Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for July, 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
Fiona Raven presents Combining Serif and Sans Serif Fonts posted at Book Design Made Simple, saying, “Mixing serif and sans serif fonts sounds difficult, but it’s easy once you know the rules. Our font-combining basics will get you going quickly and easily.”
Day Leitao presents How I saved by switching my newsletter to Sendy posted at Day Leitao.
Dave Chesson presents THE BEST SOFTWARE TO PLOT OR OUTLINE YOUR BOOK posted at Kindlepreneur, saying, “Writing a book, fiction or nonfiction, isn’t easy, and planning what you want to write before you start can help you write faster and get books to market sooner. That’s why we personally tested four of the best pieces of story outline software on the market–tools and apps that can help you outline your books.”
Indie Author
Doris-Maria Heilmann presents Writing Your Way While Traveling Canada posted at Marvelous Canada, saying, “Writing about your travel experiences is probably the most attractive way to earn an income as a location independent freelance writer. Many writers have chosen to become digital nomads. Here are the pro’s and con’s, where to find writing opportunities, online writing tips, and even free writer residencies.”
Joseph C. Kunz, Jr. presents 5 Selfishly Great And Satisfying Reasons To Write A Non-Fiction Book posted at The Business of Self-Publishing, saying, “If you like to entertain people, then you would probably enjoy writing fiction. But, if you like to help people improve their own lives, careers, businesses, and relationships – by teaching, inspiring and sharing your own knowledge and experiences – then you should be writing non-fiction.”
Sarah Bolme presents Free Tools Any Author Can Use posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “No one is good at everything. We all need help, whether that is with our grammar, our time management, or just concentrating so we can be productive. Following are five free tools. Check them out. You might find one or more of them helpful in your quest to be the best author that you can be.”
Terry Whalin presents Use Your Resources to Meet Needs posted at The Writing Life, saying, “When you have a need how do you do more than ask “Google?” Editor and author Terry Whalin gives several action-oriented ideas in this article.”
Marketing and Selling Your Books
Anne Meick presents The Book Review Dilemma: How to Get Readers to Review Your Book posted at Writers’ Connection, saying, “What is the best way to ensure sales of your book? Book reviews. They can be hard to come by when you are starting out. They can make or break your book sale success. Here are tips on how to navigate the book reader review universe.”
Darcy Pattison presents How to Set Up an Online Bookstore posted at Fiction Notes, saying, “While I talk about children’s books because of the need for good full-color printing, this is really for anyone. The novels look great from this source, too.”
Frances Caballo presents Romance Author Discusses Race, Genre, Amazon Categories posted at Social Media Just for Writers, saying, “Black Canadian author Alexandra Isobel writes swirl (Black and white) romance novels. Find out what she has to say about growing up while fending off racism, being a Black romance author, her dilemma with Amazon categories, and how she markets her books.”
Lois Hoffman presents 5 Children’s Writing Contests posted at The Happy Self-Publisher, saying, “For authors who write children’s and YA stories, here are a few upcoming children’s writing contests to use for gaining valuable experience and building your writing platform!”
Sabrina Ricci presents Guest Post: How to Market Your Book to Teens posted at Digital Pubbing, saying, “In this day and age, the internet rules the world, especially for young people. If you’re thinking about marketing to teens and you aren’t looking at online platforms or social media, then you’re doing it wrong. Social media plays a significant role in marketing today. Here are some ways to market a book to young people.”
Sarah Bolme presents 5 Ways to Promote Your Book for Free posted at Marketing Christian Books, saying, “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused economic distress for many people. As an independent author, you may be struggling financially. As an author, you have at least one book to sell to generate a little income. Maybe you are struggling with sales. You don’t want to spend money on advertising and promoting your book because money is tight.”
Shelley Hitz presents Author Giveaways That Work posted at Training Authors.
Self-Publishing Success
C. S. Lakin presents 7 Steps to Building a Writer Platform posted at The Self-Publisher, saying, “Writers who build a platform from the ground up lay the foundation for a vibrant career. The process begins with the decision to view writing as more than an interest or hobby but as a serious pursuit. Dedicated writers accept the challenge of learning the craft, which is a lifelong pursuit, and they also embark upon how to gather the tools needed to take an acclaimed role in the publishing world.”
C. S. Lakin presents How Writers Can Benefit from a Sense of Purpose and Routine posted at Live Write Thrive, saying, “We have our own adjustments to make and challenges to face in this time of Covid. But we also have people we care about, close to our hearts and in the world at large. While we empathize with the suffering of others, it is vitally important that we also protect our own emotional well-being. This is easier said than done because once we open our hearts, emotions, of all kinds, flood in. So, how do we keep ourselves emotionally sound and physically fit?”
Writing Tools and Tips
Deborah Jay presents #Writing Tools: have you discovered BookLinker? posted at Deborah Jay Author, saying, “I mentioned using BookLinker’s CATFINDER tool in a previous post on creating Amazon ads. After publishing that post, the site’s designer, Richard Hellewell, contacted me to tell me about the a new tool he’d added, so I thought a dedicated blogpost was in order.”
Lisa Poisso presents Keep It Rolling: Writing momentum hacks for authors posted at Clarity, saying, “There’s more to completing a manuscript than Herculean willpower. Technology can help. These writing momentum hacks will help keep you putting words on the page instead of bogging down in details you can plug in later.”
Phyllis Zimbler Miller presents Can Writers Authentically Write About Cultures Other Than Their Own Cultures? posted at Joylene Nowell Butler.
Sandra Wendel presents Stop Starting at a Blank Page posted at Jane Friedman.
Zara Altair presents Plan Your Mystery with Plottr posted at Write Time, saying, “Use Plottr, the customizable planning tool for writers. Plan to write faster.”
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 August 28, 2020 and the deadline for submissions will be August 15, 2020. Don’t miss it!
Here are all the links you’ll need
- Have something to share with our community? Submit your article here
- The original announcement post
- Carnival of the Indies web page
- Bloggers, grab your official Carnival of the Indies Badges here
- Follow Carnival of the Indies on Twitter to get deadline reminders
- Subscribe to The Book Designer Blog
