Indies Unlimited is a site accessible to the wide public. It will be helpful to you to think of the site as a safe-for-work site. Language and images should be appropriate to that ethos. All work submitted should be clean and polished. IU staff may correct typos, but we will not do heavy editing of unpolished work. Submissions will be posted on our timeline and in accordance with our caseload. You will be notified when material you have submitted to IU is posted.
Indies Unlimited reserves the right to reject any material submitted. If material is rejected, the submitter of the material will be notified of the reason for the rejection. In some cases, it may be that we feel the material is simply not within the genres, classifications or types of writing addressed by Indies Unlimited.
Other reasons for rejection may include, but are not limited to:
Material that is not submitted in accordance with the specific instructions in the submissions guidelines;
Incomplete submissions;
Material with typographical, spelling, grammatical or usage errors;
Material that requires extensive editing;
Material we deem inconsistent with the safe-for-work rule;
Material containing information that is incorrect, or out-dated;
Material containing links to suspect third party websites; or
Material we deem as insensitive to issues of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, or sexual orientation.
Guest Post Feature
This is an article written by a guest author and featured on the site with a picture (head shot) of the author and links to their website and/or social media pages. These features allow you to share your expertise and experience, or even just an opinion with others in the community of authors. You can see examples of the Guest Author Feature HERE and HERE.
The benefit of a guest post feature to you is that it provides a platform to a whole new and very wide audience of other authors, publishers, and readers. This exposure can pique interest in your writing in a way that a direct pitch about your books may not.
Guest Post Guidelines: Attach a Word document containing your article. Limit the length to no more than about 750 words. At the bottom of the document, include any links you want to run with the piece (website, blog, FB fan page, twitter, etc.), and a brief bio written in third person (1 paragraph in length). Separately, attach to the e-mail a headshot photo (JPG file) of yourself. The file size of the photo should be less than 1 megabyte. Please do not ‘embed’ photos in the email.
Appropriate topics for guest posts include, but are not limited to:
- Top 10 lists (to do, not do, pet peeves, best giveaways, favorites in a specific genre, etc…)
- Screenwriting/Playwriting
- Your personal experience with appearances and book signings
- Humorous anecdotes about the writing life
- How to find a qualified editor/proofreader/beta reader, etc.
- How to pitch your book to a publisher or agent
- Developing your market strategy
- Your experiences with collaborative writing projects
- Your analysis of emerging trends in writing and publishing
- Interesting ways to get publicity for your work,
- Use of foreshadowing
- Essentials of writing in a specific genre (horror, suspense, mystery, adventure, fantasy, etc.)
- Writing for children
- Protecting your work
- Writer’s Workshops (pro or con)
- Your best day as a writer
- Effective strategies for dealing with negative reviews
Guest post authors will have one book showcased in the IU store for one year.
Sneak-Peek Features
Sneak-Peek Features showcase an example of your published work. You can submit a sample excerpt or chapter (as you wish) to share with the readers. Sneak-Peeks do not include an author picture, but do include your book’s cover, and links so people can find out more about you and your book or even buy your book (depending on the links you provide). You can see examples of Sneak-Peek features HERE and HERE.
Sneak-Peek Guidelines: Please query us about providing a Sneak Peek from your book by using the form on the contact page. Make sure to include a link to the book so we can take a look at how it’s presented and how it’s been received. Attach a Word document containing your sneak-peek. Limit the length to no more than about 500 words. At the bottom of the document, include any links you want to run with the piece (Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Print links, etc.), and attach to the e-mail a book cover photo (JPG file). Again, file size of the photo should be less than 1 megabyte. Authors submitting a sneak-peek will have that book showcased in the IU store for one year.
New Release Announcements
Beginning in April, 2013, we will feature new release announcements as omnibus posts that will appear on the site once or twice a month (depending on volume). No more than five announcements will be bundled into a single post. For each book, these features include a book link, a 140 character book description, and a book cover image. Authors participating in announcement features will have that book showcased in the IU store for one year.
Please query with the contact form. Include a purchase link for Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble or some other mainstream outlet with your query.
Video Trailer Feature
If your book has a video trailer, we can feature that on the site as well. The Video Trailer Feature requires a 100 word book description to accompany the video. Include a link to YouTube so we can obtain the necessary HTML code. You can see an example HERE. Authors submitting a Video Trailer will have that book showcased in the IU store for one year. These features require a purchase link for Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble or some other mainstream outlet. Trailers should not have a run time in excess of 1:30 (90 seconds). Please include at least one of these links with your query.
99¢ Thursdays
Thursday Mornings, we put up a post calling for anyone who has a book priced at 99¢ or less to list it in the comment section below of that post. The only information to be posted should be: 1. Book title; 2. Author name; 3. A one sentence blurb; 4. A link to download the book. and 5. Coupon or discount code, if required to get the 99¢ price.
Freebie Fridays
On Friday mornings, we put up a post calling for anyone who has a book to give away for FREE to list it in the comment section below of that post. (Example HERE.) The only information to be posted should be: 1. Book title; 2. Author name; 3. A one sentence blurb; 4. A link to download the book; and the dates the book will be free. The book must be free to anyone who clicks over to the link – not just Amazon Prime or other “club” members.
Indies Unlimited’s Weekly Flash Fiction Challenge
Each Saturday morning, Indies Unlimited provides a writing prompt along with a photograph. Participants write a flash fiction piece of 250 words or less in the comments section. (Example HERE.) The deadline to submit a contribution is 5 p.m. on Tuesday (Arizona time). The 250 word rule will be strictly enforced. Each following Wednesday morning, a poll will be posted so entries may be voted upon. (Example HERE.) Participants are encouraged to vote and to spread the word. The voting polls will close on Thursday at 5 p.m. (Arizona time). The story with the most votes will be featured on Friday morning in an announcement post (Example HERE) and will be published at year end with full credit in an anthology e-book. By participating in the exercise, contestants agree to the rules and conditions posted on the weekly challenge.
Interviews
IU now provides two different interview features.
Meet the Author is a magazine-style feature article which includes a picture of the author, biographical information, quotes of the author which we excerpt from answers to the interview questions, links to the Amazon author page, and purchase links for the book. You can see examples of this type of feature HERE and HERE.
Book Brief is a simple Q&A type feature that includes a book blurb, some answers to questions about the book, a picture of the book cover, and purchase links for the book. These features focus on the book rather than the author. See an example of the Book Brief feature HERE.
Authors interviewed for our Meet the Author or Book Brief features will have one book showcased in the IU store for one year.
If you are interested in making a submission, please query first by using the form on the contact page. Please include a link to your book from Amazon, Smashwords, or another major online retailer when you query. Select the appropriate department from the drop down menu, and let us know how you’d like to participate. We look forward to hearing from you.