M. P. Witwer Wins Flash Fiction Challenge

Congratulations to M. P. Witwer whose entry won this week’s Indies Unlimited Flash Fiction Challenge.

The voter-selected story is recognized with a special feature here today and wins a place in our 2015 Flash Fiction Anthology, which will be published as an eBook when this year’s challenges are completed.

Without further ado, here’s the winning story:


Continue reading “M. P. Witwer Wins Flash Fiction Challenge”

Do Read-and-Review Programs Really Work?

Please review my bookBy L.A. Lewandowski, Laurie Boris & Lynne Cantwell

As authors, we all know book reviews are important for many reasons. They are also critical to readers when they visit our book’s page. There are many ways to go about getting reviews, and read-and-review programs are one of them. These programs are technically not the same as getting a paid review. A paid review means a reader (or a publication) is receiving payment specifically to review your book. Yes, an author participating in a read-and-review program might be charged a fee, but that’s generally for the website’s administrative services. A read-and-review program offers readers a free copy of your book in exchange for an honest review, and they require that the reviewer include a statement to that effect in the review they post. In the case of Story Cartel, a little extra incentive is provided, but that’s as a giveaway prize for readers who participate in the program—not direct payment for services. Continue reading “Do Read-and-Review Programs Really Work?”