Category: Staff Articles

Writing advice and insights from the staff of Indies Unlimited.

The Importance of Research

Author Valerie Douglas
Author Valerie Douglas

I suppose you could say that I’ve been doing research all my life – as any writer should. After all, the essential, endless curiosity that drives us to ask ‘what if’ and then ‘what happens next’ has to start somewhere. It starts in those questions, but it’s based in what we’ve learned and know.

Part of every child’s education is spent exploring ancient gods and goddesses, particularly the Greek and Roman. They fascinated me just as they fascinate most children, especially their excesses – Percy Jackson’s popularity is no coincidence. Continue reading “The Importance of Research”

Pitfalls for New Writers

There are many potential pitfalls for new authors. Not for me. Not that I ever was a new author. I was born an old author. Like an older, wiser Hemingway with more of a drinking problem, but without the suicide problem. Still, it is hard for me to watch others make mistakes that I have seen people of lesser worth than myself make.

One thing new authors do is think they are hot shit. This happens a lot. It happened to a friend of mine. He got paid to write at a very young age. He was the hotshot writer in all his classes. Then he moved to San Francisco and got his ass handed to him. Actually, he was still fairly good, but he definitely wasn’t the best, and he definitely didn’t get better until he ate some humble ramen. Continue reading “Pitfalls for New Writers”

Tutorial: Make Your Very Own Book Store

K. S. Brooks' Book StorePeople ask me how to sell books from their web site. It’s easy, actually – there’s no stocking, shipping, or coding involved. All it takes is a one-time set-up using the aStore tools provided by Amazon.com. You can embed the store directly into your own web site, or if you don’t have your own web site, you can make the store a stand-alone and send people there. No matter which way you do it, it’s one more venue where you can sell your books – and you make a commission on top of it. Continue reading “Tutorial: Make Your Very Own Book Store”

Presentation Skills for the Terminally Introverted Author

I don’t know if isolation is a requirement or a side effect of the indie lifestyle. I do know that I spend a lot of time alone. This tweaks up a whole crazy busload of quirks. I talk to myself. I answer my own rhetorical questions. At times, in my black, coffee-stained hoodie, I could be mistaken for a shorter version of the Unabomber.

And then I write a book and get it published. Sure, I could hunker down with my moldy coffee mugs, fingernails reaching Howard Hughes lengths, husband threatening to hog-tie me and drive me to the hair salon, where I’ll be forcibly pruned and sheared. But I’ve been told by professionals who know these things that a good way to sell books is to actually GO OUTSIDE and TALK TO PEOPLE IN GROUPS. Continue reading “Presentation Skills for the Terminally Introverted Author”