By Joel Friedlander
Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for November, 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
Glenna Collett presents Book Distribution 101 posted at Book Design Made Simple, saying, “You’ve published a book, or you will soon, and you need to get it into the hands of readers. But how? We explain book distribution basics.”
Nate Hoffelder presents eBook Piracy: How to Respond If Someone Steals Your eBook Online posted at Florida Writer’s Association, saying, “Piracy is a pain, but fighting it does not have to consume your every waking moment. This post will help you manage your piracy problem with a minimum of effort.”
Jay Artale presents Using Bargain Booksy to Promote your Nonfiction Book posted at Birds of a Feather Press, saying, “Bargain Booksy is an inexpensive book promotion site for newbie authors, and ideal for promoting nonfiction. Find out how to go about planning and scheduling your event using Amazon, and how to master promotional pricing strategies for this niche.”
Book Design and Production
Sarah Bolme presents How to Spot a Self-Published Book posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “After viewing hundreds of self-published books, I can almost always tell if a book is self-published upon first glance. While self-publishing no longer carries the stigma it did a decade ago, if you are interested in your book being part of the overall book market—meaning selling beyond Amazon—then having a book that conforms to industry standards is important.”
Indie Author
Cate Baum presents Infinity Publishing’s Authors FastPencil Issues – What to Do posted at SPR.
Marketing and Selling Your Books
Belinda Griffin presents Reader Magnet Ideas for Authors posted at SmartAuthorsLab.
Belinda Griffin presents Social Media Won’t Sell Your Books – 5 Things that Will posted at SmartAuthorsLab, saying, “Social media is not the best tool for selling books, although it’s where many authors start. Here are 5 alternative things to focus on.”
Darcy Pattison presents The Glorious Failure of Book One posted at Indie Kids Books.
Frances Caballo presents Blogs for Authors posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “I infrequently assess the author blogs I read and provide a list of my favorite for my readers. This year’s list has some newcomers (to the list not to the writing/book marketing world). I hope you subscribe to these blogs and enjoy them as much as I do. Of course, TheBookDesigner.com figures among them.”
Gladys Strickland presents Repurposing Content Guide for Authors posted at Creatively Sustainable, saying, “How many ways can you repurpose content you have already created? Maybe more than you think.”
Ivelisse Rodriguez presents 4 Easy SEO Tips for Writers and Authors [+Successful Examples] posted at Digital Pubbing.
Kristina Adams presents What to do When Your Book Launch Fails posted at The Writer’s Cookbook.
Nate Hoffelder presents How to Sell eBooks on an Author Website: The Beginner’s Guide posted at The Digital Reader, saying, “Everyone says that authors should sell ebooks on their website, but how exactly do you do that? This beginner’s guide will help you get started.”
Penny Sansevieri presents Maximizing Your Amazon Author Central Page posted at IndieReader.
Rob Davis presents Top 8 Platforms to Sell Your Ebooks posted at Digital Pubbing.
Sarah Bolme presents Marketing Ideas for the Technology-Challenged Author posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “One of the questions that I frequently encounter when I speak at writers conferences is: “I’m not tech savvy. Are there other ways to market a book besides social media?” My answer is always “of course”. Social media is just one tool in an author’s marketing toolbox. There are numerous tools in a toolbox. Over reliance on one tool is not good.”
Tony Riches presents Using Photofunia To Create Content For Social Media posted at The Writing Desk, saying, “This is a free site with a good range of easy to use templates for authors – had I’ve had good results with noticeably increased sharing of tweets with these images”
Self-Publishing Success
Darcy Pattison presents The Glorious Failure of Book One posted at Indie Kids Books.
Writing Tools and Tips
Alexa Whitewolf presents Editing Fiction: When to DIY and When to Outsource posted at The Writer’s Cookbook.
Dave Chesson presents 5 Editing Services For Authors That Are Worth Your Time posted at IndieReader.
Andy Maslen presents How to create a coherent crime series posted at Authors A.I. Learning Center Blog, saying, “Hybrid author Andy Maslen explains how sticking to the conventions – and avoiding the cliches – can make your crime series more engaging for readers”
Jo Finchen-Parsons presents Why even self-publishing authors should write a book proposal posted at The Exchange, saying, “Although a book proposal is traditionally for sending to agents and publishers to persuade them to invest in your book, I believe writing a book proposal – or perhaps a development plan is more accurate – should be the first step in any non-fiction project. A book proposal, or all the information that goes into one, is a tool to help craft and shape your writing – don’t assume it’s reserved only for those looking for a publishing deal.”
Alessandra Torre presents Using new methods to steer your story posted at Authors A.I. Learning Center Blog, saying, “Veteran – and bestselling – authors Judith Lucci and Fiona Quinn share their method of writing characters and developing scenes.”
Ethan Cross presents Why write fiction under a pen name? posted at Authors A.I. Learning Center Blog, saying, “Author Ethan Cross and publisher-editor-author Lou Aronica discuss the pros and cons of writing under more than one name.”
Katy Segrove presents How to Make Yourself Sit Down and Write, Even if You’re Not in the Mood posted at Pick Up Your Pen, saying, “These are 14 techniques, tips and tricks that some of the writers I know find useful for getting themselves to sit down and write. In case you’re struggling to make headway with your writing at the moment, there’s hopefully something here that can help.”
Kristina Adams presents Why Your Characters are Boring (and How to Fix Them) posted at The Writer’s Cookbook.
Lois Hoffman presents 5 Simple Steps to Mindful Writing posted at The Happy Self-Publisher, saying, “Do you struggle with writing daily? Do you feel like you get what they call writers’ block? Getting stuck does not have to be your reality. If you change your habits, you will change your results.”
Paul Hobday presents Plot Factory Review: Organization For Authors posted at Lulu Blog, saying, “Review for Plot Factory, an online tool for drafting, organizing, and writing your fiction while keeping all supporting material (characters, locations, plot) organized in one place.”
Phyllis Zimbler Miller presents YA Novel THE ASSIGNMENT: Encouraging Young People to Speak Up posted at Joylene Nowell Butler, saying, “Fiction writers can encourage positive real-life actions.”
Susanne Lakin presents Is Your Premise Worth Your Time (or Anyone Else’s)? posted at Live Write Thrive, saying, “A premise presupposes a situation. Someone with a reason, drive, need, compulsion—needs to deal with that situation. You can fashion a premise by asking “What if?” What if a comet was about to hit Earth and scientists had to find a way to stop it? That idea makes way for a premise (situation setup), which makes way for a one-sentence story concept. Learn how to compose your one sentence and challenge your premise to see if it’s worth your time to develop into a full story.”
Zara Altair presents How To Balance Character and Plot in a Mystery Novel posted at Write Time, saying, “Your mystery needs a solid plot to create and solve the mystery puzzle. But, your characters, especially your sleuth, engage readers, create empathy, and keep them involved. Plan the story, then develop each scene with character interaction.”
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 December 25, 2020 and the deadline for submissions will be December 15, 2020. 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
