Day: November 23, 2012

A New Indies Unlimited Release!

We are pleased to announce the release of the latest title in the indispensable Indies Unlimited collection:Tutorials and Tools for Prospering in a Digital World.

Whether you are an author wanting to expand your book’s market or an entrepreneur selling candy-coated knitting baskets, you will benefit from an enhanced social media presence.

This volume contains 62 tips and tutorials from fourteen authors with a dash of humor. The award-winning and best-selling multi-national staff of Indies Unlimited brings you the ultimate guide for slapping social media into submission.

In Tutorials and Tools for Prospering in a Digital World you’ll find step-by-step instructional tutorials for everything from Facebook to Twitter to Amazon.com to making free video commercials for your book or other products, and handy tips for authors on necessities like branding, beta readers, book covers, book signings, press releases and more.

Knowledge is power. Fish is brain food. If you don’t have fish, you should at least have the Indies Unlimited Tutorials and Tools for Prospering in a Digital World Volume I. It smells way better than fish, and doesn’t require refrigeration. How can you go wrong?

Compiled and edited by K.S. Brooks, foreword by Stephen Hise. Written by K.S. Brooks, Laurie Boris, Lynne Cantwell, Jim Devitt, Yvonne Hertzberger, Al Kunz, L.A. Lewandowski, M. Edward McNally, Rich Meyer, Melissa Pearl, Kathy Rowe, Cathy Speight, Carolyn Steele and Carol Wyer.

Available now from Amazon US and Amazon UK. Don’t be the last writer on the planet without one.

How to Write a News Release

Back when I was a journalist, I saw more attempts at eye-catching news releases than you could shake a stick at. Releases in color-coordinated folders, accompanied by a pile of color brochures on slick paper. Releases accompanied by little giveaway items, like a pen or paperweight graced (of course) with the sender’s corporate logo. Sometimes we’d get really good swag, like a t-shirt or a CD, with a news release.

But tchotchkes don’t make a story newsworthy. If you want a reporter to do a story about your announcement or event, the only thing you have to send is a good news release. (I’m using the term “news release” instead of the more common “press release” because I worked in broadcasting, and broadcasters – ahem – don’t have presses.) Continue reading “How to Write a News Release”

Congrats to Flash Fiction Winner Yvonne Hertzberger

Our flash fiction champ this week is Yvonne Hertzberger. Congratulations to Yvonne, and thanks to everyone who participated – excellent entries!

The winning entry is rewarded with a special feature here today and a place in our collection of winners which will be published as an e-book at year end.

Without further ado, here’s the winning entry: Continue reading “Congrats to Flash Fiction Winner Yvonne Hertzberger”

“I’ve been resting for this testing, digesting every word the Ancients say…”

That title is from a really, really old Genesis song (Counting Out Time, 1974), and it came to mind only because of the word “digesting.” Because really, if you’re not going to engage in some Black Friday madness, how better to spend the day after Thanksgiving than by letting your innards assimilate those pounds of poultry you consumed yesterday, while you lie around the house? In other words, I’m going to guess not an awful lot of people are going to read this column today, unless you just happen to be feeling too bloated to head down to Best Buy to watch some Mortal Consumer Kombat. 😉 Continue reading ““I’ve been resting for this testing, digesting every word the Ancients say…””