Self-Publishing: The Carnival of the Indies Issue #92

POSTED ON May 27, 2018

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By Joel Friedlander

Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for May, 2018. 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

Lisa Poisso presents The editing and revision process for self-publishers posted at Clarity, saying, “We get it: you’re one person with one set of eyes that probably glazed over long ago from reading and re-reading the same words in your manuscript. So add more shots at getting a different perspective. Add more opportunities for feedback, more opportunities to check specific elements in your novel, and more opportunities for a fresh look.”

Frances Caballo presents How Writers Can Get Started on Goodreads posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “Perhaps you’re wondering, “Is Goodreads really a social media network?” It definitely is. The primary reason the founders of Goodreads started this website was to create an online venue where friends could chat about and recommend books, the same way they might if they were dining together or meeting at a café. Its secondary goal was to serve as a social media network.”

Book Design and Production

Cathi Stevenson presents An Indie-Author’s Guide to Organizing a Book for Publication posted at Book Cover Express Indie Publishing Blog.

Cathi Stevenson presents Ten Tips for Laying Out Back Cover Text Like a Pro posted at Book Cover Express Indie Publishing Blog.

Iola Goulton presents Parts of a Book: Back Matter posted at Australasian Christian Writers, saying, “This is the final post in a series covering what authors need to include in their front and back matter. You might think it’s obvious, but I’ve read several small press and self-published books which have no back matter at all.”

Lisa Poisso presents Do you want to be an author or just someone who’s published a book? posted at Clarity, saying, “It doesn’t matter whether you aspire to write a book every few years or you’re driven to sell enough titles to quit your day job. If you mean to write over the long haul, you’re committing to learning the business and practical side of publishing too.”

Indie Author

Alexander Zoltai presents Yet More Conversation About “Serious Writing” . . . posted at Notes from An Alien.

Belinda Griffin presents London Book Fair 2018 – Through an Indie Lens posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “Guest writer Belinda Griffin of SmartAuthorsLab shares her experiences at London Book Fair 2018 from an indie point of view.”

Karen Conlin presents Spellcheck Cannot Save You! Don’t Ghost Your Editor posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Indie Editor-at-Large explains the importance of clear 2-way communication, or, why authors shouldn’t ‘ghost’ their editor for successful collaboration.”

Kate Haigh presents What does it cost to get my novel edited and proofread? posted at A Proofreader’s Blog | Kateproof, saying, “A blog post with two case studies of how authors and editors/proofreaders can change their approach to make a budget suit both parties.”

Laura DiSilverio presents What Is an Author’s Salary posted at Career Authors, saying, “Author “salary” and author contracts are shrouded in secrecy, so it’s near impossible to find hard data. As a data set of one, I’m prepared to break taboos and talk specifics about how much money I make to help other authors have a clearer vision of the career’s potential financial rewards (or lack thereof).”

Sarah Bolme presents 5 Common Indie Publishing Errors posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “Indie publishing is growing. Indie published titles now account for about 17% of all books sold. This is great news. Sadly, many indie authors don’t take the time to fully educate themselves on important aspects of publishing a book. Then these authors wonder why people don’t stand up and take notice of their books.”

Terry Whalin presents Little by Little Gets It Done posted at The Writing Life, saying, “Many people wonder how Terry Whalin has been so prolific–over 60 books and more than 50 print magazines with his writing. He gives the answer in this article.”

Marketing and Selling Your Books

Belinda Griffin presents How To Create An Effective Reader Avatar posted at SmartAuthorsLab, saying, “Wondering how to you reach your target reader with book marketing? Start by creating your reader avatar. In this post I dive deep into reader avatars – what they are, why you should care about them, how to create one and what to do with it once you’ve got it.”

Chris Well presents Book PR: Do’s & Don’ts When Wooing the Media – Part Two posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Media & PR Expert, Chris Well, continues his series on book PR, with Part Two of Do’s & Don’ts for authors looking to woo the media.”

Iola Goulton presents Five Tips to Polish your Presence on Pinterest posted at Christian Editing Services, saying, “Pinterest has made several changes over the last year. If you’re on Pinterest, it’s worth taking a little time to polish your profile. In this blog post I share four tips to polish your presence on Pinterest, and one tip for pinning.”

Kristina Adams presents How Not to Market a Book posted at The Writer’s Cookbook.

Penny Sansevieri presents New Goodreads Giveaway Checklist for Indie Authors posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Book Marketing Expert, Penny Sansevieri, test drives the new Goodreads Giveaway program and shares her Ultimate Checklist for Indie Authors.”

Self-Publishing Success

Carla King presents Grow Your Author Email List with These 7 Tech Essentials posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “Grow you author email list with these 7 website tech essentials, including the best resources to obtain them, from BookWorks.com’s Tech Expert, Carla King.”

Mark Coker presents Smashwords Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary posted at Smashwords Blog, saying, “Mark Coker shares a retrospective on the rise of indie authorship over the last ten years.”

Sophie Anderson presents Traditional Publishing or Self-Publishing – Advantages of Self-Publishing posted at Carmine Proofreading, saying, “If you’re still unconvinced about self-publishing, why not come and read some of the advantages of it? This post explains what the pros of self-publishing are and how these affect you.”

Tyler Doornbos presents Author Website Security: 4 Key Steps in Less Than 1 Hour posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “Don’t get hacked! BookWorks.com Web Lead, Tyler Doornbos, shows indie authors 4 key steps to secure their website that can be done in less than 1 hour.”

Writing Tools and Tips

Anne Meick presents Writer’s Block vs. Writer’s Procrastination: Taking Action to Become Productive Again posted at Writers’ Connection.

Daphne Gray-Grant presents Why you should resist the writing rituals of famous authors posted at The Publication Coach.

Karen Conlin presents Spellcheck Cannot Save You! Style Sheets Are Your Friend posted at BookWorks Blog, saying, “BookWorks.com’s Indie Editor at Large, Karen Conlin, explains why authors should create style sheets to convey their preferences and make collaborating with their editor a breeze.”

Lisa Cordaro presents How to ace your productivity and find creative freedom posted at The Serialist, saying, “Hello, I’d like to submit this for consideration, as productivity in the creative context applies very much to indie authors and writers. Kind regards, Lisa”

Louise Harnby presents Why ‘suddenly’ can spoil your crime fiction: Advice for new writers posted at The Proofreader’s Parlour, saying, “I discuss the negative impact that just one word can have on narrative tension, especially in crime fiction: ‘Suddenly’. I’m not suggesting writers eradicate it, but rather use it judiciously and with intention.”

Zara Altair presents Master Scene Sequence- Building Blocks to Your Story posted at Write Time, saying, “Thank you!”

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, Plus-1 it on Google+, Link to it!

The next issue is June 24, 2018 and the deadline for submissions will be June 15, 2018. Don’t miss it!

Here are all the links you’ll need