Self-Publishing: Carnival of the Indies Issue #115

POSTED ON Apr 24, 2020

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By Joel Friedlander

Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for April, 2020. 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

Malorie Cooper presents How to Calculate Series Read-Through (and Why It’s Important to Know) posted at Kindlepreneur, saying, “If you don’t have a solid grasp on whether or not readers are picking up the next book in your series, you don’t know if it’s worth carrying on with it — nor do you know what sort of advertising margins you need to maintain. In this article, you’ll learn how to calculate readthrough so you can better market your books.”

Frances Caballo presents Book Marketing and COVID-19: Change What You’re Doing posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “This past week I messaged several clients about how, in the face of COVID-19, they might consider adjusting their messaging. You see, while other book marketing experts advise you to “stay the course,” I’m swimming upstream. Why? These are unusual times. With twenty states, as of this writing, under “shelter-in-place” orders, as authors, we need to think about what our readers need to hear from us – not what we want them to know about us and our books.”

Nicky Bond presents Land Mines and Other Pointless Similes posted at Nicky Bond and Writer’s Ramblings, saying, “With a completed first draft in my hands, I’ve now started the long hard slog of editing. This is my third book and it never gets quicker or easier. What has become clearer over time however, is that there are three clear stages of the editing process. For me, at least. I’ve explored them here, in what I hope is both useful to others, as well as an opportunity for me to scream into the void to release some pent up frustration. Editing…it’s not my favourite. Let’s leave it there.”

Indie Author

Anne Meick presents Network and Improve Your Craft: How to Prepare for a Writer’s Conference posted at Writers’ Connection, saying, “Find the next writer’s conference that is a good match for you and your book. It may just prove to be one of the best decisions of your budding author career.”

C. S. Lakin presents How to Become a Writer: Going from Hobby to Career posted at The Self-Publisher, saying, “One of the most common questions asked by aspiring writers is “How can I become a writer?” Here are some simple steps that can help take you from a writing hobby to a viable writing career.”

Joy E. Rancatore presents Indie Authors and the Case for Creativity posted at Logos & Mythos, saying, “Indie Authors—like all writers and artists—rely on creativity for our very livelihoods. One fear we face is a loss of this precious gift. A stall in our imaginations, a glitch in our creativity software, an overload of the circuits that fire off original thoughts and ingenuity within us. So, how can we avoid such a disaster?”

Sarah Bolme presents Networking Is Easier Than You Think posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “Often getting a job is all about who you know and who knows you. That’s why LinkedIn is so popular. It lets professionals network online and expand their connections. Good marketers also network. Most good opportunities come from making a connection with someone who has connections that will help you.”

Terry Whalin presents How Do You Handle Different? posted at The Writing Life, saying, “Different is the rule of our day and prolific author and editor Terry Whalin gives encouragement and insight in this article.”

Marketing and Selling Your Books

Frances Caballo presents Social Media Safety Tips posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “For authors who are sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, and stalking survivors, book marketing can be tricky. In this post, Frances Caballo explains strategies that survivors can implement to stay safe online. The safety tips she shares are also applicable to any author who wants to be safe while using social media.”

Helen Vdovychenko presents How to identify Target Audience for Your Book posted at MiblArt blog, saying, “A definitive guide on how to build the portrait of your potential reader, write a value proposition of your book, and connect with your target audience.”

Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents How To Create A One Minute Book Promo Video in 4 Easy Steps posted at The Business of Self-Publishing, saying, “My main goal here is to share with you how I create my book promo videos so that you can see the basic steps involved. With a little bit of research, some patience, some practice, and persistence, you should be able to make your own book promo video without too much hassle. Now get ready, because here is a quick run-down of the 4 main steps I follow in order to make my basic 1-minute book promo videos.”

Nate Hoffelder presents 18 Questions to Ask when Refreshing your Author Website posted at Kobo Writing Life, saying, “With all public events canceled for the duration, your website is ten times more important than it was last month. You can no longer rely on meeting people in person and winning them over; now you have to woo readers online – and that includes on your website. This post will help you update your site.”

Russell Phillips presents What to do if Amazon Discounts Your Book posted at Author Help, saying, “It can be disconcerting if Amazon discounts your book, but there’s no need to worry. Here’s how to take advantage of the situation if it happens to you.”

Sarah Bolme presents Are You Engaging the Five Senses with Your Book Marketing? posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “As humans, our five senses are powerful. Not only do they keep us safe, they also keep us informed. Did you know…”

Self-Publishing Success

David Leonhardt presents 9 mistakes new authors make when self-publishing their books posted at Always Write, saying, “Writing and publishing are two different worlds. But if a writer self-publishes, one needs to know a few things about publishing and the most common mistakes to avoid.”

Laura Cross presents How to Release Your Self-Published Book via the Top Distributors and Aggregators posted at Ink & Cinema.

Writing Tools and Tips

Annelise Driscoll presents Write, Rewrite, Repeat: How to Revise Your Story posted at Annelise Driscoll, Author Website, saying, “The revision process can be daunting for anyone self-publishing their first novel. This article provides real samples to remind you just how much a story can (and should) change during the writing process.”

C. S. Lakin presents Incidental Characters That Make Your Novel Zing posted at Live Write Thrive, saying, “Writers tend to ignore incidental characters in their novels, but those characters can play important roles and make the difference between a so-so plot and a terrific one.”

Gus Tierney presents Writing to Cope or Whatever Works posted at Indies Unlimited, saying, “I thought this was good advice not just for writers but all people right now.”

Joy E. Rancatore presents Training to Write Fantasy posted at Logos & Mythos, saying, “When a writer sets out to write anything, especially a new writer or one attempting a new type of writing, he or she must train. I’m currently training to write fantasy.”

Phyllis Zimbler Miller presents COVID-19: When Words Are All We Have posted at Joylene Nowell Butler, saying, “I wrote this guest blog post to give some comfort to writers in this time of plague.”

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, Link to it!

The next issue is May 29, 2020 and the deadline for submissions will be May 15, 2020. Don’t miss it!

Here are all the links you’ll need