Welcome to the Official Grand Opening of Indie Beware!
Welcome to the Grand Opening of Indie Beware! This is a new website designed by indies, for indies, specifically to keep self-published writers informed of what’s happening in the wonderful world of publishing. Indie Beware is going to be broken down into three major segments:
1. Warnings / Bewares / Background Checks for agents, publishers, and services;
2. Indie-related publishing industry news;
and 3. Indie education.
Believe me, there is a lot of ground to cover in the indie industry, more than I believed there would be when I first got the idea for this project. So, naturally, while I work up some research for some posts, I turn it over to you guys and ask:
INDIES: What would YOU like to see covered here on Indie Beware? What do YOU have questions about? Are there any particular publishers or agents who have contacted you that you have questions about? Feel free to comment here and tell us what you would want to see on Indie Beware! (Comments are screened; if you’d like your comment to stay screened due to sensitive information, please note that in your comment.)
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27 Responses to “Welcome to the Official Grand Opening of Indie Beware!”
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Hi Jessica,
Thanks for starting this. Could be a good place for Indies to leave links to articles about dubious deals etc.
I’m thrilled to see this up and running. Even with all the info that’s readily available out there, I still keep hearing aspiring writers asking the same questions and voicing the same misconceptions when it comes to publishing. I will be spreading the word to all the writers I know.
This is a great idea!!
I’m going to link to this from my DIY Self-publishing article (http://davidhburton.com/?p=6502).
As a writer, I discovered the harrowing task of finding an agent for traditional publishing and even though the digital book era has exploded, I still prefer the traditional publishing method. I am not only a writer, but an artist as well, and let’s face it, you can’t autograph an eReader, or produce limited eBook editions, et al. So, for the Indie writer, such as myself and others, we must take special care when we market our work because the Indie writer is a more susceptible target–we are the little fish in the little pond. Writers of today have the extra burden of not only creation, but we are forced into self-marketing, self-promoting, and self-publishing. Because of the higher demands and heavier workloads, we need someone watching out for the innocent Indie writer and artist. I hope there is never a disaster such as what took place in the post-appocalypic times in the movie, The Book of Eli, as only traditional publishing would survive, and we would have start from scratch.
Just because someone chooses to self-publish, doesn’t mean you can’t have a print copy of your book available! Check out CreateSpace and Lulu and *please* read Dean Wesley Smith’s “Think Like a Publisher” series on his blog!
YAY! Really excited about this, woman!
Thanks for starting this site. The landscape of publishing is constantly changing–indie authors need to make wise choices.
This is a fantastic idea – I was just thinking Indies needed some kind of clearing house like Writer Beware, but Indie focused.
First, the obvious: warning away from scammers. But also: lists of professionals offering services that are NOT scammers; marketing venues that work (KND, POI); tutorials on how to write good blurbs; the possibilities are endless!
Best of luck to you! I will be sending people your way!
What an incredible Idea, I love it. Thank you for watching out for the indies.
Hi. Found the site via David Gaughran. I also do a lot of advocacy for self-publishers on my blog. I’ll be following your articles.
This is a great idea!
Would love to see something about what works and what does not work in the realm of indie book marketing.
Thanks for launching this effort.
I’ve added this to my Google Reader, and look forward to keeping up with what you’re doing. Brilliant idea!
Good idea, Jessica. The Penguin deal tells Indies how we are viewed by traditional publishers. We can expect many attempts to take back lost power and money in the coming months and years, so a site such as yours is a welcome addition to the movement.
Is it a movement? It’s certainly a revolution and we are all revolutionaries.
To the barricades!
Great idea for a site. Thanks for setting this up.
Bravo! Self publishing is like being required to do brain surgery before you’re allowed to do brain surgery. The insight provided by a site such as yours provides a little light at the end of the tunnel, and may provide hope for numerous aspiring brain surgeons.
Great site concept. One of the biggest concerns I have is dealing with editors who are available to help indie writers. How can I know which ones are good and which ones are just looking for a quick buck?
Scott,
I’m currently working on getting something set up with reputable independent editors to give tips on how to find a good editor and avoid the cruddy ones. Just keep an eye on the site and, hopefully, I’ll have it going shortly!
This could be a very helpful site for indie writers. Can you give an option to subscribe to posts via email as well as RSS? Thanks.
Hi! I hadn’t thought of that (fairly new, still trying to get all the ducks in a neat little row). I’ll hopefully have something set up shortly!
Jessica, it’s good to see a site dedicated to educating indie authors and helping them to make the best publishing decisions for their books.
One of the most common mistakes that I see aspiring authors make is not investing some time to learn about the publishing business. I would like to recommend three good books from respected publishing experts:
* The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier
* Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual
* The Indie Author Guide by April Hamilton
I have a resource page on my website that contains links to a number of other resources for aspiring authors: http://bit.ly/AspiringAuthors
Good luck with the new site!
Jessica, what a great idea! Thanks for starting this site. People certainly need to know where NOT to go, but also what good options they have if they’re feeling daunted. Here’s the things I think would be useful:
Warnings against scammers
Lists of ‘vetted’ services (CreateSpace, Smashwords, Lucky Bat, etc.)
Links to helpful articles/blogs/publications – David Gaughran, Dean Wesley Smith, Passive Voice, Kris Rusch, Joe K — the resources and info that people need to go Indie.
Crowdsource this, so you don’t get too overwhelmed!
Love the idea for this site. I’d like to see something about foreign rights. (I’m not an Indie yet, but my husband is. He has been contacted by a couple foreign companies.) How do we know if these companies are legit?