But there are times when scenes can be masterfully told by the POV character. Sometimes a character is telling a story, relating a memory, and if done well, it’s just as gripping as if the scene were played out in cinematic fashion. I haven’t seen much written on the “narrative” scene, but this is a technique writers should learn. What makes for great narrative scenes is the character voice. This article shares a great example of a narrative scene with powerful voice.”
Katie McCoach presents 5 Reasons You Need an In-Depth Critique posted at KM Editorial, saying, “Criticism, in the most constructive way, makes our writing, our voice, and our stories stronger. Here are 5 reasons you need a critique on your manuscript.”
Kristina Adams presents How to Get Started with Scrivener posted at The Writer’s Cookbook.
Lisa Poisso presents More reasons novelists should be reading posted at LisaPoisso.com, saying, “It’s all very romantic to claim that as a novelist, you’re a creative spirit with no head for the mundanities of business and marketing. The truth is that no agent or publisher wants to work with a clueless aspirant, and no self-published title will make it without an understanding of what you’re selling.”
Sonora Taylor presents When It’s Hard to Stay Positive posted at Sonora Writes, saying, “This is more of a reflective piece. However, it does have some advice and thoughts on the times it’s hard to stay positive when writing and publishing.”
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 February 25, 2018 and the deadline for submissions will be February 15, 2018. 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
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