Wednesday 29 January 2014

The Artist Unleashed: LEGIT OR BULLS**T? by Julia Tagliere

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 27 January 2014

DO YOU AGREE, OR DISAGREE? (#03) [TOPIC: Review Blogs Turning Down Indie Books]

The other day on Facebook, author Roz Morris, wrote how a review blog turned down her novel because it was self-published. But little did they know that this self-published book was written and published by an author who has ghost written about a dozen bestselling books. Millions of readers have enjoyed her books, and as she states on her blog "that’s no exaggeration because average sales were 500,000 copies each."

She is also an extraordinary editor and book doctor.

Did the people behind this review blog even LOOK at who they were turning down? I guess not. I guess they saw "self-published" and turned up their noses.

Huh. Pretty disgusting if you ask me.

Source
So my statement for you today is as follows:

There are still traditional publishers and professionals who continue to feel threatened by the ever-expanding and improving quality of indie books, and as a result, they are cutting their noses off to spite their faces. The indie movement is here and it's not going anywhere. There is no turning back. It's about time everyone jumped on the bandwagon and started looking at authors individually, rather than by the process in which they decide to publish their books.

Do you agree, or disagree?
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PS: Bitter Like Orange Peel Only $1.99 until January 31st! Click here for details.

Wednesday 22 January 2014

The Artist Unleashed: HOW TO LEARN FROM COMICBOOKS AND POP FICTION, by Matthew Wayne Selznick

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 20 January 2014

No More Publishing

This weekend I abandoned my writing.

But for a good cause.

It's been THREE years since I've written any music. THREE YEARS! What the heck? How did all that time disappear?

Well ... my mother and father, who are also musicians, convinced me to put my music up on Soundcloud. So I did. And what happened next? I started listening to all these amazing artists, and got jealous. Ha! Yup, jealous. I just HAD to write some more tunes.

So that's exactly what I did this weekend. I wrote two tracks. TWO!

But this isn't my usual style. I experimented with digital instruments, and these tracks are purely instrumental. But I REALLY enjoyed it. I think I just might end up writing a whole album of instrumental stuff. It really cleared my head and made me realize that I need to set the business of being an independent author aside for a while, and just BE an ARTIST.

In 2013, I published so many books. And I'm exhausted. So 2014 is going to be all about CREATING. Writing, music, writing, music, writing, music ...

It's going to be a STRESS-LESS year.
No self-inflicted deadlines or expectations.
Just pure artistic joy.

I NEED THIS.

And I think I'm off to a good start!
Care to have a listen?
What do you think?

PS: If you're on Soundcloud, follow me! I'll be sure to follow you back.


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Thursday 16 January 2014

Getta Bitta Cultcha Intaya!

How to Gain Inspiration from Writers’ Retreats Abroad


How many years have you been writing? Think you got the sport down pat? You’re an old pro now, right? All you need is to keep writing so you don’t go rusty. Just put your head down and write, every day, with no interruptions.

Are you nodding in agreement?

Don’t.

Start shaking your head.

I’ve experienced that mindset on many occasion. Then the loneliness sets in. And I get the urge to become a part of society again. You know... actually meet new people that have the same interests as me.

I’m not a social butterfly. I don’t get a thrill from going out and mingling with strangers. In fact, I wince at the thought. ... [KEEP READING]

*Comments are closed here. Please go to the hosting blog to comment.
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CLICK HERE to subscribe to Jessica's newsletter. Every subscriber will receive Book #1 of the Writing in a Nutshell SeriesShow & Tell in a Nutshell, for FREE. And be the first to know about new releases and giveaways!

Wednesday 15 January 2014

The Artist Unleashed: BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL CO-AUTHOR RELATIONSHIP, by Angela Ackerman

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 13 January 2014

Do You Agree, Or Disagree? (#02) [TOPIC: Fake Amazon Reviews]

If you missed my post last Monday, I should repeat that this is going to become a regular thing on my blog this year: Do You Agree, Or Disagree? Due to our ever increasing poor concentration spans (What?! This post is more than 140 characters? How ever will I cope?) I've decided to post, on occasion, a short and sweet statement designed to get you thinking and responding with your thoughts. See that's kind of a trick, isn't it? Because you will probably end up using your brain a lot more on these posts than if you were simply reading an article. But that's cool. I'm all in for tricks.

If you're a lazy reader, just skip to this part of the post. Hopefully this large bold red text will attract your attention:
Buying book reviews isn't new. Publishers have been paying professionals to review their books for decades. So what's all the fuss about THIS new site which offers indie authors an opportunity to boost their sales with quick Amazon reviews? And how is it any different than having family and friends review your books, when clearly they are going to be biased? It's dog eat dog out there. And if a dog has money to pay for hundreds of fake reviews, and as a result, sell a shit load of books, why not let him spend it?
Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this statement are not my own. The statement is worded in a particular way to spark debate.
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Wednesday 8 January 2014

The Artist Unleashed: THEY CALL ME BROOKLYN, by Patricia Florio

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

Monday 6 January 2014

Do You Agree, Or Disagree? (#01) [TOPIC: Social Media = 15 mins of fame]

Happy New Year all!

Today I'm going to keep it short and sweet. I need to wean myself back into the regular posting groove. I've written one sentence and my fingers are complaining that they're experiencing muscle pain, and my brain is crying "What? This isn't Facebook or Twitter? Damn!"

Nah ... kidding. :-)

Before I get to my "point of the day," can I just quickly say that the WRITING IN A NUTSHELL All-In-One book is now out on Kindle!!! Paperback coming soon. Whoop! More info HERE.

Okay, now to the point I want to make today. This is going to become a regular thing on my blog this year: Do You Agree, Or Disagree? Due to our ever increasing poor concentration spans (What?! This post is more than 140 characters? How ever will I cope?) I've decided to post, on occasion, a short and sweet statement designed to get you thinking and responding with your thoughts. See that's kind of a trick, isn't it? Because you will probably end up using your brain a lot more on these posts than if you were simply reading an article. But that's cool. I'm all in for tricks.

If you're a lazy reader, just skip to this part of the post. Hopefully this large bold red text will attract your attention:
Being a popular face on social media is like being that piece of clothing someone thought they couldn't live without, until one day it got pushed to the rear of their cupboard, outta sight, and they didn't realize it was missing until they found it by accident one day.
Do you agree or disagree with this analogy? Why?

Have a great week, folks!
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