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David Viergutz The author’s technology stack—that is, the digital tool set they use to conduct business—is ever-changing. Technology grows and develops, adding features and functionality, solutions to problems that may not have arisen yet. Notion aims to fit into this category, offering an all-in-one organization and productivity tool for individuals and teams. It is a […]
A Fresh Look at Innovations and Crowdfunding Strategies for Authors Tanya Nellestein Kickstarter has long been a dynamic platform for creators to bring their projects to life, and 2024 is no exception. Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform that empowers creators to turn their ideas into reality by engaging with a community of backers. Creators set […]
K-lytics Helps Authors Understand the Industry with Data-Driven Insights The average indie author has probably heard about K-lytics founder Alex Newton’s monthly Amazon Kindle data deep dive. In each report, he curates aggregate data, both historical and current, and provides analytical insights into the state of things on Amazon’s Kindle store. For those with an […]
How Authors Can Make the Most of the E-Book Distribution Service Michael La Ronn For many authors, helping readers download e-books purchased directly onto their preferred reading app eats away from valuable writing and marketing time. With so many responsibilities in running a writing business, tech support is a low priority. That’s where a tool […]
Over the past year, we’ve seen artificial intelligence and generative language models explode in popularity and capability. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, saw close to 1.7 billion visits to the site in October, according to Similarweb. Although the ethics of the programs remain hotly debated in many circles, including in the indie author community, many industries […]
From Bookshelf to Bookstore: Exploring Lulu.com’s Four Major Marketing Avenues In the intricate tapestry of self-publishing, indie authors are constantly searching for ways to better control their income and their relationship with their readers. Lulu.com stands out not merely as another publishing platform but as a comprehensive solution to the dilemma. The platform supports a […]
Independent authors wear many hats: author, editor, cover designer, blurb writer, and more. Among all those responsibilities, however, one self-publishing task that often gets funneled to the back of the queue is the formatting of the book’s interior. While not as top-of-mind as the book cover or blurb, interior formatting is a crucial element that […]
Authors understand the power of a strong launch, but describing OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT simply as “strong” feels like an understatement. In the first five days after an early demo of the generative AI chatbot released in late November 2022, the site had already amassed more than one million users, according to Forbes. That surge […]
Authors Can Still Clock Huge Sales Thanks to TikTok’s Reader Community In the past three years, TikTok, the wildly popular short-form video sharing platform, has become a powerful tool for authors to connect with bookish communities and establish their brand. Just as the platform itself has seen its popularity grow since the app became available […]
Words may be most authors’ medium of choice, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t also testing our skills as visual artists from time to time. Whether it’s book covers or cover mock-ups, marketing material, giveaways, social media posts, or ads, authors—and indie authors especially—do a lot of graphic design. It’s not a problem for those […]
What Indie Authors Should Know to Ensure Their Posts Are Seen Until the late twentieth century, town criers were used to spread the word about local happenings. They stood in front of crowds, disseminating crucial information. Each author must now take up that role, but luckily, thanks to the internet, we don’t have to yell, […]
The Style-Checking Software Built for Editors Can Assist Authors Too In recent years, editing and proofreading software has evolved far past spelling and grammar checks. With new tools emerging and older tools continually upgrading their abilities, simply correcting misspelled words is no longer enough for an app or tool to keep up with the competition. […]
Your author website is gorgeous. I mean it. It is aesthetically pleasing, consistent with your branding, and customized to guide your readers on an effortless journey from discovery to superfan. But does it work? You’ve spent a lot of time, when you could have been writing, thinking about how to reach your readers, engage them, […]
How These Nearly Invisible Data Collection Tools Can Boost Your Author Business Tiffany Robinson In today’s digital age, authors have many tools to increase book sales and reach their target audiences. One of the most effective ways to do this is using pixel tags. That’s right—those colorful little squares on your screen can do a […]
If you’ve ever used a voice assistant feature like Siri or Alexa to locate information, welcomed movie or podcast suggestions on a streaming service such as Netflix or Spotify, or accepted a suggested correction in a word-processing program, you’ve successfully interacted with artificial intelligence, or AI. For years, AI has touched nearly every aspect of […]
Note: The information provided here is not legal advice and should not be taken as such. It is meant for general education purposes only. With the right prompts from a human, AI image generators, such as Midjourney (https://midjourney.com/), DALL-E 2 (https://openai.com/product/dall-e-2), and Stable Diffusion (https://stablediffusionweb.com/), can produce a wonderland of fantastical and beautiful works of […]
Being an indie author is a lot of work. Until we hit the best-seller lists, we’re often forced to wear an entire haberdashery’s worth of hats. We’re constantly researching new ideas, making outlines, finding beta readers or critique partners, and crafting clever synopses, back cover copy, author bios, and so much more. And that’s all […]
Artist Tanya Hales Explains What AI Art Generation Can Offer Authors, Publishers Images generated by Tanya Hales in Midjourney I’ve been an artist and writer since I was old enough to hold a pencil, and I started earning money from my art at age sixteen. The vast majority of my income over the years has […]
Picture by Artsmart A.I My quarry sits across from me, fidgeting nervously, scratching sweaty palms. We’re in a hotel room hastily arranged for the interview. My cell phone is placed between us, set to record, and my notebook and pen are in hand. I try a smile. “You look nervous.” “I’ve got a lot riding […]
Since its launch in 2022, Midjourney has been a game-changer for the internet’s supply of adorable cat photos. AI-generated cat illustrations are almost everywhere. Tabbies sip catnip tea, wear designer clothes, and sport rainbow-colored fur. However, few people realize how much artificial intelligence, or AI, programs—Midjourney specifically—have improved in just a few years, or the […]
What You Should Know about AI as a Marketing Tool Alexa. Google. Bixby. Siri. The automated voice that directs you when you call a business. Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere, and it’s growing. Can it help indie authors market their work? Absolutely! Are there some caveats? Absolutely. Despite some authors’ hesitations regarding AI use in […]
‘Artificial Intelligence’ Sounds Straight Out of Sci-Fi. But What Can It Really Do? The robots are coming for your keyboards and your wallets. At least, that’s how the news may make it sound. In recent months, technological advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) programs have left every industry questioning what the future holds. The discussion is […]
Guest Author Ash Roberts Explains Where the Law Stands—for Now People tend to view copyright of AI-generated material as a settled issue, but that isn’t quite true. When it comes to AI, the legal case—or, more accurately, cases—for copyright is still a highly contested issue. In the US, copyright happens in two phases.The second you […]
Additional Resources for Keeping Up with the Latest AI News Technology is constantly changing, yet rarely do we give a lot of thought to what powers that technology. Not so with artificial intelligence, or AI. With the recent surge in AI programs and their capabilities, people in multiple industries have expressed concerns about its potential […]
… And You Probably Didn’t Realize It. Technology is constantly changing, yet rarely do we give a lot of thought to what powers that technology. Not so with artificial intelligence, or AI. With the recent surge in AI programs and their capabilities, people in multiple industries have expressed concerns about its potential impact on the […]
SMS Texts and Unlimited Subscribers Help Set the Email Service Provider Apart Amid the crowded marketplace of email providers, Sendinblue (https://sendinblue.com) is an often overlooked option. This French-based company has branch offices all over the globe and has services that easily rival some of its biggest competitors: Mailchimp, MailerLite, SendFox, and ActiveCampaign. But it’s not […]
A plethora of AI programs and apps have appeared in the last few years, with varying opinions about what they mean for creative industries. However, some AI tools can be helpful and have already been integrated into daily use for years with little fanfare. Otter.ai, a popular transcription service that operates using AI, is one […]
Artful Agenda Artful Agenda combines the fun and personalization of a paper planner with the convenience of a digital calendar. Choose your cover design, pick your handwriting, color code events and personalize with stickers. Mobile & tablet apps now in Apple and Google Play stores, Syncs with Google, Apple, and Outlook, Works with Apple Pencil […]
I’ve written at least one book with darned near every major—and most of the minor—writing apps out there on the market: Google Docs, Microsoft Word, 4theWords, Atticus, Scrivener, Novlr, Pages. I’ve even written a book in Vellum before. Trying out new writing software has become something of a hobby of mine over the years. But […]
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