Welcome to this issue of the Carnival of the Indies blog carnival. This issue is for November, 2011. 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
Mark Coker presents Pricing Strategies for Ebooks posted at The Savvy Book Marketer, saying, “There’s not a single secret magic price point that’s most effective for ebooks. Some authors fixate on price alone, but it’s important to consider price as only one of several factors that influence a reader’s purchase decision. This article examines a broad range of factors that go into the pricing decision.”
Lindsay Buroker presents Can Publishing a Podiobook Help You Sell More Books? posted at Lindsay Buroker — Fantasy Author, saying, “I’m publishing a free audio version of my first novel. Is it helping with book sales? Come find out. :).”
Jaye Manus presents How Penguin/Book Country Is Running The Con Game posted at JW Manus, saying, “Penguin has found a new way to exploit the self-publishing market by using an old con. Writers need to be aware of how Penguin via Book Country is reeling them in and then sticking them with a hefty bill.”
Book Design and Production
Dave Bricker presents Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading posted at The One-Hour Guide to Self-Publishing.
E-books and e-Book Readers
R. H. Sheldon presents In the World of Publishing, You Get What You Don’t Pay For posted at Slipstream.
O.C. Heaton presents Is the path to enlightenment paved with e-books? posted at A Rush of Green, saying, “Michael Hart had a grand vision, which he named Project Gutenberg: e-books for all, for free. He aimed to provide “a million e-books each to a billion people all over the globe”. Is the path to enlightenment paved with e-books?”
Eldon Sarte presents Steve Jobs Kindle Pricing | Wordpreneur posted at Wordpreneur – Eldon Sarte’s How to Make Money Writing.
Daniel Arnzen presents Understanding e-Book File Formats posted at Writely Done, saying, “An article on the inner workings of e-book files. I hope some readers will find it informative.”
Indie Author
Michael E. Newton presents Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint posted at The Path to Tyranny Blog.
Jeff Bennington presents What the Hell’s an Author Platform Anyway? posted at The Writing Bomb, saying, “This book goes over the necessity of growing an author platform, sample platform ideas, and what goes into making a unique platform that matches your personality and style..”
Andy Conway presents 11 before 11.11.11… Or How I Published 11 Books in 9 Months posted at Andy Conway, saying, “A few days after meeting the craziest deadline I’ve ever faced (and, stupidly, self-imposed), I pulled myself back together to write this blog about the journey and what it took to get there.”
Will Entrekin presents There’s No Such Thing As The Publishing Debate posted at Exciting Writing, saying, “Print versus digital. “Self-publishing” versus “traditional publishing.” “Plotters” versus “pantsers.” Everything in publishing seems so binary lately and has a “debate,” and it’s starting to drive me crazy..”
Sylvia Liu presents 5 Nontraditional Publishing Models from Around the World posted at Sylvia Liu Land, saying, “If the point of publishing is to connect with and find readers, maybe it’s time to think outside the box. Here are five nontraditional ways authors have published their stories.”
P.J. Kaiser presents The Business of Indie Publishing (5 of 5) posted at Inspired by Real Life: Fiction and Reflections by P.J. Kaiser, saying, “This is the fifth in a series of posts that I wrote about the proceedings at the Indie Book Event in NYC in August, 2011. The previous posts covered the pros and cons of indie publishing, editing and two posts on marketing. This fifth post covers some business aspects of indie publishing..”
Sue Collier presents Don’t make these 7 self-publishing mistakes posted at Self-Publishing Resources.
Marketing and Selling Your Books
Lindsay B presents Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101 for Authors posted at Savvy Self-Publishing, saying, “Though search engine optimization isn’t the most exciting topic, it can get more people to your site, people who might just go on to check out your books!”
Lindsay presents Should You Add a Forum to Your Author Website? posted at Lindsay Buroker | Fantasy Author, saying, “Creating a community where your fans can hang out has it’s perks, but it has it’s downsides too. Read the pros and cons to see if a forum is right for your site.”
Doris presents Marketing Tips for your new e-Book; Savvy Writers & e-Books online posted at Savvy Writers & e-Books online.
Eldon Sarte presents Writers, Do You Really Need a Website? | Wordpreneur posted at Wordpreneur – Eldon Sarte’s How to Make Money Writing.
Russell Phillips presents My iBookstore Tool: Not Just for Smashwords Authors (updated) | Russell Phillips’ Blog posted at Russell Phillips’ Blog, saying, “I’ve made a tool that makes it easy to find your books in the Apple iBookstore.”
Thomas Burchfield presents Read This Book posted at Thomas Burchfield: A Curious Man, saying, “”As Gene Autry once said, ‘It ain’t braggin’ if you done it.” Thoughts on the anxieties–or at least my anxieties–associated with promoting one’s own book.”
Patricia de Hemricourt presents Book Promotion Tactics – Pre-Publishing posted at ePublish a Book, saying, “This is the first article in a series, covering the three stages of book promotion : pre-publishing, book launch and ongoing promotion. A must read for all author entering the publishing world, whether to self-publish or with a publisher backing.”
Dana Lynn Smith presents Do Reviews in Online Bookstores Matter? posted at The Savvy Book Marketer.
Bob Baker presents Your #1 Goal as a Nonfiction Author posted at Bob Baker’s Book Promotion Blog, saying, “Why should people pay for your book when they can find similar information on the Internet for free? Here’s a powerful answer..”
Sue Collier presents What the heck is SEO and how can it help authors sell more books? Part one posted at Self-Publishing Resources.
Self-Publishing Success
Jeff Bennington presents Keys to Self-Publishing Success posted at The Writing Bomb, saying, “This article presents a non-candy-coated list of 8 simple points that are proven keys to self-publishing success. This post presents the truth of the hard work and persistance behind the success many indie writers are having.”
Writing Tools & Tips
O.C. Heaton presents How to become a carbon-free writer posted at A Rush of Green, saying, “Ever wondered how much C02 we use up when writing our novels? Here’s how we can become carbon-free writers.”
Mary Tod presents Random Rant – Writing is like no other career I’ve had posted at One Writer’s Voice, saying, “When you’re frustrated about your writing career, remember the ups and downs of other careers.”
Darby presents Mirror, Mirror posted at The Phantom Planet, saying, “An article on character description – please consider for the Carnival! I love your website and all the resources – invaluable for me.”
Alexander M Zoltai presents Virtually Sure Way To Meet Cool Readers, Writers, & Publishers posted at Notes from An Alien, saying, “Writing Tips from a Virtual World.”
Jaye Manus presents Adventures in Self-Publishing: Brand Names and Trademarks posted at JW Manus, saying, “One of the tasks of a copy editor at a publishing company is to check manuscripts for trademark infringement and the improper use of brand names. Indie authors who don’t have copy editors need to educate themselves about the law in order to avoid cease and desist letters or even lawsuits, even when they’re writing fiction.”
How to Take Part in the Carnival of the Indies
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 below to Tweet it, Share it on Facebook, Link to it! The next issue is December 25, 2011 and the deadline for submissions will be December 20, 2011. Don’t miss it! Here are all the links you’ll need:
The original announcement post
Carnival of the Indies web page
Submit your article here
Bloggers, grab your official Carnival of the Indies Badges here
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