tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:14:43 +0000Follow my adventures in publishing as I fully leverage emerging technologies to forge a career in authorship outside the establishment.http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/indieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)Blogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-5122757491817792900Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:19:00 +00002009-11-08T18:54:51.010-08:00writer conferenceswriter workshopsauthor platformIf you’re budget-minded (like me), you probably think of writers’ or publishers’ conferences as a luxury: something you know you can benefit from, and something you’d love to do more often, but something for which it can be hard to justify the expense. Well, in addition to the educational and social networking benefits, it turns out there can be major author platform dividends as well.Author http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/d4Gd1Y6Pqlk/how-conferences-and-other-writers.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/d4Gd1Y6Pqlk" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-conferences-and-other-writers.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-291641193417913061Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:14:00 +00002009-10-15T08:31:22.380-07:00Christina Katz#platformchatSeth HarwoodMeryl K. EvansTwitterauthor platformChristina Katz, The Writer Mama and author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, hosts a regular Twitter interview series known as #Platformchat, and I and author Seth Harwood will be guests on Friday, 10/23. From Christina's site: On Friday, October 23rd our #platformchat guests will be Seth Harwood & April Hamilton. Time is: 11:00 - noon PT (noon - 1:00 MT, 1:00 - 2:00 CT, & 2:00 - 3:00 ET).Topic:http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/THnX51XK6cE/tune-in-for-platformchat-get-your.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/THnX51XK6cE" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/10/tune-in-for-platformchat-get-your.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-8779323229811121171Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:32:00 +00002009-10-11T14:40:32.483-07:00day jobsaspiring authorfrustrated writerwaiting for successIt’s a cliché that so-called overnight successes are many years in the making, but it’s also true. As you plug away at your day job and your manuscripts, year in and out, it’s easy to get discouraged. It’s hard not to feel nothing’s ever going to happen for you. And when you read about some hot new author du jour you’ve never heard of who got a six or seven figure offer, landed a spot on Oprah http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/dcce_40FUcQ/dont-hate-wait.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/dcce_40FUcQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/10/dont-hate-wait.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2428807122098584663Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:59:00 +00002009-10-08T19:36:23.602-07:00book promotionweb skills for authorshow to promoteauthor platformtech skills for authorsFor the past several months, I’ve been working on the Publetariat Vault. Among the hundreds of authors who’ve registered for Vault membership, about 5% are completely overwhelmed by the listing form. They refuse to read or follow the instructions on the form, or think 17 required fields are too much to ask, or don’t know how to create a synopsis or excerpt in pdf, rtf or txt format, or don’t knowhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/7w6fTtamT5g/dont-be-part-of-5-master-5-crucial.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)8<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/7w6fTtamT5g" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/10/dont-be-part-of-5-master-5-crucial.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-940791471838469623Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:12:00 +00002009-10-01T18:38:52.304-07:00aggregator sitesonline aggregationauthor platformPubletariatThere’s a lot of hue and cry against online aggregation circulating around the interwebs these days, and I really don’t get it.Aggregator sites reprint excerpts from other sites’ articles and blog posts, along with a ‘keep reading’ or ‘read the rest’ link to the source article/blog post. The more responsible aggregators also include the name of the author, and the most considerate ones also http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/Z6Jb2wZWftI/why-responsible-aggregation-is-not-only.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)3<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/Z6Jb2wZWftI" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-responsible-aggregation-is-not-only.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-8233916653832668396Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:02:00 +00002009-10-02T19:29:13.933-07:00Joshua Tallentwriter workshopsSeth HarwoodApril L. HamiltonScott SiglerIndie Author Stem to Stern Workshop Cruise*UPDATED* (see revision in blue, below)Have you been wishing you had some time to speak with me in person about your self-publishing quandaries and questions, preferably while on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera? Or perhaps you've wanted to ask NYT bestselling author Scott Sigler how he crossed over from indie to mainstream success on the basis of his author platform, ideally while sipping a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/BR7wvqK4ejo/publetariat-presents-first-indie-author.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/BR7wvqK4ejo" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/09/publetariat-presents-first-indie-author.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-8893740286694608732Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:58:00 +00002009-09-22T19:49:57.208-07:00book promotionwhy self-publishbias against self-publishing#WDC09author platformUntil recently, if you were self-published virtually any agent or book editor worth her salt didn’t want to hear about it. Many of them would want nothing to do with you at all, as if your self-published status might rub their own cachet off or something. But given the tenor and content of the sessions at this year’s Writers Digest Business of Getting Published Conference, I predict it won’t be http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/4XgS3CLcZvw/self-publishing-future-prerequisite.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)45<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/4XgS3CLcZvw" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/09/self-publishing-future-prerequisite.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-466898718561856838Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:56:00 +00002009-09-06T21:14:51.776-07:00book marketing#authorfailbook promotionauthor platformHi, Joe or Jane Author. My name is...well, it doesn’t really matter what my name is, all that matters is I’ve just signed up for your newsletter, or started visiting your site or blog, or registered for membership on your site, or started following you on Twitter, or friended you on Facebook or MySpace or FriendFeed or Goodreads or LibraryThing or something similar. This should be the start of a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/OZJZycMGkEg/how-to-lose-fans-and-alienate-visitors.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/OZJZycMGkEg" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-lose-fans-and-alienate-visitors.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2289917294172597277Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:02:00 +00002009-08-04T23:49:26.645-07:00judging fictionhow to writeWD self-published books contestrules of writingI've been away because I've been judging in this year's Writer's Digest Self-Published Books contest, and unlike some other contest judges I know of, don't think it's fair to reject any entry after reading only the first paragraph---or less. I read all of the 25 books allotted to me from cover to cover, and went back to re-read certain passages in most of them when compiling my judging notes. I http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/U6tXsJylPLA/im-back-with-post-about-rules.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)11<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/U6tXsJylPLA" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/08/im-back-with-post-about-rules.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-440974614754123425Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:29:00 +00002009-06-25T08:49:15.489-07:00how to get publishedWriter's DigestBusiness of Getting PublishedIndieAuthor GuideIndie Authors and the Temple of DIYI'll be presenting a workshop at this year's Writer's Digest: The Business Of Getting Published Conference, and the nice folks at WD have provided me with a $50 discount code my audience can use when registering for the conference (discount code below). From WD:The Writer's Digest Conference: The Business of Getting Published is designed to guide any author through the new dynamics of today's http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/mwH27cGFiL8/psst-discount-code-for-writers-digest.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/mwH27cGFiL8" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/06/psst-discount-code-for-writers-digest.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3840133851000430671Tue, 09 Jun 2009 04:00:00 +00002009-06-08T21:21:35.239-07:00internet trollsweb trollsauthor platform‘Author Platform’ is the buzzphrase of the moment. If you’re doing a good job of creating and maintaining that all-important communication channel between yourself and the public, it’s only a matter of time before the web trolls descend upon you to ruin things for everyone. Herewith, I present a relevant excerpt from Ms. Gertrude Strumpf-Hollingsworth’s “Encyclopedia of Annoyances, Bothers and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/BMYRoDXdfj0/authors-field-guide-to-internet-trolls.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/BMYRoDXdfj0" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/06/authors-field-guide-to-internet-trolls.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3170610093278231319Wed, 13 May 2009 22:07:00 +00002009-05-13T21:44:10.587-07:00what's wrong with self-published books#authorfailNext Generation Indie Book AwardsMy blog series on the most common problems I found in the self-published, non-fiction books I recently judged for The Next Generation Indie Book Awards continues. In part one, I discussed books written by authors who are not qualified experts in their chosen subjects. In part two, I wrote about authors who come across as dabblers or flakes in their author bio. Part three was about memoirs http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/KaL4tN5bUs4/invented-ideologies-and-lexica.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/KaL4tN5bUs4" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/05/invented-ideologies-and-lexica.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-5169222571349618899Thu, 07 May 2009 18:25:00 +00002009-05-07T11:28:59.681-07:00what's wrong with self-published books#authorfailNext Generation Indie Book AwardsMy blog series on the most common problems I found in the self-published, non-fiction books I recently judged for The Next Generation Indie Book Awards continues. In part one, I discussed books written by authors who are not qualified experts in their chosen subjects. In part two, I wrote about authors who come across as dabblers or flakes in their author bio. Today, it’s about memoirs http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/FTjtqZvihc0/memoirs-and-reference-books-are.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/FTjtqZvihc0" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/05/memoirs-and-reference-books-are.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-8342947417740460894Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:55:00 +00002009-04-25T12:47:35.487-07:00what's wrong with self-published books#authorfailNext Generation Indie Book AwardsMy blog series on the most common problems I found in the self-published, non-fiction books I recently judged for The Next Generation Indie Book Awards continues. In part one, I discussed books written by authors who are not qualified experts in their chosen subjects. This time, I take on the dabbler: the author who comes across as a jack of all trades, but master of none.Nobody wants to take http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/s26hutEWG4M/nobody-wants-to-take-advice-from.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/s26hutEWG4M" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/04/nobody-wants-to-take-advice-from.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3061144889132447214Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:41:00 +00002009-04-17T11:29:34.239-07:00what's wrong with self-published books#authorfailNext Generation Indie Book AwardsI recently completed a stint of judging nonfiction, indie books for The Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Popular lore holds that most self-published books are of poor quality, both in terms of layout/design and writing, but that was not my experience with these books.Most of the books had very attractive and professional-looking covers, and many of them had excellent illustrations and interiorhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/_bEreJ-D7vQ/hubris-not-bad-writing-or-design-sinks.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/_bEreJ-D7vQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/04/hubris-not-bad-writing-or-design-sinks.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3694845249787609031Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:51:00 +00002009-04-07T11:05:58.842-07:00#queryfailwhy self-publishbias against self-publishingmyths about self-publishing#agentfailBy now, most any writer on Twitter has heard of #queryfail and the subsequent #agentfail. For those of you reading who have no idea what I'm talking about, #queryfail was a collection of Twitter posts made by literary agents in which they variously railed, joked, complained, and talked about failed queries from writers. Writers shot back with their own Twitter stream: #agentfail, in which they http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/gXGpRCgeYBk/1999-called-it-wants-its-attitudes.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)8<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/gXGpRCgeYBk" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/04/1999-called-it-wants-its-attitudes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-3837547546801340365Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:31:00 +00002009-04-02T14:43:45.705-07:00Google Book Search#GBSNote: This article is a cross-posting from Publetariat.com. You’ve probably been hearing a lot about Google Book Search lately. Mainstream publishers and authors are variously confused, angry or nervous about GBS, but for indie authors and small imprints, it’s all good.What’s This All About, Then?From Wikipedia:Google Book Search is a tool from Google that searches the full text of books that http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/cFkB1_gq_CE/why-google-book-search-is-good-thing.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/cFkB1_gq_CE" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-google-book-search-is-good-thing.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2684548614286144830Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:34:00 +00002009-09-30T13:17:07.692-07:00CreateSpaceself-publishing optionsLulu vs. CreateSpaceLuluAt the risk of coming off as some kind of Amazon shill, I'm afraid I've just got to blog about one of their services again: CreateSpace. I feel this is necessary because I keep seeing tweets, posts and Facebook notes from indie authors--especially authors outside the US---who intend to go through Lulu based in part on a belief that Lulu is the most economical choice for the services offered, and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/YkfIUYYkluY/lulu-vs-createspace-which-is-more.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)46<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/YkfIUYYkluY" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/03/lulu-vs-createspace-which-is-more.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-5533885300436409717Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:39:00 +00002009-03-02T18:53:36.788-08:00book storesAmazonindie booksellersI received an email today from someone who says: I am wondering why you call yourself an "inide" (sic) author when you have not one, but 2 links to Amazon on your site with no mention of Indiebound.org. Amazon is the anti-indie.As the manager of an indie book shop we seek the support of authors by asking them to post Indiebound.org as a purchase option. I cannot believe that you profess to be http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/J-e-t6aK6o8/why-amazon-and-indie-are-not-mutually.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)7<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/J-e-t6aK6o8" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/03/why-amazon-and-indie-are-not-mutually.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2325900449139856733Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:08:00 +00002009-02-26T10:45:01.639-08:00Andrew Keenmainstream mediaWeb 2.0In his book, The Cult of the Amateur: how today's internet is killing our culture, author Andrew Keen argues that Web 2.0 (content for media consumers created by media consumers) will soon spell the death of Western media culture as we know it. I don't disagree with him, but unlike Mr. Keen, I don't think that's a bad thing.Mr. Keen likens the worldwide community of bloggers and indie artists to http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/CLw7NSMv8iw/andrew-keen-could-learn-thing-or-two.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)5<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/CLw7NSMv8iw" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/02/andrew-keen-could-learn-thing-or-two.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-7308152606489681179Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:15:00 +00002009-02-22T11:09:31.851-08:00community building#TOCAlexa rankingSEOwebsite developmentPubletariatA funny thing happened to me this month. Not funny ha-ha, but funny WTF?!As you probably already know, the launch of Publetariat, a new online news hub and community for indie authors and small imprints I've founded, was announced on 2/11 at the O'Reilly Tools of Change (#TOC) conference. Okay, I say "announced", but this wasn't any kind of onstage, glitzy, http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/5avJGYyxYOA/myth-of-search-engine-optimization-seo.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)4<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/5avJGYyxYOA" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/02/myth-of-search-engine-optimization-seo.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2108027145414716931Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:58:00 +00002009-02-14T16:08:13.151-08:00virtual book launchbook promotionAnne CordwainerEveryone is invited to a free online party to celebrate the launch of Anne Cordwainer's new book, Modern Magic. Check out this review, from an author more than a few of us have heard of: “I love it! The magic framework is well worked out, the writing is apt, and the crises are scary . . . . this is a fun novel.” -Piers Anthony At the online party you'll find great music, pointers to great bookshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/yPy_QQ5sOYM/virtual-book-launch-party.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/yPy_QQ5sOYM" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/02/virtual-book-launch-party.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-5180961949120222492Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:37:00 +00002009-02-14T12:36:29.277-08:00book promotionauthor platformreadersDon't believe what you hear about New Yorkers being rude. During the four days I was there for the O'Reilly Tools of Change conference, only two people were rude to me. One was a woman who sat next to me during a showing of the musical Billy Elliot. The other was an author in attendance at the conference. I've blurred the details in relating my experience with the author here, but there's still http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/bML6cBOa2Is/lessons-learned-from-toc-dont-be-jerk.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/bML6cBOa2Is" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/02/lessons-learned-from-toc-dont-be-jerk.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-6818631650282757517Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:33:00 +00002009-02-11T07:41:19.398-08:00#TOCsocial mediacommunity-buildingPubletariatThe panel discussion in which I was a member, The Rise of Ebooks, played to a packed auditorium here at the O'Reilly Tools of Change conference on technology and the future of publishing yesterday. Luckily for me, the lights shining on us were so blinding that it was difficult to see---and therefore, to be unnerved by---the large audience. The other panel members were Smashwords founder Mark http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/Pq0Iuq278V4/toc-trip-report-part-i.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/Pq0Iuq278V4" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/02/toc-trip-report-part-i.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6782713127824478176.post-2924612235226908778Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:31:00 +00002009-02-04T10:46:32.687-08:00PubletariatIsn't it about time we indie authors and small imprints had an online home to call our own? And wouldn't it be great if that online home had news about publishing and authorship, articles on topics of interest to us, a moderated discussion board, member profile pages where you could promote your work and keep a blog, reviews of reference books, products, sites and services used by indies, and a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~3/REw8_OUnO70/pssst-over-here-behind-dumpster.htmlindieauthor@gmail.com (April L. Hamilton)6<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/IndieAuthor/~4/REw8_OUnO70" height="1" width="1"/>http://aprillhamilton.blogspot.com/2009/02/pssst-over-here-behind-dumpster.html